Class Validator

Validator object encapsulates all methods related to data validations for a model It also provides an API to dynamically change validation rules for each model field.

Implements ArrayAccess to easily modify rules in the set

Namespace: Cake\Validation
Link: https://book.cakephp.org/3.0/en/core-libraries/validation.html

Constants

string

NESTED ¶
```
'_nested'
```
Used to flag nested rules created with addNested() and addNestedMany()

Property Summary

$_allowEmptyMessages protected

array

Contains the validation messages associated with checking the emptiness for each corresponding field.
$_defaultProviders protected static

array

An associative array of objects or classes used as a default provider list
$_fields protected

array

Holds the ValidationSet objects array
$_presenceMessages protected

array

Contains the validation messages associated with checking the presence for each corresponding field.
$_providers protected

array

An associative array of objects or classes containing methods used for validation
$_useI18n protected

bool

Whether or not to use I18n functions for translating default error messages

Method Summary

__construct() public

Constructor
__debugInfo() public

Get the printable version of this object.
_canBeEmpty() protected

Returns whether the field can be left blank according to allowEmpty
_checkPresence() protected

Returns false if any validation for the passed rule set should be stopped due to the field missing in the data array
_convertValidatorToArray() protected

Converts validator to fieldName => $settings array
_fieldIsEmpty() protected

Returns true if the field is empty in the passed data array
_processRules() protected

Iterates over each rule in the validation set and collects the errors resulting from executing them
add() public

Adds a new rule to a field's rule set. If second argument is an array then rules list for the field will be replaced with second argument and third argument will be ignored.
addDefaultProvider() public static

Associates an object to a name so it can be used as a default provider.
addNested() public

Adds a nested validator.
addNestedMany() public

Adds a nested validator.
allowEmpty() public

Allows a field to be empty. You can also pass array. Using an array will let you provide the following keys:
alphaNumeric() public

Add an alphanumeric rule to a field.
ascii() public

Add a validation rule to ensure a field contains only ascii bytes
boolean() public

Add a boolean validation rule to a field.
containsNonAlphaNumeric() public

Add a rule to check if a field contains non alpha numeric characters.
count() public

Returns the number of fields having validation rules
creditCard() public

Add a credit card rule to a field.
date() public

Add a date format validation rule to a field.
dateTime() public

Add a date time format validation rule to a field.
decimal() public

Add a decimal validation rule to a field.
email() public

Add an email validation rule to a field.
equals() public

Add a equal to comparison rule to a field.
errors() public

Returns an array of fields that have failed validation. On the current model. This method will actually run validation rules over data, not just return the messages.
field() public

Returns a ValidationSet object containing all validation rules for a field, if passed a ValidationSet as second argument, it will replace any other rule set defined before
getDefaultProvider() public static

Returns the default provider stored under that name if it exists.
getDefaultProviders() public static

Get the list of default providers.
getIterator() public

Returns an iterator for each of the fields to be validated
getProvider() public

Returns the provider stored under that name if it exists.
greaterThan() public

Add a greater than comparison rule to a field.
greaterThanOrEqual() public

Add a greater than or equal to comparison rule to a field.
hasAtLeast() public

Add a validation rule to ensure that a field is an array containing at least the specified amount of elements
hasAtMost() public

Add a validation rule to ensure that a field is an array containing at most the specified amount of elements
hasField() public

Check whether or not a validator contains any rules for the given field.
hexColor() public

Add a validation rule to ensure a field is a 6 digits hex color value.
inList() public

Add a validation rule to ensure the field value is within a whitelist.
integer() public

Add a validation rule to ensure a field is an integer value.
ip() public

Add an IP validation rule to a field.
ipv4() public

Add an IPv4 validation rule to a field.
ipv6() public

Add an IPv6 validation rule to a field.
isArray() public

Add a validation rule to ensure that a field contains an array.
isEmptyAllowed() public

Returns whether or not a field can be left empty for a new or already existing record.
isPresenceRequired() public

Returns whether or not a field can be left out for a new or already existing record.
latLong() public

