Javascript to check values does not seem to execute --

This is wrong - the bolded shouldn't there

onsubmit="return autocomplete=off FrontPage_Form1_Validator(this)"

Maybe post the whole code if that isn't the problem

Okay,  

Changed it, but have the same result, it is passing an empty text box (pageText) --

<form action="/cgi-bin/dapicgi.php" method="post" name="FrontPage_Form1" id="pagemsg" onsubmit="return FrontPage_Form1_Validator(this)" >
<input type="hidden" name="Server" value="snpp.dapage.net">
<p class="c1"><strong>Enter Page Text:</strong></p>
<p class="c1">
<textarea rows="5" name="pageText" cols="40" onkeyup="return taNCount(this, 200)">
</textarea></p>
<p class="c1"> Characters remaining :  <span id=myCounter>200</span></p>
<p class="c1">
Select list content - 
<select id="pageTarget" size="1" value="none" width="20" style="width: 200px">
---------------------------------

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Replace your script with

<script type="text/javascript" >
function FrontPage_Form1_Validator(theForm) {
if (theForm.pageText.value.length==0 ) {
        alert("Please enter a message in the Text box.");
        theForm.pageText.focus();
        return false;
    }

// first remove all spaces using the following regex
StrToCheck= theForm.pageText.value.replace(/^s+|s+$/, '');

// then we check for the length of the string if its 0 or not
if( StrToCheck.length==0) {
        alert("Please enter a message in the Text box.");
        theForm.pageText.focus();
        return false;
}

    if (theForm.pageText.value.length > 400) {
        alert("Please enter at most 400 characters in the Text box.");
        theForm.pageText.focus();
        return false;
    }

}
</script>

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Gary,  

   flag=0  ??  

   Worked for the empty box but not if I just hit the space bar twice, which is what the replace() regular expression should be catching ..

  --

<script language = "JavaScript"  type="text/javascript" >
function FrontPage_Form1_Validator(theForm) {

    if (theForm.pageText.value.length == 0) {
        alert("Please enter a message in the Text box.");
        theForm.pageText.focus();
        return false;
    }

    // first remove all spaces using the following regex
    StrToCheck = theForm.pageText.value.replace(/\s/g, '');

    // then we check for the length of the string if its 0 or not
    if (StrToCheck.length == 0) {
        alert("Please enter a message in the Text box.");
        theForm.pageText.focus();
        return false;
    }

    if (theForm.pageText.value.length > 400) {
        alert("Please enter at most 400 characters in the Text box.");
        theForm.pageText.focus();
        return false;
    }

}
</script>

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Gary,

   Tried that but , same issue with spaces in the text box.  

    In your suggestion above what did the flag=0 line do that I am now getting the proper empty box message ?  

    --

Meant nothing, shouldn't have been there.

Are you sure you are using the new code and not a cached version

Yes, I am sure it is updating and I have cleared everything --

Working fine for me. Do you have a live link I can look at?

Yes,   go to dispatch.dapage.net  --

     Login with Demo   Password expert

============

You changed the regex - it should be with the backslash

StrToCheck= theForm.pageText.value.replace(/\s/g, '');

:-(  Though I had copied and pasted it ..  

Actually, I am pasting it into a box for wp_head() the Genesis Theme under Wordpress, I save it and go back and look and the string has changed

StrToCheck= theForm.pageText.value.replace(/\s/g, '');

to this with no back slash.

StrToCheck= theForm.pageText.value.replace(/s/g, '');

==================

Try using this in place of the backslash

\

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Nope took that out as well ...  :-)  But that was a great idea --

Thinking I might move the code out of the "form" and replace it with a #include <file> ...

--------------------

When adding it, in the visual editor, don't switch to the HTML editor before you save it.

I don't / did not == I just hit save -

Got it --  

   Will have to be very carefull with it but if I put in (/\\s  one of the two backslashes stay in place, but if I update that page for any other reason it will take the remaining backslash out --  An I change the text message so I know it's that alert that is popping up..  

Now I need to check that my Select is not empty an I am done at least this part --  Still not sure what you changed from my original function that it is working as designed now ..

if (theForm.pin.length == 0){ Array is empty  }

Actually, I am pasting it into a box for wp_head() the Genesis Theme under Wordpress

Probably shouldn't do that.  Any submission into any form field in wp-admin gets run through the sanitizer and that's why you are seeing stuff get stripped.  I would create a .js file with this script and call it via wp_enqueue_scripts() instead.

Don't remember now, couple of lines were invalid js

Jason,

    That sounds like I plan, but I am a WordPress rookie and have no idea where I find that call back..

    Do I have to add a plug_in to use it ?  http://codex.wordpress.org/Plugin_API/Action_Reference/wp_enqueue_scripts

    A search for a "New Plugin" turns up hundreds -- with the call back name -

    ---

Gary,

     Thank you, I am going to have to get better with jsfiddle as it might have saved me a lot of work --

Well,  I have a lot of functions.php files in a couple of directories --

./public_html/dispatch/wp-includes/functions.php
./public_html/dispatch/wp-content/themes/twentyfourteen/functions.php
./public_html/dispatch/wp-content/themes/genesis/functions.php
./public_html/dispatch/wp-content/themes/executive/functions.php

You active theme's functions.php file.

The one you can get to from Appearance | Editor when logged into WP