---
title: Detect Abbreviations in Form Entries
product: Form Library
description: Detect, validate, and expand abbreviations in SurveyJS forms using a terminology dictionary. View this JavaScript demo to learn more.
framework: React
source: https://surveyjs.io/form-library/examples/detect-abbreviations-in-form-entries/reactjs
index: https://surveyjs.io/form-library/examples/overview.md
---

# Detect Abbreviations in Form Entries (React)

Abbreviation detection recognizes shortened forms, acronyms, and shorthand in entered text, then expands them, suggests a full term, or flags ambiguous usage. Examples include `BP` → Blood Pressure, `NYC` → New York City, and `MS`, which can have multiple meanings in clinical settings.

To detect abbreviations in SurveyJS, register a [custom asynchronous function](/form-library/documentation/design-survey/conditional-logic#asynchronous-functions) and add async expression validators to a question's [`validators`](/form-library/documentation/api-reference/question#validators) array. You can also expand recognized abbreviations in the [`onValueChanged`](/form-library/documentation/survey-data-model#onValueChanged) event handler.

## How This Demo Works

1. An in-demo terminology dictionary simulates a reference data source.
2. Common department abbreviations expand automatically (for example, `HR` becomes `Human Resources`).
3. Other fields use async expression validators that call the `isAbbreviationAcceptable` function.
4. If an abbreviation issue is detected, the function returns `false`, and the field displays the validator [`text`](/form-library/documentation/api-reference/textvalidator#text).

In this demo, validators use [`"notificationType": "warning"`](/form-library/documentation/api-reference/textvalidator#notificationType), so validation messages do not block form submission. To prevent the form from being submitted until the issue is resolved, use the default `"error"` notification type.

[Validator Notification Types](/survey-creator/documentation/end-user-guide/data-validation-in-forms#validator-notification-types (linkStyle))

## Connect to an API Endpoint

To validate against a terminology service, dictionary, or natural language processing (NLP) endpoint, replace the demo helper with a `fetch` call (or an equivalent call using your SDK). Keep the same `registerFunction` and expression validator:

```js
function isAbbreviationAcceptable([fieldName, value]) {
  if (!value) {
    this.returnResult(true);
    return;
  }
  fetch("/api/validation/abbreviations", {
    method: "POST",
    headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
    body: JSON.stringify({ fieldName, value })
  })
    .then((response) => response.json())
    .then((data) => {
      // data.ok === true means the value is acceptable
      this.returnResult(!!data.ok);
    })
    .catch(() => {
      this.returnResult(false);
    });
}

registerFunction({
  name: "isAbbreviationAcceptable",
  func: isAbbreviationAcceptable,
  isAsync: true
});
```

Add expression validators to your survey JSON, for example: `"expression": "isAbbreviationAcceptable('location', {location})"`. Refer to the JSON schema in the Code tab for more examples.

## Related Demos

- [Server-Side Form Validation Using Expressions](/form-library/examples/javascript-async-form-validation/)
- [Server-Side Form Validation Using an Event](/form-library/examples/javascript-server-side-form-validation/)
- [Detect Mis-Keyed Form Entries](/form-library/examples/detect-miskeyed-form-entries/)
- [Detect Duplicate Form Records](/form-library/examples/detect-duplicate-form-records/)

## Files

### `public/index.html`

```html
<div id="surveyElement" style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; right: 0; bottom: 0; min-height: 100%; height:100%"></div>
```