Add a validation rule to ensure the field is a lat/long tuple.
latitude() public

Add a validation rule to ensure the field is a latitude.
lengthBetween() public

Add an rule that ensures a string length is within a range.
lessThan() public

Add a less than comparison rule to a field.
lessThanOrEqual() public

Add a less than or equal comparison rule to a field.
localizedTime() public

Add a localized time, date or datetime format validation rule to a field.
longitude() public

Add a validation rule to ensure the field is a longitude.
maxLength() public

Add a string length validation rule to a field.
maxLengthBytes() public

Add a string length validation rule to a field.
minLength() public

Add a string length validation rule to a field.
minLengthBytes() public

Add a string length validation rule to a field.
multipleOptions() public

Add a validation rule for a multiple select. Comparison is case sensitive by default.
naturalNumber() public

Add a natural number validation rule to a field.
nonNegativeInteger() public

Add a validation rule to ensure a field is a non negative integer.
notBlank() public

Add a notBlank rule to a field.
notEmpty() public

Sets a field to require a non-empty value. You can also pass array. Using an array will let you provide the following keys:
notEquals() public

Add a not equal to comparison rule to a field.
numeric() public

Add a numeric value validation rule to a field.
offsetExists() public

Returns whether a rule set is defined for a field or not
offsetGet() public

Returns the rule set for a field
offsetSet() public

Sets the rule set for a field
offsetUnset() public

Unsets the rule set for a field
provider() public deprecated

Associates an object to a name so it can be used as a provider. Providers are objects or class names that can contain methods used during validation of for deciding whether a validation rule can be applied. All validation methods, when called will receive the full list of providers stored in this validator.
providers() public

Get the list of providers in this validator.
range() public

Add a validation rule to ensure a field is within a numeric range
regex() public

Returns whether or not a field matches against a regular expression.
remove() public

Removes a rule from the set by its name
requirePresence() public

Sets whether a field is required to be present in data array. You can also pass array. Using an array will let you provide the following keys:
sameAs() public

Add a rule to compare two fields to each other.
scalar() public

Add a validation rule to ensure that a field contains a scalar.
setProvider() public

Associates an object to a name so it can be used as a provider. Providers are objects or class names that can contain methods used during validation of for deciding whether a validation rule can be applied. All validation methods, when called will receive the full list of providers stored in this validator.
time() public

Add a time format validation rule to a field.
uploadedFile() public

Add a validation rule to ensure the field is an uploaded file
url() public

Add a validation rule to ensure a field is a URL.
urlWithProtocol() public

Add a validation rule to ensure a field is a URL.
utf8() public

Add a validation rule to ensure a field contains only BMP utf8 bytes
utf8Extended() public

Add a validation rule to ensure a field contains only utf8 bytes.
uuid() public

Add a validation rule to ensure the field is a UUID

Method Detail

__construct() ¶ public

__construct()

Constructor

__debugInfo() ¶ public

__debugInfo(): array

Get the printable version of this object.

Returns

array

_canBeEmpty() ¶ protected

_canBeEmpty(Cake\Validation\ValidationSet $field, array $context): bool

Returns whether the field can be left blank according to allowEmpty

Parameters

Cake\Validation\ValidationSet $field: the set of rules for a field
array $context: a key value list of data containing the validation context.

Returns

bool

_checkPresence() ¶ protected

_checkPresence(Cake\Validation\ValidationSet $field, array $context): bool

Returns false if any validation for the passed rule set should be stopped due to the field missing in the data array

Parameters

Cake\Validation\ValidationSet $field: The set of rules for a field.
array $context: A key value list of data containing the validation context.

