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RE: Date & phone number format

for

From: Randy Pearson
Date: Dec 7, 2003 7:21AM

We tend to prefer the first approach, but with the caveat of being flexible
on the back end. For example, in a phone number, don't disallow spaces,
etc., but rather you can strip out any punctuation on the back end and then
validate what's left (and later render with your own preferred formatting).
With dates, the same applies, but we also interpret 2-digit years for their
most likely meaning.

If you go the multi-field approach, there are some JS approaches to avoid
the tabbing by jumping to the next field when the previous one is "full". Be
cautious with these. I've seen some bad ones, and users may not always be
expecting them, which can lead to confusion.

-- Randy

> -----Original Message-----
> I am trying to gather feedback regarding two ways of
> requesting dates and
> phone numbers. I think it is more of a usability issue than an
> accessibility issue and probably personal preferences are involved.
>
> First style:
> Date (example: mmddyyyy) [ ]
> Phone (example: 2121234567) [ ]
>
> This format requires input in one field with no spaces and no
> punctuation.
> It also means less tabbing, but may be confusing to some and
> thus lead to errors.


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