### `src/SurveyComponent.jsx`

```js
import React from "react";
import { Model } from "survey-core";
import { Survey } from "survey-react-ui";
import "survey-core/survey-core.min.css";
import "./index.css";
import { json } from "./json";
import { registerFunction } from "survey-core";


// Async expression validators + client-side auto-expand for safe abbreviations.
// Demo uses an in-memory dictionary; see the Documentation tab to connect your own API.

const ABBREVIATION_DICTIONARY = [
  { abbr: "BP", expansion: "Blood Pressure", autoExpand: false },
  { abbr: "DOB", expansion: "Date of Birth", autoExpand: false },
  { abbr: "Rx", expansion: "Prescription", autoExpand: false },
  { abbr: "Dx", expansion: "Diagnosis", autoExpand: false },
  { abbr: "HTN", expansion: "Hypertension", autoExpand: false },
  { abbr: "NYC", expansion: "New York City", autoExpand: false },
  { abbr: "Dept", expansion: "Department", autoExpand: true },
  { abbr: "HR", expansion: "Human Resources", autoExpand: true },
  { abbr: "Qty", expansion: "Quantity", autoExpand: true },
  { abbr: "approx", expansion: "approximately", autoExpand: false },
  { abbr: "approx.", expansion: "approximately", autoExpand: false },
  { abbr: "Intl", expansion: "International", autoExpand: false },
  { abbr: "ECG", expansion: "Electrocardiogram", autoExpand: false },
  {
    abbr: "MS",
    expansion: null,
    doNotUse: true,
    meanings: ["Multiple Sclerosis", "Morphine Sulfate", "Mitral Stenosis"]
  }
];

function normalizeToken(token) {
  return String(token || "").trim();
}

function dictionaryKey(abbr) {
  return normalizeToken(abbr).replace(/\.$/, "").toLowerCase();
}

function findDictionaryEntry(token) {
  const raw = normalizeToken(token);
  if (!raw) return null;
  const key = dictionaryKey(raw);
  return ABBREVIATION_DICTIONARY.find((entry) => {
    return dictionaryKey(entry.abbr) === key ||
      normalizeToken(entry.abbr).toLowerCase() === raw.toLowerCase();
  }) || null;
}

function extractTokens(text) {
  return String(text || "")
    .split(/[\s,;:/]+/)
    .map(normalizeToken)
    .filter(Boolean);
}

function findAbbreviationsInText(text) {
  const found = [];
  const seen = {};

  extractTokens(text).forEach((token) => {
    const entry = findDictionaryEntry(token);
    if (!entry) return;
    const key = dictionaryKey(entry.abbr);
    if (seen[key]) return;
    seen[key] = true;
    found.push(entry);
  });

  const whole = findDictionaryEntry(text);
  if (whole && !seen[dictionaryKey(whole.abbr)]) {
    found.push(whole);
  }

  return found;
}

function fieldHasAbbreviationIssue(name, value) {
  if (!value) return false;

  if (name !== "clinicalNotes") {
    const exact = findDictionaryEntry(value);
    if (exact) {
      if (exact.doNotUse) return true;
      if (exact.autoExpand && name === "department") return false;
      if (exact.expansion) return true;
    }
  }

  const matches = findAbbreviationsInText(value);
  if (!matches.length) return false;
  if (matches.some((entry) => entry.doNotUse)) return true;
  if (name === "clinicalNotes") {
    return matches.some((entry) => entry.expansion);
  }
  return !!matches[0].expansion;
}

// In-demo async check (replace with fetch to your terminology API in production).
function mockValidationApi(fieldName, value) {
  return new Promise((resolve) => {
    setTimeout(() => {
      resolve({ ok: !fieldHasAbbreviationIssue(fieldName, value) });
    }, 450);
  });
}

// Expression validator: returns true when the value is clear of abbreviation issues.
function isAbbreviationAcceptable([fieldName, value]) {
  if (!value) {
    this.returnResult(true);
    return;
  }

  mockValidationApi(fieldName, value)
    .then((result) => {
      this.returnResult(!!result.ok);
    })
    .catch(() => {
      this.returnResult(false);
    });
}

registerFunction({
  name: "isAbbreviationAcceptable",
  func: isAbbreviationAcceptable,
  isAsync: true
});

function autoExpandAbbreviations(sender, options) {
  if (options.name !== "department") {
    return;
  }

  const entry = findDictionaryEntry(options.value);
  if (!entry || !entry.autoExpand || !entry.expansion) {
    return;
  }

  if (normalizeToken(options.value).toLowerCase() === entry.expansion.toLowerCase()) {
    return;
  }

  sender.setValue(options.name, entry.expansion);
}

function SurveyComponent() {
    const survey = new Model(json);
    survey.onComplete.add((sender, options) => {
        console.log(JSON.stringify(sender.data, null, 3));
    });
    survey.onValueChanged.add(autoExpandAbbreviations);
    return (<Survey model={survey} />);
}

export default SurveyComponent;
```