Returns

bool

_convertValidatorToArray() ¶ protected

_convertValidatorToArray(int|string $fieldName, array $defaults = [], string|array $settings = []): array

Converts validator to fieldName => $settings array

Parameters

int|string $fieldName: name of field
array $defaults optional: default settings
string|array $settings optional: settings from data

Returns

array

_fieldIsEmpty() ¶ protected

_fieldIsEmpty(mixed $data): bool

Returns true if the field is empty in the passed data array

Parameters

mixed $data: value to check against

Returns

bool

_processRules() ¶ protected

_processRules(string $field, Cake\Validation\ValidationSet $rules, array $data, bool $newRecord): array

Iterates over each rule in the validation set and collects the errors resulting from executing them

Parameters

string $field: The name of the field that is being processed
Cake\Validation\ValidationSet $rules: the list of rules for a field
array $data: the full data passed to the validator
bool $newRecord: whether is it a new record or an existing one

Returns

array

add() ¶ public

add(string $field, array|string $name, arrayCake\Validation\ValidationRule $rule = []): $this

Adds a new rule to a field's rule set. If second argument is an array then rules list for the field will be replaced with second argument and third argument will be ignored.

Example:

     $validator
         ->add('title', 'required', ['rule' => 'notBlank'])
         ->add('user_id', 'valid', ['rule' => 'numeric', 'message' => 'Invalid User'])

$validator->add('password', [
         'size' => ['rule' => ['lengthBetween', 8, 20]],
         'hasSpecialCharacter' => ['rule' => 'validateSpecialchar', 'message' => 'not valid']
     ]);

Parameters

string $field: The name of the field from which the rule will be added
array|string $name: The alias for a single rule or multiple rules array
arrayCake\Validation\ValidationRule $rule optional: the rule to add

Returns

$this

addDefaultProvider() ¶ public static

addDefaultProvider(string $name, object|string $object): void

Associates an object to a name so it can be used as a default provider.

Parameters

string $name: The name under which the provider should be set.
object|string $object: Provider object or class name.

Returns

void

addNested() ¶ public

addNested(string $field, Cake\Validation\Validator $validator): $this

Adds a nested validator.

Nesting validators allows you to define validators for array types. For example, nested validators are ideal when you want to validate a sub-document, or complex array type.

This method assumes that the sub-document has a 1:1 relationship with the parent.

The providers of the parent validator will be synced into the nested validator, when errors are checked. This ensures that any validation rule providers connected in the parent will have the same values in the nested validator when rules are evaluated.

Parameters

string $field: The root field for the nested validator.
Cake\Validation\Validator $validator: The nested validator.

Returns

$this

addNestedMany() ¶ public

addNestedMany(string $field, Cake\Validation\Validator $validator): $this

Adds a nested validator.

Nesting validators allows you to define validators for array types. For example, nested validators are ideal when you want to validate many similar sub-documents or complex array types.

This method assumes that the sub-document has a 1:N relationship with the parent.

Parameters

string $field: The root field for the nested validator.
Cake\Validation\Validator $validator: The nested validator.

Returns

$this

allowEmpty() ¶ public

allowEmpty(string|array $field, bool|string|callable $when = true, string|null $message = null): $this

Allows a field to be empty. You can also pass array. Using an array will let you provide the following keys:

when individual when condition for field
'message' individual message for field

You can also set when and message for all passed fields, the individual setting takes precedence over group settings.

This is the opposite of notEmpty() which requires a field to not be empty. By using $mode equal to 'create' or 'update', you can allow fields to be empty when records are first created, or when they are updated.

Example:

// Email can be empty
$validator->allowEmpty('email');

// Email can be empty on create
$validator->allowEmpty('email', 'create');

// Email can be empty on update
$validator->allowEmpty('email', 'update');

// Email and subject can be empty on update
$validator->allowEmpty(['email', 'subject'], 'update');

// Email can be always empty, subject and content can be empty on update.
$validator->allowEmpty(
     [
         'email' => [
             'when' => true
         ],
         'content' => [
             'message' => 'Content cannot be empty'
         ],
         'subject'
     ],
     'update'
);

It is possible to conditionally allow emptiness on a field by passing a callback as a second argument. The callback will receive the validation context array as argument:

$validator->allowEmpty('email', function ($context) {
 return !$context['newRecord'] || $context['data']['role'] === 'admin';
});

This method will correctly detect empty file uploads and date/time/datetime fields.

Because this and notEmpty() modify the same internal state, the last method called will take precedence.

