>Hi everybody,
>
>I'm wondering what is the proper way of using validations in the template for directive.
>
>Here is what we have right now in the template:
>
>

> <div class="form-group">
>            <label class="sr-only">@Labels.firstName:</label>
>            <input class="form-control" name="firstName" id="firstName"
>            type="text"  ng-maxlength="100"
>            ng-required="validationRequired" placeholder=@Labels.firstName data-ng-model="currentData.firstName">
>        </div>
>        <div class="form-group">
>            <input class="form-control" type="text" size="1" ng-maxlength="100"
>            placeholder=@Labels.middle data-ng-model="currentData.middleName">
>        </div>
>        <div class="form-group">
>            <input class="form-control" type="text" ng-required="validationRequired" name="lastName" id="lastName" ng-maxlength="100"
>            placeholder=@Labels.last data-ng-model="currentData.lastName">
>        </div>
>        <div class="form-group">
>            <input class="form-control" type="text" placeholder=@Labels.suffix data-ng-model="currentData.suffix">
>        </div>
>        <div class="form-group">
>            <div class="col-md-12 field-validation-error" >
>                <span ng-show="validationRequired && ((currentData.firstName.length == null) || (currentData.firstName.length === 0))">
>                    @String.Format(Messages.isRequired, Labels.firstName)
>                </span>
>
>                <span ng-show="currentData.firstName.length>100">
>                    @String.Format(Messages.cannotExceed, String.Format(Labels.firstName, "1"), 100)
>                </span>
>            </div>
>        </div>

>
>Instead of that, I want to have the 'normal' way of fields validations like we have in the forms, e.g.
>
>

><div class="col-md-7">
>                <input type="text" name="nickname" id="nickname"
>                       ng-model="currentAccount.acctName" class="form-control"
>                       ng-maxlength="10"
>                       ng-model-options="{allowInvalid:true}"
>                       placeholder="@Labels.nickname" required data-sm:focus="isNew" />
>               
>                <div class="field-validation-error">
>                    <span ng-show="form.editAccountGeneral.nickname.$error.required && form.editAccountGeneral.nickname.$dirty">
>                        @String.Format(Messages.isRequired, Labels.nickname)
>                    </span>
>                    <span ng-show="form.editAccountGeneral.nickname.$error.maxlength && form.editAccountGeneral.nickname.$dirty">
>                        @String.Format(Messages.cannotExceed, Labels.nickname, "10")
>                    </span>
>                </div>
>            </div>

>
>The directive does have the following (e.g. name of the form is required):
>
>

>app.directive('smContact', ['resourceFactory', function (resourceFactory) {
>        return {
>            restrict: 'E',
>            scope: {
>                currentData: '=',
>                isNew: '=',
>                contactLabel: '@?',
>                validationRequired: '=',
>                showChooseContact: '=',
>                form: '='
>            },

>
>So, my question is - how to use that 'form' in the fields validations inside the template?
>
>Thanks in advance.

Would not defining the template directive as a form (ng-form) do the trick?
Seems to me that having the directive depend on an outer (potentially unknown) form breaks encapsulation......
IIRC, with nested forms the outer form validity is dependent the validity of its inner forms.