<ValidationSummary>

The ValidationSummary tag collects all the Message values from the form's <Validate> tags and displays them together as a list, bullet list, or paragraph. It pairs naturally with each <Validate> tag's Text attribute: each validator marks its own location with a short inline indicator (e.g. * or **), while the full sentence describing the problem appears in the summary.

You typically place one <ValidationSummary> near the form's submit buttons.

Example

A Range validator with Text="*" (inline marker next to the field) and Message="..." (full sentence in the summary):

<AddForm>
  ...
  <table>
    <tr>
      <td>
        <Label For="txtQuantity" Text="Number of Tickets" />
        <TextBox Id="txtQuantity" DataField="Quantity" DataType="int32" />
        <Validate Type="Range" Target="txtQuantity" MinimumValue="1" MaximumValue="5"
                  DataType="Integer" Text="*"
                  Message="You can only order between 1 and 5 tickets" />
      </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td colspan="2">
        <AddButton Text="Place Order" />&nbsp;<CancelButton Text="Cancel" /><br />
        <ValidationSummary DisplayMode="BulletList" CssClass="NormalRed" HeaderText="Errors:" />
      </td>
    </tr>
  </table>
</AddForm>

Properties

Property	Values	Default	Description
CssClass	string		CSS class name(s) for styling the summary
DisplayMode	List BulletList SingleParagraph	BulletList	How the messages are laid out
EnableClientScript	True False	True	When True, the summary updates client-side as validators report errors (no postback needed)
HeaderText	string		Text displayed above the message list when validation fails
Height	size		Height of the summary
ID	string		Unique identifier for the control within the form
Width	size		Width of the summary

Deprecated Properties

These properties use ASP.NET inline styling and are no longer recommended for modern web development. Use the CssClass property to apply CSS classes or the Style property for inline CSS instead.

Property	Values	Description
BackColor	color name | #dddddd	Background color of the summary
BorderColor	color name | #dddddd	Border color
BorderStyle	NotSet None Dotted Dashed Solid Double Groove Ridge Inset Outset	Border style
BorderWidth	size	Border width
Font-Bold	True False	Bold text
Font-Italic	True False	Italic text
Font-Names	string	Font family name
Font-Overline	True False	Overline text decoration
Font-Size	XX-Small X-Small Small Medium Large X-Large XX-Large or size	Font size
Font-Strikeout	True False	Strikethrough text decoration
Font-Underline	True False	Underline text decoration
ForeColor	color name | #dddddd	Text color. Note: the summary hard-codes red text by default. If you set CssClass, XMP automatically clears ForeColor so your stylesheet's color rules take effect

Property Details

• DisplayMode: How the validation messages are laid out. BulletList (the default) renders each message as a <li> inside a <ul>. List separates messages with <br>. SingleParagraph joins them into a single paragraph with spaces between.

• HeaderText: Text rendered immediately above the message list when validation fails. Useful for framing the errors (e.g. HeaderText="Please fix the following:"). Omit for a bare list.

• EnableClientScript: When True (the default), the summary updates in the browser as validators report errors — without requiring a postback. Set to False to update only after a server-side postback.

Pairing with <Validate> tags

The <Validate> tag has both Message and Text:

• Message appears in the <ValidationSummary> (typically the full sentence).
• Text appears at the validator's own location (typically a short inline marker like *).

If you don't include a <ValidationSummary>, the validator's Message falls back to displaying inline at the validator's location — which is why the Text / Message separation only matters once a summary is on the form.