Validation::Class - Powerful Data Validation Framework
version 7.900005
package MyApp::Person; use Validation::Class; # a data validation template mixin basic => { required => 1, max_length => 255, filters => [qw/trim strip/] }; # data validation rules for the login parameter field login => { mixin => 'basic', min_length => 5 }; # data validation rules for the password parameter field password => { mixin => 'basic', min_length => 5, min_symbols => 1 }; # ... elsewhere in your application my $person = MyApp::Person->new(login => 'admin', password => 'secr3t'); unless ($person->validates) { # handle the failures } 1;
Validation::Class is a robust data validation framework which aims provide an extensible framework for developing clean yet sophisticated data validation objects. The core feature-set consist of self-validating methods, validation profiles, reusable validation rules and templates, pre and post input filtering, class inheritance, automatic array handling, and extensibility (e.g. overriding default error messages, creating custom validators, creating custom input filters and much more).
If you are looking for a simple in-line data validation module built using the same tenets and principles as Validation::Class, please review Validation::Class::Simple.
If you are new to Validation::Class, or would like more information on the underpinnings of this library and how it views and approaches data validation, please review Validation::Class::Whitepaper.
The attribute keyword (or has) registers a class attribute. This is only a minimalistic variant of what you may have encountered in other object systems.
package MyApp::Person; use Validate::Class; attribute 'first_name' => 'Peter'; attribute 'last_name' => 'Venkman'; attribute 'full_name' => sub { my ($self) = @_; return join ', ', $self->last_name, $self->first_name; }; 1;
The attribute keyword takes two arguments, the attribute name and a constant or coderef that will be used as its default value.
The build keyword (or bld) registers a coderef to be run at instantiation much in the same way the common BUILD routine is used in modern OO frameworks.
package MyApp::Person; use Validation::Class; build sub { my ($self, $args) = @_; # run after instantiation in the order declared };
The build keyword takes one argument, a coderef which is passed the instantiated class object.
The directive keyword (or dir) registers custom validator directives to be used in your field definitions. It is a means of extending the core field directives before instantiation. Please see Validation::Class::Directive for insight into creating your own installable directives.
package MyApp::Directives; use Validation::Class 'directive'; use Data::Validate::Email; directive 'isa_email_address' => sub { my ($self, $proto, $field, $param) = @_; my $validator = Data::Validate::Email->new; unless ($validator->is_email($param)) { my $handle = $field->label || $field->name; $field->errors->add("$handle must be a valid email address"); return 0; } return 1; }; package MyApp::Person; use Validate::Class; use MyApp::Directives; field 'email_address' => { isa_email_address => 1 }; 1;
The directive keyword takes two arguments, the name of the directive and a coderef which will be used to validate the associated field. The coderef is passed four ordered parameters; a directive object, the class prototype object, the current field object, and the matching parameter's value. The validator (coderef) is evaluated by its return value as well as whether it altered any error containers.
The field keyword (or fld) registers a data validation rule for reuse and validation in code. The field name should correspond with the parameter name expected to be passed to your validation class.
package MyApp::Person; use Validation::Class; field 'login' => { required => 1, min_length => 1, max_length => 255 };
The field keyword takes two arguments, the field name and a hashref of key/values pairs known as directives.
The field keyword also creates accessors which provide easy access to the field's corresponding parameter value(s). Accessors will be created using the field's name as a label having any special characters replaced with an underscore.
# accessor will be created as send_reminders field 'send-reminders' => { length => 1 };
Protip: Field directives are used to validate scalar and array data. Don't use fields to store and validate objects. Please see the *has* keyword instead or use an object system with type constraints like Moose.
The filter keyword (or flt) registers custom filters to be used in your field definitions. It is a means of extending the pre-existing filters declared by the Validation::Class::Directive::Filters before instantiation.
package MyApp::Directives; use Validation::Class; filter 'flatten' => sub { $_[0] =~ s/[\t\r\n]+/ /g; return $_[0]; }; package MyApp::Person; use Validate::Class; use MyApp::Directives; field 'biography' => { filters => ['trim', 'flatten'] }; 1;
The filter keyword takes two arguments, the name of the filter and a coderef which will be used to filter the value the associated field. The coderef is passed the value of the field and that value MUST be operated on directly. The coderef should also return the transformed value.
The load keyword (or set), which can also be used as a class method, provides options for extending the current class by declaring roles, plugins, etc.
