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Last modified: May 31, 2023

Error messages

Error messages explain what what went wrong and how to correct it, to the user.

Be short and precise in how error messages are formulated, and make sure that the user knows what is necessary to proceed. Writing “The field is not filled correctly” only explains that there’s something wrong, but does not give any info on how to fix the problem.

Examples of explanatory error messages:

  • “Zip code must have 4 digits”
  • “You must choose one delivery option”
  • “To submit the form you need to confirm that the name is correct by checking the name confirmation checkbox.”

Read more about error messaging on UU-tilsynet’s web pages (nb).

Guidelines:

  • Error-messaging text should contain keywords from the label.
  • The requirements to submit the form correctly should be clearly indicated before any error messages appear.
  • If the form has faults when the user attempts to proceed, the error messaging box at the top of the screen should show all errors and link to the fields that are incorrectly formatted. ⚠️ NB: This functionality is currently unavailable in Altinn Studio

Example of usage: