Title validation
ONIXEDIT Cloud checks every title against the validation formats of its catalogue (ONIX itself, plus trade formats such as BISG, BTLF or Amazon when they are enabled). The entry form flags each field as you type and keeps a whole-title verdict in its header, the error summary lists every error with a link to the field, and the title list shows one validation column per format so you can see at a glance which titles are ready to send.
Where to find it
- In the entry form: the validation banner sits in the header, between the form view selector and the toolbar. Every user who can open a title sees it; it is hidden while editing the catalogue default values.
- Refresh Errors (refresh icon) is the first button of the header toolbar.
- In the title list: the validation columns (one per format, then ONIX) are on the right of every row; the Validation score: bar is in the footer. On an ONIX 3.0 catalogue of a Cloud subscription, the Manage ONIX 3 Options link at the top of the actions column opens the ONIX 3 Best Practices option.
- Actions dropdown: Generate error list for selected products.
- Rights: the Save invalid title right decides whether you may store a title that still has errors. Validation formats and the "Don't validate product identifiers" option are catalogue settings made by your administrator outside ONIXEDIT Cloud.
Screen overview
The banner shows a spinner while the title loads or a validation runs, then either the green check with This product is valid! or the red report icon with This product is invalid! followed by the View error summary link.
Two levels of validation
| Level | When it runs | What it checks |
|---|---|---|
| Field (in the form) | Immediately, on every field you can see | Required fields, ONIX code list values, value formats, patterns, ISBN-10 / ISBN-13 / EAN check digits, country codes, conditions between fields. The message appears in red under the field. |
| Whole title (on the server) | When the title opens, when you press Refresh Errors, after each save, and before Save this product and return to the list | Every rule of every validation format of the catalogue, on the whole title, including fields that are not displayed by the current form. |
A tab header turns red as soon as one of its fields is in error, even a tab you have not opened yet.
How to find and fix errors with the error summary
- Click View error summary in the banner. The Validation Error Summary - Press F8 to go to next error dialog opens with the list Current validation errors:.
- Read the three columns: Format (which validation format raised it), Invalid ONIX element (the ONIX path) and Error message. Hover the element to see the XML fragment in error.
- Click Show this error on a line: the dialog closes and the form selects the tab and focuses the field.
- If a line shows Switch to advanced form instead, the field only exists in the Advanced Form; clicking it switches view and focuses the field. The link Some errors are visible in Advanced Form only. Click here to switch to Advanced Form. at the top switches view too.
- After correcting, click Refresh errors in the dialog to re-validate. When no error remains the dialog closes and No more errors! confirms it.
How to jump to the next error with F8
Press F8 anywhere in the entry form. The form goes to the first remaining error, opening its tab if needed. Repeat until the message You're good! No more validation errors found in this product. appears.
How to refresh the validation
Click Refresh Errors in the header toolbar. The banner shows the spinner, the server re-validates the whole title, and the banner, the red tabs and the error summary are updated.
What happens when you save an invalid title
- Open Save options and choose Save this product and return to the list. The title is validated first.
- If errors remain, the Validation errors found dialog opens.
- With the Save invalid title right, you can choose Save product to store the title as is, or Return to product to correct it first.
- Without that right, the dialog reads "You are not allowed to save an invalid title" and only offers Return to product.
Save this product (Ctrl+S, or Cmd+S on a Mac) is a checkpoint save: with the right it skips this dialog and stores the title as is, so work in progress is never lost; without it, it validates like save and close.
How to read validation in the title list
| Column | Icon | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| One column per validation format of the catalogue (for example BISG, BTLF, ONIX3, STRICT), then ONIX | Orange warning | This product has not been validated yet! — never validated, or modified after its last validation. |
| Green check | Valid for that format; the tooltip shows Last validation date: and the date. | |
| Red report | Invalid; the tooltip adds Errors: and the number of errors for that format. |
A padlock in the ONIX column marks a locked title.
The footer bar reads Validation score: with the percentage of valid titles in the current list. Click it, then choose Valid products, Invalid products or All products to filter the list; the filter combines with the current search. The Advanced Search also offers the Is valid and Is invalid operators.
How to generate an error list
- Select titles, or run a search, or select nothing to cover the whole catalogue.
- Open Actions and choose Generate error list for selected products.
- Confirm. The file is built as a background task that you follow in the Notifications menu of the top bar; it lists the errors of every invalid title in scope, so you can fix them in bulk. See Actions on titles and Reports and error lists.
Tips
Validate more strictly on ONIX 3.0
On an ONIX 3.0 catalogue, Manage ONIX 3 Options lets you tick Enable ONIX 3 Best Practices to add the mandatory fields and rules of EDItEUR's best practice guide. See ONIX 3.0 and options.
Identifiers are not always checked
When your administrator enables "Don't validate product identifiers" on a catalogue, the entry form skips its checks on product and work identifiers, including the ISBN check digit.
Frequently asked questions
Why is a new title invalid before I have typed anything?
The mandatory fields of the catalogue's validation formats are still empty. Fill them in, or press F8 to jump from one missing field to the next.
Why does the error summary list an error I cannot see in the form?
The field belongs to an ONIX element that the Simplified Form does not show. Click Switch to advanced form on that line and the field opens in the Advanced Form.
Can I save a title that still has errors?
Yes if you hold the Save invalid title right on the catalogue. The Validation errors found dialog then offers Save product; without the right it only offers Return to product.
Why does the title list show a warning icon instead of a green check?
The title was modified after its last validation, or was never validated. Open it and use Refresh Errors, or wait for the next background validation.