Parameters

string|array $field: the name of the field or a list of fields
bool|string|callable $when optional: Indicates when the field is allowed to be empty Valid values are true (always), 'create', 'update'. If a callable is passed then the field will allowed to be empty only when the callback returns true.
string|null $message optional: The message to show if the field is not

Returns

$this

alphaNumeric() ¶ public

alphaNumeric(string $field, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add an alphanumeric rule to a field.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

ascii() ¶ public

ascii(string $field, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a validation rule to ensure a field contains only ascii bytes

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

boolean() ¶ public

boolean(string $field, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a boolean validation rule to a field.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

containsNonAlphaNumeric() ¶ public

containsNonAlphaNumeric(string $field, int $limit = 1, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a rule to check if a field contains non alpha numeric characters.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
int $limit optional: The minimum number of non-alphanumeric fields required.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

count() ¶ public

count(): int

Returns the number of fields having validation rules

Returns

int

creditCard() ¶ public

creditCard(string $field, string $type = 'all', string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a credit card rule to a field.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
string $type optional: The type of cards you want to allow. Defaults to 'all'. You can also supply an array of accepted card types. e.g ['mastercard', 'visa', 'amex']
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

date() ¶ public

date(string $field, array $formats = ['ymd'], string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a date format validation rule to a field.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
array $formats optional: A list of accepted date formats.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

dateTime() ¶ public

dateTime(string $field, array $formats = ['ymd'], string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a date time format validation rule to a field.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
array $formats optional: A list of accepted date formats.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

decimal() ¶ public

decimal(string $field, int|null $places = null, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a decimal validation rule to a field.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
int|null $places optional: The number of decimal places to require.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

email() ¶ public

email(string $field, bool $checkMX = false, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add an email validation rule to a field.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
bool $checkMX optional: Whether or not to check the MX records.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

equals() ¶ public

equals(string $field, int|float $value, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a equal to comparison rule to a field.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
int|float $value: The value user data must be equal to.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

errors() ¶ public

errors(array $data, bool $newRecord = true): array

Returns an array of fields that have failed validation. On the current model. This method will actually run validation rules over data, not just return the messages.

Parameters

array $data: The data to be checked for errors
bool $newRecord optional: whether the data to be validated is new or to be updated.

Returns

array

field() ¶ public

field(string $name, Cake\Validation\ValidationSet|null $set = null): Cake\Validation\ValidationSet

Returns a ValidationSet object containing all validation rules for a field, if passed a ValidationSet as second argument, it will replace any other rule set defined before

Parameters

string $name: [optional] The fieldname to fetch.
Cake\Validation\ValidationSet|null $set optional: The set of rules for field

Returns

Cake\Validation\ValidationSet

getDefaultProvider() ¶ public static

getDefaultProvider(string $name): object|string|null

Returns the default provider stored under that name if it exists.

Parameters

string $name: The name under which the provider should be retrieved.

Returns

object|string|null

getDefaultProviders() ¶ public static

getDefaultProviders(): array

Get the list of default providers.

Returns

array

getIterator() ¶ public

getIterator(): ArrayIterator

Returns an iterator for each of the fields to be validated

Returns

ArrayIterator

getProvider() ¶ public

getProvider(string $name): object|string|null

Returns the provider stored under that name if it exists.

Parameters

string $name: The name under which the provider should be set.

Returns

object|string|null

greaterThan() ¶ public

greaterThan(string $field, int|float $value, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a greater than comparison rule to a field.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
int|float $value: The value user data must be greater than.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

greaterThanOrEqual() ¶ public

greaterThanOrEqual(string $field, int|float $value, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a greater than or equal to comparison rule to a field.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
int|float $value: The value user data must be greater than or equal to.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

hasAtLeast() ¶ public

hasAtLeast(string $field, int $count, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a validation rule to ensure that a field is an array containing at least the specified amount of elements

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
int $count: The number of elements the array should at least have
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

hasAtMost() ¶ public

hasAtMost(string $field, int $count, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a validation rule to ensure that a field is an array containing at most the specified amount of elements

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
int $count: The number maximum amount of elements the field should have
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

hasField() ¶ public

hasField(string $name): bool

Check whether or not a validator contains any rules for the given field.

