...
Code Block | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
<?php ... $rules = array( 'field_1' => array( 'empty' => array( 'rule' => true, 'message' => "This error will never be displayed" ) ), 'field_2' => array( 'valid' => array( 'rule' => false, 'message' => "This error will always be displayed" ) ) ); $this->Input->setRules($rules); ?> |
if_set Option
It is often useful to evaluate an input field only if it is submitted (such as when an edit is being performed). To do so, we can use the 'if_set' option.
Code Block | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
<?php
...
$rules = array(
'field_1' => array(
'empty' => array(
'if_set' => true,
'rule' => "isEmpty",
'negate' => true,
'message' => "This rule is only evaluated if field_1 is set and not null"
)
)
);
$this->Input->setRules($rules);
?> |
Built-in Rules
The Input component has a set of built in rules. The syntax for invoking these rules is a string or a single dimensional array.
...
Code Block | ||
---|---|---|
| ||
<?php ... $rules = array( 'field_1' => array( 'empty' => array( 'rule' => "isEmpty", 'negate' => true, 'message' => "Field 1 may not be empty." ) ) ); ... ?> |
isPassword
This built-in rule determines whether a given string matches a regular expression for validating passwords. It may accept additional parameters identifying the minimum length of the password; the type of regular expression to validate against, in the case you choose to use an existing expression already supported; or your own custom regular expression.
...
- The minimum length required for the password
- The type of regular expression to use, which must be one of the following:
- any - Validates anything that meets the minimum length requirement
- any_no_space - Validates anything that meets the minimum length requirement and does not contain spaces
- alpha_num - Validates anything that meets the minimum length requirement and is alpha-numeric
- alpha - Validates anything that meets the minimum length requirement and contains only alpha characters
- num - Validates anything that meets the minimum length requirement and contains only integers
- custom - Specifies that you want to set your own custom regular expression as the next parameter
- The custom regular expression you would like to use, if the type of regular expression is set to "custom"
Code Block | ||
---|---|---|
| ||
<?php ... $rules = array( 'password1' => array( 'format' => array( 'rule' => array("isPassword", 8, "alpha_num"), 'message' => "Password1 must be at least 8 characters in length, and alpha-numeric." ) ), 'password2' => array( 'format' => array( 'rule' => array("isPassword", 0, "custom", "/^([a-z][0-9]+){1211,}$/Di"), 'message' => "Password2 must begin with a letter, followed by only numbers, no less than 12 characters in length." ) ) ); ... ?> |
isDate
matches
compares
between
minLength
maxLength
betweenLength
isDate
This built-in rule determines whether the given string is in a valid date format. It may also accept minimum and maximum date values as parameters to be used in determining whether the date to be validated is within the given range. The dates may be string-formatted dates, or UNIX timestamps.
The rule accepts multiple parameters:
- The minimum date
- The maximum date
Code Block | ||
---|---|---|
| ||
<?php
...
$rules = array(
'date_begins' => array(
'format' => array(
'rule' => "isDate",
'message' => "The date_begins is not in a valid date format."
)
),
'date_ends' => array(
'format' => array(
'rule' => array("isDate", "2013-05-01", "2013-06-01"),
'message' => "The date_ends must be a valid date between May 1, 2013 and June 1, 2013."
)
)
);
...
?> |
matches
This built-in rule determines whether a given string matches a custom regular expression.
This rule accepts multiple parameters
- The regular expression
Code Block | ||
---|---|---|
| ||
<?php
...
$rules = array(
'phone_number' => array(
'format' => array(
'rule' => array("matches", "/^([0-9]{3}\.){2}[0-9]{4}$/"),
'message' => "The phone number must be of the format ###.###.####"
)
)
);
...
?> |
compares
This built-in rule satisfies a logical comparison between the input and your custom comparator.
This rule accepts multiple parameters:
- The logical comparison operator, one of:
- >
- <
- >=
- <=
- ==
- ===
- !=
- !==
- The value to compare with
Code Block | ||
---|---|---|
| ||
<?php
...
$rules = array(
'status' => array(
'format' => array(
'rule' => array("compares", "==", "active"),
'message' => "The status must be 'active'."
)
)
);
...
?> |
between
This built-in method determines whether the input value is between a minimum and maximum value.