### `src/index.css`

```css
/* You can add your custom CSS here. */
```

### `src/index.js`

```js
import React from "react";
import { createRoot } from "react-dom/client";
import SurveyComponent from "./SurveyComponent";

const root = createRoot(document.getElementById("surveyElement"));
root.render(<SurveyComponent />);
```

### `src/json.js`

```js
export const json = {
  "title": "Clinical Intake",
  "description": "Try abbreviations such as HR, NYC, BP, approx., or MS. Safe department terms auto-expand as you type; other fields use async expression validators against a terminology dictionary.",
  "checkErrorsMode": "onValueChanged",
  "completeText": "Submit Intake",
  "pages": [
    {
      "name": "intake",
      "elements": [
        {
          "type": "text",
          "name": "department",
          "title": "Department",
          "description": "Safe business abbreviations auto-expand as you type (try HR or Dept).",
          "placeholder": "e.g. HR"
        },
        {
          "type": "text",
          "name": "location",
          "title": "Clinic location",
          "description": "Known place abbreviations are checked via an async expression validator (try NYC).",
          "placeholder": "e.g. NYC",
          "validators": [
            {
              "type": "expression",
              "text": "This looks like an abbreviation. Prefer the full place name (for example, New York City instead of NYC).",
              "expression": "isAbbreviationAcceptable('location', {location})",
              "notificationType": "warning"
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "type": "comment",
          "name": "clinicalNotes",
          "title": "Clinical notes",
          "description": "Free-text abbreviations are detected asynchronously (try \"BP elevated\" or \"Dx: HTN\").",
          "placeholder": "e.g. BP elevated; Dx: HTN; Rx pending",
          "validators": [
            {
              "type": "expression",
              "text": "Abbreviations detected in the notes. Prefer full terminology (for example, Blood Pressure instead of BP).",
              "expression": "isAbbreviationAcceptable('clinicalNotes', {clinicalNotes})",
              "notificationType": "warning"
            }
          ]
        },
        {
          "type": "text",
          "name": "condition",
          "title": "Primary condition / code",
          "description": "Ambiguous or Do Not Use abbreviations are flagged (try \"MS\").",
          "placeholder": "e.g. MS",
          "validators": [
            {
              "type": "expression",
              "text": "This abbreviation is ambiguous or on a Do Not Use list (for example, MS). Enter the full approved term.",
              "expression": "isAbbreviationAcceptable('condition', {condition})",
              "notificationType": "warning"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
;
```

### `src/theme.js`

```js
export const themeJson = {};
```

### `package.json`

```json
{
  "dependencies": {
    "react": "latest",
    "react-dom": "latest",
    "survey-core": "latest",
    "survey-react-ui": "latest"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "react-scripts": "latest"
  }
}
```

## Other Frameworks

- [Angular](https://surveyjs.io/form-library/examples/detect-abbreviations-in-form-entries/angular.md)
- [Vue 3](https://surveyjs.io/form-library/examples/detect-abbreviations-in-form-entries/vue3js.md)
- [jQuery](https://surveyjs.io/form-library/examples/detect-abbreviations-in-form-entries/jquery.md)
- [Vanilla JS](https://surveyjs.io/form-library/examples/detect-abbreviations-in-form-entries/vanillajs.md)