Parameters

string $name: The field name to check.

Returns

bool

hexColor() ¶ public

hexColor(string $field, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a validation rule to ensure a field is a 6 digits hex color value.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

inList() ¶ public

inList(string $field, array $list, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a validation rule to ensure the field value is within a whitelist.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
array $list: The list of valid options.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

integer() ¶ public

integer(string $field, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a validation rule to ensure a field is an integer value.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

ip() ¶ public

ip(string $field, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add an IP validation rule to a field.

This rule will accept both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

ipv4() ¶ public

ipv4(string $field, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add an IPv4 validation rule to a field.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

ipv6() ¶ public

ipv6(string $field, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add an IPv6 validation rule to a field.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

isArray() ¶ public

isArray(string $field, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a validation rule to ensure that a field contains an array.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

isEmptyAllowed() ¶ public

isEmptyAllowed(string $field, bool $newRecord): bool

Returns whether or not a field can be left empty for a new or already existing record.

Parameters

string $field: Field name.
bool $newRecord: whether the data to be validated is new or to be updated.

Returns

bool

isPresenceRequired() ¶ public

isPresenceRequired(string $field, bool $newRecord): bool

Returns whether or not a field can be left out for a new or already existing record.

Parameters

string $field: Field name.
bool $newRecord: Whether the data to be validated is new or to be updated.

Returns

bool

latLong() ¶ public

latLong(string $field, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a validation rule to ensure the field is a lat/long tuple.

e.g. <lat>, <lng>

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

latitude() ¶ public

latitude(string $field, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a validation rule to ensure the field is a latitude.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

lengthBetween() ¶ public

lengthBetween(string $field, array $range, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add an rule that ensures a string length is within a range.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
array $range: The inclusive minimum and maximum length you want permitted.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

lessThan() ¶ public

lessThan(string $field, int|float $value, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a less than comparison rule to a field.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
int|float $value: The value user data must be less than.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

lessThanOrEqual() ¶ public

lessThanOrEqual(string $field, int|float $value, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a less than or equal comparison rule to a field.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
int|float $value: The value user data must be less than or equal to.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

localizedTime() ¶ public

localizedTime(string $field, string $type = 'datetime', string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a localized time, date or datetime format validation rule to a field.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
string $type optional: Parser type, one out of 'date', 'time', and 'datetime'
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

longitude() ¶ public

longitude(string $field, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a validation rule to ensure the field is a longitude.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

maxLength() ¶ public

maxLength(string $field, int $max, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a string length validation rule to a field.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
int $max: The maximum length allowed.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

maxLengthBytes() ¶ public

maxLengthBytes(string $field, int $max, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a string length validation rule to a field.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
int $max: The maximum length allowed.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

minLength() ¶ public

minLength(string $field, int $min, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a string length validation rule to a field.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
int $min: The minimum length required.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

minLengthBytes() ¶ public

minLengthBytes(string $field, int $min, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a string length validation rule to a field.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
int $min: The minimum length required.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

multipleOptions() ¶ public

multipleOptions(string $field, array $options = [], string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a validation rule for a multiple select. Comparison is case sensitive by default.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
array $options optional: The options for the validator. Includes the options defined in \Cake\Validation\Validation::multiple() and the caseInsensitive parameter.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

naturalNumber() ¶ public

naturalNumber(string $field, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a natural number validation rule to a field.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

nonNegativeInteger() ¶ public

nonNegativeInteger(string $field, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a validation rule to ensure a field is a non negative integer.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

notBlank() ¶ public

notBlank(string $field, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a notBlank rule to a field.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

notEmpty() ¶ public

notEmpty(string|array $field, string|null $message = null, bool|string|callable $when = false): $this

Sets a field to require a non-empty value. You can also pass array. Using an array will let you provide the following keys:

when individual when condition for field
message individual error message for field

You can also set when and message for all passed fields, the individual setting takes precedence over group settings.

This is the opposite of allowEmpty() which allows a field to be empty. By using $mode equal to 'create' or 'update', you can make fields required when records are first created, or when they are updated.