The process of applying roles to the current class mainly involves copying the subject's methods and prototype configuration.
package MyApp::Person; use Validation::Class; load role => 'MyApp::User'; 1;
The `classes` (or class) option, can be a constant or arrayref and uses Module::Find to load all child classes (in-all-subdirectories) for convenient access through the "class" in Validation::Class::Prototype method.
Existing parameters and configuration options are passed to the child class constructor. All attributes can be easily overwritten using the attribute's accessors on the child class. These child classes are often referred to as relatives. This option accepts a constant or an arrayref of constants.
package MyApp; use Validation::Class; # load all child classes load classes => [__PACKAGE__]; package main; my $app = MyApp->new; my $person = $app->class('person'); # return a new MyApp::Person object 1;
The `roles` (or role) option is used to load and inherit functionality from other validation classes. These classes should be used and thought-of as roles although they can also be fully-functioning validation classes. This option accepts a constant or an arrayref of constants.
package MyApp::Person; use Validation::Class; load roles => ['MyApp::User', 'MyApp::Visitor']; 1;
The message keyword (or msg) registers a class-level error message template that will be used in place of the error message defined in the corresponding directive class if defined. Error messages can also be overriden at the individual field-level as well. See the Validation::Class::Directive::Messages for instructions on how to override error messages at the field-level.
package MyApp::Person; use Validation::Class; field email_address => { required => 1, min_length => 3, messages => { # field-level error message override min_length => '%s is not even close to being a valid email address' } }; # class-level error message overrides message required => '%s is needed to proceed'; message min_length => '%s needs more characters'; 1;
The message keyword takes two arguments, the name of the directive whose error message you wish to override and a string which will be used to as a template which is feed to sprintf to format the message.
The method keyword (or mth) is used to register an auto-validating method. Similar to method signatures, an auto-validating method can leverage pre-existing validation rules and profiles to ensure a method has the required data necessary for execution.
package MyApp::Person; use Validation::Class; method 'register' => { input => ['name', '+email', 'login', '+password', '+password2'], output => ['+id'], # optional output validation, dies on failure using => sub { my ($self, @args) = @_; # do something registrationy $self->id(...); # set the ID field for output validation return $self; } }; package main; my $person = MyApp::Person->new(params => $params); if ($person->register) { # handle the successful registration } 1;
The method keyword takes two arguments, the name of the method to be created and a hashref of required key/value pairs. The hashref must have an `input` key whose value is either an arrayref of fields to be validated, or a constant value which matches a validation profile name. The hashref must also have a `using` key whose value is a coderef which will be executed upon successfully validating the input. Whether and what the method returns is yours to decide.
Optionally the required hashref can have an `output` key whose value is either an arrayref of fields to be validated, or a constant value which matches a validation profile name which will be used to perform data validation after the aforementioned coderef has been executed.
Please note that output validation failure will cause the program to die, the premise behind this decision is based on the assumption that given successfully validated input a routine's output should be predictable and if an error occurs it is most-likely a program error as opposed to a user error.
See the ignore_failure and report_failure switch to control how method input validation failures are handled.
The mixin keyword (or mxn) registers a validation rule template that can be applied (or "mixed-in") to any field by specifying the mixin directive. Mixin directives are processed first so existing field directives will override any directives created by the mixin directive.
package MyApp::Person; use Validation::Class; mixin 'boilerplate' => { required => 1, min_length => 1, max_length => 255 }; # min_length, max_length, but not required field 'login' => { mixin => 'boilerplate', required => 0 };
The mixin keyword takes two arguments, the mixin name and a hashref of key/values pairs known as directives.
The profile keyword (or pro) registers a validation profile (coderef) which as in the traditional use of the term is a sequence of validation routines that validates data relevant to a specific action.
package MyApp::Person; use Validation::Class; profile 'check_email' => sub { my ($self, @args) = @_; if ($self->email_exists) { my $email = $self->fields->get('email'); $email->errors->add('Email already exists'); return 0; } return 1; }; package main; my $user = MyApp::Person->new(params => $params); unless ($user->validate_profile('check_email')) { # handle failures }
The profile keyword takes two arguments, a profile name and coderef which will be used to execute a sequence of actions for validation purposes.
The new method instantiates a new class object, it performs a series of actions (magic) required for the class function properly, and for that reason, this method should never be overridden. Use the build keyword for hooking into the instantiation process.
