jQuery Validate Required Select

Question

An easier solution has been outlined here: Validate select box

Make the value be empty and add the required attribute

<select id="select" class="required">
<option value="">Choose an option</option> 
<option value="option1">Option1</option>
<option value="option2">Option2</option>
<option value="option3">Option3</option>
</select>

You can write your own rule!

 // add the rule here
 $.validator.addMethod("valueNotEquals", function(value, element, arg){
  return arg !== value;
 }, "Value must not equal arg.");

 // configure your validation
 $("form").validate({
  rules: {
   SelectName: { valueNotEquals: "default" }
  },
  messages: {
   SelectName: { valueNotEquals: "Please select an item!" }
  }  
 });

the most simple solution

just set the value of the first option to empty string value=""

<option value="">Choose...</option>

and jquery validation required rule will work

use min rule

set first option value to 0

'selectName':{min:1}

You only need to put validate[required] as class of this select and then put a option with value=""

for example:

<select class="validate[required]">
  <option value="">Choose...</option>
  <option value="1">1</option>
  <option value="2">2</option>
</select>

I don't know how was the plugin the time the question was asked (2010), but I faced the same problem today and solved it this way:

1. Give your select tag a name attribute. For example in this case

   <select name="myselect">

2. Instead of working with the attribute value="default" in the tag option, disable the default option or set value="" as suggested by Andrew Coats

   <option disabled="disabled">Choose...</option>

   or

   <option value="">Choose...</option>

3. Set the plugin validation rule

   $( "#YOUR_FORM_ID" ).validate({ rules: { myselect: { required: true } } });

   or

   <select name="myselect" class="required">

Obs: Andrew Coats' solution works only if you have just one select in your form. If you want his solution to work with more than one select add a name attribute to your select.

Hope it helps! :)