Example:

$message = 'This field cannot be empty';

// Email cannot be empty
$validator->notEmpty('email');

// Email can be empty on update, but not create
$validator->notEmpty('email', $message, 'create');

// Email can be empty on create, but required on update.
$validator->notEmpty('email', $message, 'update');

// Email and title can be empty on create, but are required on update.
$validator->notEmpty(['email', 'title'], $message, 'update');

// Email can be empty on create, title must always be not empty
$validator->notEmpty(
     [
         'email',
         'title' => [
             'when' => true,
             'message' => 'Title cannot be empty'
         ]
     ],
     $message,
     'update'
);

It is possible to conditionally disallow emptiness on a field by passing a callback as the third argument. The callback will receive the validation context array as argument:

$validator->notEmpty('email', 'Email is required', function ($context) {
  return $context['newRecord'] && $context['data']['role'] !== 'admin';
});

Because this and allowEmpty() modify the same internal state, the last method called will take precedence.

Parameters

string|array $field: the name of the field or list of fields
string|null $message optional: The message to show if the field is not
bool|string|callable $when optional: Indicates when the field is not allowed to be empty. Valid values are true (always), 'create', 'update'. If a callable is passed then the field will allowed to be empty only when the callback returns false.

Returns

$this

notEquals() ¶ public

notEquals(string $field, int|float $value, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a not equal to comparison rule to a field.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
int|float $value: The value user data must be not be equal to.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

numeric() ¶ public

numeric(string $field, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a numeric value validation rule to a field.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

offsetExists() ¶ public

offsetExists(string $field): bool

Returns whether a rule set is defined for a field or not

Parameters

string $field: name of the field to check

Returns

bool

offsetGet() ¶ public

offsetGet(string $field): Cake\Validation\ValidationSet

Returns the rule set for a field

Parameters

string $field: name of the field to check

Returns

Cake\Validation\ValidationSet

offsetSet() ¶ public

offsetSet(string $field, arrayCake\Validation\ValidationSet $rules): void

Sets the rule set for a field

Parameters

string $field: name of the field to set
arrayCake\Validation\ValidationSet $rules: set of rules to apply to field

Returns

void

offsetUnset() ¶ public

offsetUnset(string $field): void

Unsets the rule set for a field

Parameters

string $field: name of the field to unset

Returns

void

provider() ¶ public

provider(string $name, null|object|string $object = null): $this|object|string|null

Associates an object to a name so it can be used as a provider. Providers are objects or class names that can contain methods used during validation of for deciding whether a validation rule can be applied. All validation methods, when called will receive the full list of providers stored in this validator.

If called with no arguments, it will return the provider stored under that name if it exists, otherwise it returns this instance of chaining.

Parameters

string $name: The name under which the provider should be set.
null|object|string $object optional: Provider object or class name.

Returns

$this|object|string|null

providers() ¶ public

providers(): array

Get the list of providers in this validator.

Returns

array

range() ¶ public

range(string $field, array $range, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a validation rule to ensure a field is within a numeric range

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
array $range: The inclusive upper and lower bounds of the valid range.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

regex() ¶ public

regex(string $field, string $regex, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Returns whether or not a field matches against a regular expression.

Parameters

string $field: Field name.
string $regex: Regular expression.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

remove() ¶ public

remove(string $field, string|null $rule = null): $this

Removes a rule from the set by its name

Example:

     $validator
         ->remove('title', 'required')
         ->remove('user_id')

Parameters

string $field: The name of the field from which the rule will be removed
string|null $rule optional: the name of the rule to be removed

Returns

$this

requirePresence() ¶ public

requirePresence(string|array $field, bool|string|callable $mode = true, string|null $message = null): $this

Sets whether a field is required to be present in data array. You can also pass array. Using an array will let you provide the following keys:

mode individual mode for field
message individual error message for field

You can also set mode and message for all passed fields, the individual setting takes precedence over group settings.

Parameters

string|array $field: the name of the field or list of fields.
bool|string|callable $mode optional: Valid values are true, false, 'create', 'update'. If a callable is passed then the field will be required only when the callback returns true.
string|null $message optional: The message to show if the field presence validation fails.

