jQuery Validation using the class instead of the name value

You can add the rules based on that selector using .rules("add", options), just remove any rules you want class based out of your validate options, and after calling $(".formToValidate").validate({... });, do this:

$(".checkBox").rules("add", { 
  required:true,  
  minlength:3
});

Another way you can do it, is using addClassRules. It's specific for classes, while the option using selector and .rules is more a generic way.

Before calling

$(form).validate()

Use like this:

jQuery.validator.addClassRules('myClassName', {
        required: true /*,
        other rules */
    });

Ref: http://docs.jquery.com/Plugins/Validation/Validator/addClassRules#namerules

I prefer this syntax for a case like this.


I know this is an old question. But I too needed the same one recently, and I got this question from stackoverflow + another answer from this blog. The answer which was in the blog was more straight forward as it focuses specially for this kind of a validation. Here is how to do it.

$.validator.addClassRules("price", {
     required: true,
     minlength: 2
});

This method does not require you to have validate method above this call.

Hope this will help someone in the future too. Source here.


Here's the solution using jQuery:

    $().ready(function () {
        $(".formToValidate").validate();
        $(".checkBox").each(function (item) {
            $(this).rules("add", {
                required: true,
                minlength:3
            });
        });
    });

Here's my solution (requires no jQuery... just JavaScript):

function argsToArray(args) {
  var r = []; for (var i = 0; i < args.length; i++)
    r.push(args[i]);
  return r;
}
function bind() {
  var initArgs = argsToArray(arguments);
  var fx =        initArgs.shift();
  var tObj =      initArgs.shift();
  var args =      initArgs;
  return function() {
    return fx.apply(tObj, args.concat(argsToArray(arguments)));
  };
}
var salutation = argsToArray(document.getElementsByClassName('salutation'));
salutation.forEach(function(checkbox) {
  checkbox.addEventListener('change', bind(function(checkbox, salutation) {
    var numChecked = salutation.filter(function(checkbox) { return checkbox.checked; }).length;
    if (numChecked >= 4)
      checkbox.checked = false;
  }, null, checkbox, salutation), false);
});

Put this in a script block at the end of <body> and the snippet will do its magic, limiting the number of checkboxes checked in maximum to three (or whatever number you specify).

Here, I'll even give you a test page (paste it into a file and try it):

<!DOCTYPE html><html><body>
<input type="checkbox" class="salutation">
<input type="checkbox" class="salutation">
<input type="checkbox" class="salutation">
<input type="checkbox" class="salutation">
<input type="checkbox" class="salutation">
<input type="checkbox" class="salutation">
<input type="checkbox" class="salutation">
<input type="checkbox" class="salutation">
<input type="checkbox" class="salutation">
<input type="checkbox" class="salutation">
<script>
    function argsToArray(args) {
      var r = []; for (var i = 0; i < args.length; i++)
        r.push(args[i]);
      return r;
    }
    function bind() {
      var initArgs = argsToArray(arguments);
      var fx =        initArgs.shift();
      var tObj =      initArgs.shift();
      var args =      initArgs;
      return function() {
        return fx.apply(tObj, args.concat(argsToArray(arguments)));
      };
    }
    var salutation = argsToArray(document.getElementsByClassName('salutation'));
    salutation.forEach(function(checkbox) {
      checkbox.addEventListener('change', bind(function(checkbox, salutation) {
        var numChecked = salutation.filter(function(checkbox) { return checkbox.checked; }).length;
        if (numChecked >= 3)
          checkbox.checked = false;
      }, null, checkbox, salutation), false);
    });
</script></body></html>