# validateOptions

## Summary

**Optional** `function validateOptions(userOptions, callback)`

| Parameters  | Description                                                          |
| ----------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| userOptions | a user options object keyed on the option's key property             |
| callback    | the callback function to execute which returns any validation errors |

The `validateOptions` method is used to validate user options specified in the `config.js` file. Anytime a user attempts to save user options or subscribe to an integration the `validateOptions` method is called. You should use this method to ensure that options set by users and administrators are valid.  This is an optional method which does not have to be implemented in your integration.

## **Parameters**

### **userOptions**

`userOptions` is an object keyed on the option `key` property that contains the full option object specified in the `config.js` with an added `value` property that contains the value for the option. The `value` for the option is what should be validated.

```javascript
// example userOptions
{
    apiKey: {
        key         : "apiKey",
        name        : "Sample API Key",
        description : "The API Key for your Sample Integration",
        type        : "text",
        default     : "",            
        userCanEdit : true,
        adminOnly   : false,
        value: "jkasdiojasio1j23oij123"
    }   
}
```

{% hint style="info" %}
Note that the `userOptions` object will always contain all options as specified in the `config.js` file even if the `value` has not been provided.
{% endhint %}

When accessing options from the `userOptions` object make sure you access the `value` property to get the current value of the option.

```javascript
// Accessing the value of the option `apiKey`
function validateOptions(userOptions, callback){
    let apiKey = userOptions.apiKey.value;    
}
```

### **callback(error, validationErrors)**

The second parameter for the `validateOptions` method is a `callback` function that returns as its first parameter an error object and as its second parameter an array of validation errors.

#### **error**

The `callback` should method should return an `error` object as the first parameter if there was an error during validation (this will typically be `null` unless your `validateOptions` method performs actions such as performing network requests that might have errors).

#### **validationErrors**

The second parameter should be an array of validation error objects (or an empty array if there are no validation errors). The validation error objects should contain a `key` property that matches the option `key` that did not validate along with a `message` property that contains a `string` literal message to display to the user.

```javascript
// example validationErrors array
let validationErrors = [
    {
        key         : "apiKey",
        message     : "Sample API Key"
    }   
]
```

## Example

The following is an example that shows a complete `validateOptions` method. The method validates the `apiKey` option by ensuring that the `apiKey` is a string and that the length of the `apiKey` is not 0.

{% code title="integration.js" %}

```javascript
// example validateOptions method
function validateOptions(userOptions, cb) {
    let validationErrors = [];
    if(typeof userOptions.apiKey.value !== 'string' ||
        (typeof userOptions.apiKey.value === 'string' && 
        userOptions.apiKey.value.length === 0)){
        validationErrors.push({
            key: 'apiKey',
            message: 'You must provide an API key'
        })
    }

    cb(null, validationErrors);
}
```

{% endcode %}