In the event a foreign `new` method is detected, an `initialize_validator` method will be injected into the class containing the code (magic) necessary to normalize your environment.
package MyApp::Person; use Validation::Class; # hook build sub { my ($self, @args) = @_; # on instantiation }; sub new { # rolled my own my $self = bless {}, shift; # execute magic $self->initialize_validator; }
The prototype method (or proto) returns an instance of the associated class prototype. The class prototype is responsible for manipulating and validating the data model (the class). It is not likely that you'll need to access this method directly, see Validation::Class::Prototype.
package MyApp::Person; use Validation::Class; package main; my $person = MyApp::Person->new; my $prototype = $person->prototype;
$self->class;
See "class" in Validation::Class::Prototype for full documentation.
$self->clear_queue;
See "clear_queue" in Validation::Class::Prototype for full documentation.
$self->error_count;
See "error_count" in Validation::Class::Prototype for full documentation.
$self->error_fields;
See "error_fields" in Validation::Class::Prototype for full documentation.
$self->errors;
See "errors" in Validation::Class::Prototype for full documentation.
head2 errors_to_string
$self->errors_to_string;
See "errors_to_string" in Validation::Class::Prototype for full documentation.
$self->get_errors;
See "get_errors" in Validation::Class::Prototype for full documentation.
$self->get_fields;
See "get_fields" in Validation::Class::Prototype for full documentation.
$self->get_params;
See "get_params" in Validation::Class::Prototype for full documentation.
$self->fields;
See "fields" in Validation::Class::Prototype for full documentation.
$self->filtering;
See "filtering" in Validation::Class::Prototype for full documentation.
$self->ignore_failure;
See "ignore_failure" in Validation::Class::Prototype for full documentation.
$self->ignore_unknown;
See "ignore_unknown" in Validation::Class::Prototype for full documentation.
$self->param;
See "param" in Validation::Class::Prototype for full documentation.
$self->params;
See "params" in Validation::Class::Prototype for full documentation.
$self->queue;
See "queue" in Validation::Class::Prototype for full documentation.
$self->report_failure;
See "report_failure" in Validation::Class::Prototype for full documentation.
$self->report_unknown;
See "report_unknown" in Validation::Class::Prototype for full documentation.
$self->reset_errors;
See "reset_errors" in Validation::Class::Prototype for full documentation.
$self->reset_fields;
See "reset_fields" in Validation::Class::Prototype for full documentation.
$self->reset_params;
See "reset_params" in Validation::Class::Prototype for full documentation.
$self->set_errors;
See "set_errors" in Validation::Class::Prototype for full documentation.
$self->set_fields;
See "set_fields" in Validation::Class::Prototype for full documentation.
$self->set_params;
See "set_params" in Validation::Class::Prototype for full documentation.
$self->set_method;
See "set_method" in Validation::Class::Prototype for full documentation.
$self->stash;
See "stash" in Validation::Class::Prototype for full documentation.
$self->validate;
See "validate" in Validation::Class::Prototype for full documentation.
$self->validate_method;
See "validate_method" in Validation::Class::Prototype for full documentation.
$self->validate_profile;
See "validate_profile" in Validation::Class::Prototype for full documentation.
Validation::Class mostly provides sugar functions for modeling your data validation requirements. Each class you create is associated with a *prototype* class which provides the data validation engine and keeps your class namespace free from pollution, please see Validation::Class::Prototype for more information on specific methods and attributes.
Validation::Class injects a few proxy methods into your class which are basically aliases to the corresponding prototype class methods, however it is possible to access the prototype directly using the proto/prototype methods.
Validation::Class does NOT provide method modifiers but can be easily extended with Class::Method::Modifiers.
before foo => sub { ... };
See "before method(s) => sub { ... }" in Class::Method::Modifiers for full documentation.
around foo => sub { ... };
See "around method(s) => sub { ... }" in Class::Method::Modifiers for full documentation.
after foo => sub { ... };
See "after method(s) => sub { ... }" in Class::Method::Modifiers for full documentation.
If you have simple data validation needs, please review:
Additionally you may want to look elsewhere for your data validation needs so the following is a list of other validation libraries/frameworks you might be interested in. If I've missed a really cool new validation library please let me know.
This library seems to be the defacto standard for designing Moose classes with HTML-centric data validation rules.
This library is a great approach towards adding robust validation logic to your existing Moose-based codebase.
This library is nice for simple use-cases, it has virtually no dependencies and solid test coverage.
Al Newkirk <anewkirk@ana.io>
This software is copyright (c) 2011 by Al Newkirk.
This is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as the Perl 5 programming language system itself.
To install Validation::Class, copy and paste the appropriate command in to your terminal.
cpanm
cpanm Validation::Class
CPAN shell
perl -MCPAN -e shell install Validation::Class
For more information on module installation, please visit the detailed CPAN module installation guide.