This rule accepts multiple parameters:
- The minimum value to compare the value against
- The maximum value to compare the value against
A boolean value of false if the rule must validate strictly within the min/max range, or true if the range may include the min and max values themselves
Code Block | ||
---|---|---|
| ||
<?php
...
$rules = array(
'score' => array(
'format' => array(
'rule' => array("between", "1", "100", false),
'message' => "The score must be a number between 2 and 99."
)
)
);
...
?> |
minLength
This built-in method determines whether the given value is at least a given character length.
This rule accepts multiple parameters:
- The minimum length to require
Code Block | ||
---|---|---|
| ||
<?php
...
$rules = array(
'last_name' => array(
'format' => array(
'rule' => array("minLength", 3),
'message' => "Your last name must be at least 3 characters in length."
)
)
);
...
?> |
maxLength
This built-in method determines whether the given value is at most a given character length.
This rule accepts multiple parameters:
- The maximum length to require
Code Block | ||
---|---|---|
| ||
<?php
...
$rules = array(
'last_name' => array(
'format' => array(
'rule' => array("maxLength", 32),
'message' => "Your last name must not exceed 32 characters in length."
)
)
);
...
?> |
betweenLength
This built-in method determines whether the given value is between both the minimum and maximum character lengths.
This rule accepts multiple parameters:
- The minimum length to require
- The maximum length to require
Code Block | ||
---|---|---|
| ||
<?php
...
$rules = array(
'last_name' => array(
'format' => array(
'rule' => array("betweenLength", 3, 32),
'message' => "Your last name must be between 3 and 32 characters in length."
)
)
);
...
?> |
...
PHP Rules
In additional to the built-in Input rules, you can also invoke any PHP function as a rule as well.
Note | ||
---|---|---|
| ||
It's important to note that PHP has a number of language constructs that look like functions but are not. You can not use language constructs as rules. |
Consider the example below that validates whether an input value is in a predefined array using PHP's "in_array" function:
Code Block | ||
---|---|---|
| ||
<?php ... $rules = array( 'status' => array( 'format' => array( 'rule' => array("in_array", array("active", "pending", "in_review")), 'message' => "The given status is invalid. Valid statuses are 'active', 'pending', or 'in_review'." ) ) ); ... ?> |
Custom Rules
You may also define your own custom rules using a callback function to perform input validation. All callback validation methods must return boolean true if the input value validates successfully and boolean false if the validation fails. They must also be public methods. The syntax for the rule is a two-dimensional array containing the reference to the class the validation method resides, and to the method itself, followed by any additional parameters for that method.
Consider the example below which validates whether a invoice record exists in the database, assuming that the validation method is apart of the same class where the validation takes place.
Code Block | ||
---|---|---|
| ||
<?php
class MyClass {
...
private function getRules() {
return array(
'invoice_id' => array(
'exists' => array(
'rule' => array(array($this, "validateExists"), 256),
'message' => "The invoice ID does not exist."
)
)
);
}
public function validateExists($invoice_id, $client_id=null) {
Loader::loadComponents($this, array("Record"));
// Query the database to check whether the invoice ID exists
$this->Record->select()->from("invoices")->where("invoices.id", "=", $invoice_id);
// If a client ID is given, require the invoice belong to that client
if ($client_id)
$this->Record->where("invoices.client_id", "=", $client_id);
return ($this->Record->numResults() > 0);
}
...
}
?> |
...
Formatting
There are two attributes that handle data formatting during validation. They are:
...
As their names suggest they allow formatting of data before, or after, validation. These callbacks work just like the callbacks we've seen for rule validation.
The following example pre-formats the given input number into only digits and validates that it is at least 4 digits in length:
Code Block | ||
---|---|---|
| ||
<?php
...
$rules = array(
'number' => array(
'format' => array(
'pre_format' => array(array($this, "formatNumber")),
'rule' => array("minLength", 4),
'message' => "Please enter a number at least 4 digits in length."
)
)
);
...
public function formatNumber($number) {
return preg_replace("/[^0-9]*/", "", $number);
}
?> |
The following example validates that an input name is given, and then performs PHP's trim function on the input to remove white-space before and after the string:
Code Block | ||
---|---|---|
| ||
<?php
...
$rules = array(
'name' => array(
'format' => array(
'rule' => "isEmpty",
'negate' => true,
'message' => "Please enter your name",
'post_format' => array("trim")
)
)
);
...
?> |