Returns

$this

sameAs() ¶ public

sameAs(mixed $field, mixed $secondField, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a rule to compare two fields to each other.

If both fields have the exact same value the rule will pass.

Parameters

mixed $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
mixed $secondField: The field you want to compare against.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

scalar() ¶ public

scalar(string $field, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a validation rule to ensure that a field contains a scalar.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

setProvider() ¶ public

setProvider(string $name, object|string $object): $this

Parameters

string $name: The name under which the provider should be set.
object|string $object: Provider object or class name.

Returns

$this

time() ¶ public

time(string $field, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a time format validation rule to a field.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

uploadedFile() ¶ public

uploadedFile(string $field, array $options, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a validation rule to ensure the field is an uploaded file

For options see Cake\Validation\Validation::uploadedFile()

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
array $options: An array of options.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

url() ¶ public

url(string $field, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a validation rule to ensure a field is a URL.

This validator does not require a protocol.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

urlWithProtocol() ¶ public

urlWithProtocol(string $field, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a validation rule to ensure a field is a URL.

This validator requires the URL to have a protocol.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

utf8() ¶ public

utf8(string $field, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a validation rule to ensure a field contains only BMP utf8 bytes

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

utf8Extended() ¶ public

utf8Extended(string $field, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a validation rule to ensure a field contains only utf8 bytes.

This rule will accept 3 and 4 byte UTF8 sequences, which are necessary for emoji.

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

uuid() ¶ public

uuid(string $field, string|null $message = null, string|callable|null $when = null): $this

Add a validation rule to ensure the field is a UUID

Parameters

string $field: The field you want to apply the rule to.
string|null $message optional: The error message when the rule fails.
string|callable|null $when optional: Either 'create' or 'update' or a callable that returns true when the validation rule should be applied.

Returns

$this

Property Detail

`$_allowEmptyMessages` ¶ protected

Contains the validation messages associated with checking the emptiness for each corresponding field.

Type

array

`$_defaultProviders` ¶ protected static

An associative array of objects or classes used as a default provider list

Type

array

`$_fields` ¶ protected

Holds the ValidationSet objects array

Type

array

`$_presenceMessages` ¶ protected

Contains the validation messages associated with checking the presence for each corresponding field.

Type

array

`$_providers` ¶ protected

An associative array of objects or classes containing methods used for validation

Type

array

`$_useI18n` ¶ protected

Whether or not to use I18n functions for translating default error messages

Type

bool

Namespaces

Class Validator

Constants

Property Summary

Method Summary

__construct() public

__debugInfo() public

_canBeEmpty() protected

_checkPresence() protected

_convertValidatorToArray() protected

_fieldIsEmpty() protected

_processRules() protected

add() public

addDefaultProvider() public static

addNested() public

addNestedMany() public

allowEmpty() public

alphaNumeric() public

ascii() public

boolean() public

containsNonAlphaNumeric() public

count() public

creditCard() public

date() public

dateTime() public

decimal() public

email() public

equals() public

errors() public

field() public

getDefaultProvider() public static

getDefaultProviders() public static

getIterator() public

getProvider() public

greaterThan() public

greaterThanOrEqual() public

hasAtLeast() public

hasAtMost() public

hasField() public

hexColor() public

inList() public

integer() public

ip() public

ipv4() public

ipv6() public

isArray() public

isEmptyAllowed() public

isPresenceRequired() public

latLong() public

latitude() public

lengthBetween() public

lessThan() public

lessThanOrEqual() public

localizedTime() public

longitude() public

maxLength() public

maxLengthBytes() public

minLength() public

minLengthBytes() public

multipleOptions() public

naturalNumber() public

nonNegativeInteger() public

notBlank() public

notEmpty() public

notEquals() public

numeric() public

offsetExists() public

offsetGet() public

offsetSet() public

offsetUnset() public

provider() public deprecated

providers() public

range() public

regex() public

remove() public

requirePresence() public

sameAs() public

scalar() public

setProvider() public

time() public