Q:

why is my text input border not showing up when set?

I'm trying to apply an error class of a red border color to my text input field like so:
jquery
//save
...
$("input.required").each(function(){
    if ($.trim($(this).val()).length == 0){                               
        $(this).addClass("form_error");
        formValid = false;
    }
    else{
        $(this).removeClass("form_error");
    }
});

HTML
<div class="control-group">
  <label class="control-label" for="city_id">City</label>
  <div class="controls">
    <input class="span2 required" type="text" value="" name="test" id='testId'/>
  </div>
</div>

CSS
textarea,
input[type="text"]{
  border: 1px solid #cccccc;
}

.form_error {
  border-color: #ee5f5b;
  border: 1px solid #ee5f5b;
}

This is working for my select elements but not text inputs.  Any idea what I'm missing?

A:

This is working for me if I remove the 
textarea,
input[type="text"]{
  border: 1px solid #cccccc;
}

part. I'm guessing that your class is getting applied, but the element styling is getting applied last and ends up winning. 
If removing the section above isn't an option, you can also try changing .form_error to be
.form_error {
  border-color: #ee5f5b;
  border: 1px solid #ee5f5b !important;
}

which will make sure that .form_error's styling wins over the element styling. It's a little kludgy, but it will work (at least in Chrome, which is where I'm testing this).

