jQuery validation plugin: accept only alphabetical characters?

I'd like to use jQuery's validation plugin to validate a field that only accepts alphabetical characters, but there doesn't seem to be a defined rule for it. I've searched google but I've found nothing useful.

Any ideas?

Appreciate your help.

Solution 1:

If you include the additional methods file, here's the current file for 1.7: http://ajax.microsoft.com/ajax/jquery.validate/1.7/additional-methods.js

You can use the lettersonly rule :) The additional methods are part of the zip you download, you can always find the latest here.

Here's an example:

$("form").validate({
  rules: {
    myField: { lettersonly: true }
  }
});

It's worth noting, each additional method is independent, you can include that specific one, just place this before your .validate() call:

jQuery.validator.addMethod("lettersonly", function(value, element) {
  return this.optional(element) || /^[a-z]+$/i.test(value);
}, "Letters only please"); 

Solution 2:

Be careful,

jQuery.validator.addMethod("lettersonly", function(value, element) 
{
return this.optional(element) || /^[a-z," "]+$/i.test(value);
}, "Letters and spaces only please"); 

[a-z, " "] by adding the comma and quotation marks, you are allowing spaces, commas and quotation marks into the input box.

For spaces + text, just do this:

jQuery.validator.addMethod("lettersonly", function(value, element) 
{
return this.optional(element) || /^[a-z ]+$/i.test(value);
}, "Letters and spaces only please");

[a-z ] this allows spaces aswell as text only.

............................................................................

also the message "Letters and spaces only please" is not required, if you already have a message in messages:

messages:{
        firstname:{
        required: "Enter your first name",
        minlength: jQuery.format("Enter at least (2) characters"),
        maxlength:jQuery.format("First name too long more than (80) characters"),
        lettersonly:jQuery.format("letters only mate")
        },

Adam

Solution 3:

Both Nick and Adam's answers work really well.

I'd like to add a note if you want to allow latin characters like á and ç as I wanted to do:

jQuery.validator.addMethod('lettersonly', function(value, element) {
    return this.optional(element) || /^[a-z áãâäàéêëèíîïìóõôöòúûüùçñ]+$/i.test(value);
}, "Letters and spaces only please");