Server-side code works best for error handling. All form checking, including data analysis,
like scanning for well-formed e-mail addresses, should ideally be handled with a language
like Perl, PHP, or ASP. There are plenty of free scripts available. While JavaScript can be
used, if the user agent has it disabled (or cannot read it to begin with, as on a mobile
device), then the user may be stuck with a wholly non-functioning form and no idea why.
Finally, a small usability point. When reloading a page to display an error, retain the content
that the user has already entered. There are few things more aggravating than spending
20 minutes on a detailed form only to have the entire body of work erased by a
ridiculous error. (The only exception of lost information would be passwords. For security
reasons, many sites require these be reentered if an error occurs.)
Error message content
Designing a good error message is only half the battle. What the error message actually
says is equally critical, because if the user does not know how to remedy the problem, they
will have to either resort to experimentation to figure out the issue or simply quit.
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