org.apache.commons.validator
Class Validator

java.lang.Object
  extended byorg.apache.commons.validator.Validator
All Implemented Interfaces:
java.io.Serializable

public class Validator
extends java.lang.Object
implements java.io.Serializable

Validations are processed by the validate method. An instance of ValidatorResources is used to define the validators (validation methods) and the validation rules for a JavaBean.

See Also:
Serialized Form

Field Summary
static java.lang.String BEAN_PARAM
          Resources key the JavaBean is stored to perform validation on.
protected  java.lang.ClassLoader classLoader
          The class loader to use for instantiating application objects.
static java.lang.String FIELD_PARAM
          Resources key the Field is stored under.
protected  java.lang.String fieldName
          The name of the field on the form to validate
static java.lang.String FORM_PARAM
          Resources key the Form is stored under.
protected  java.lang.String formName
          The name of the form to validate
static java.lang.String LOCALE_PARAM
          Resources key the Locale is stored.
protected  boolean onlyReturnErrors
          Set this to true to not return Fields that pass validation.
protected  int page
          The current page number to validate.
protected  java.util.Map parameters
          Maps validation method parameter class names to the objects to be passed into the method.
protected  ValidatorResources resources
          The Validator Resources.
protected  boolean useContextClassLoader
          Whether or not to use the Context ClassLoader when loading classes for instantiating new objects.
static java.lang.String VALIDATOR_ACTION_PARAM
          Resources key the ValidatorAction is stored under.
static java.lang.String VALIDATOR_PARAM
          Resources key the Validator is stored under.
static java.lang.String VALIDATOR_RESULTS_PARAM
          Resources key the ValidatorResults is stored under.
 
Constructor Summary
Validator(ValidatorResources resources)
          Construct a Validator that will use the ValidatorResources passed in to retrieve pluggable validators the different sets of validation rules.
Validator(ValidatorResources resources, java.lang.String formName)
          Construct a Validator that will use the ValidatorResources passed in to retrieve pluggable validators the different sets of validation rules.
Validator(ValidatorResources resources, java.lang.String formName, java.lang.String fieldName)
          Construct a Validator that will use the ValidatorResources passed in to retrieve pluggable validators the different sets of validation rules.
 
Method Summary
 void clear()
          Clears the form name, resources that were added, and the page that was set (if any).
 java.lang.ClassLoader getClassLoader()
          Return the class loader to be used for instantiating application objects when required.
 java.lang.String getFormName()
          Gets the form name which is the key to a set of validation rules.
 boolean getOnlyReturnErrors()
          Returns true if the Validator is only returning Fields that fail validation.
 int getPage()
          Gets the page.
 java.lang.Object getParameterValue(java.lang.String parameterClassName)
          Returns the value of the specified parameter that will be used during the processing of validations.
 boolean getUseContextClassLoader()
          Return the boolean as to whether the context classloader should be used.
 void setClassLoader(java.lang.ClassLoader classLoader)
          Set the class loader to be used for instantiating application objects when required.
 void setFieldName(java.lang.String fieldName)
          Sets the name of the field to validate in a form (optional)
 void setFormName(java.lang.String formName)
          Sets the form name which is the key to a set of validation rules.
 void setOnlyReturnErrors(boolean onlyReturnErrors)
          Configures which Fields the Validator returns from the validate() method.
 void setPage(int page)
          Sets the page.
 void setParameter(java.lang.String parameterClassName, java.lang.Object parameterValue)
          Set a parameter of a pluggable validation method.
 void setUseContextClassLoader(boolean use)
          Determine whether to use the Context ClassLoader (the one found by calling Thread.currentThread().getContextClassLoader()) to resolve/load classes that are defined in various rules.
 ValidatorResults validate()
          Performs validations based on the configured resources.
 
Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object
clone, equals, finalize, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, toString, wait, wait, wait
 

Field Detail

BEAN_PARAM

public static final java.lang.String BEAN_PARAM
Resources key the JavaBean is stored to perform validation on.

See Also:
Constant Field Values

VALIDATOR_ACTION_PARAM

public static final java.lang.String VALIDATOR_ACTION_PARAM
Resources key the ValidatorAction is stored under. This will be automatically passed into a validation method with the current ValidatorAction if it is specified in the method signature.

See Also:
Constant Field Values

VALIDATOR_RESULTS_PARAM

public static final java.lang.String VALIDATOR_RESULTS_PARAM
Resources key the ValidatorResults is stored under. This will be automatically passed into a validation method with the current ValidatorResults if it is specified in the method signature.

See Also:
Constant Field Values

FORM_PARAM

public static final java.lang.String FORM_PARAM
Resources key the Form is stored under. This will be automatically passed into a validation method with the current Form if it is specified in the method signature.

See Also:
Constant Field Values

FIELD_PARAM

public static final java.lang.String FIELD_PARAM
Resources key the Field is stored under. This will be automatically passed into a validation method with the current Field if it is specified in the method signature.

See Also:
Constant Field Values

VALIDATOR_PARAM

public static final java.lang.String VALIDATOR_PARAM
Resources key the Validator is stored under. This will be automatically passed into a validation method with the current Validator if it is specified in the method signature.

See Also:
Constant Field Values

LOCALE_PARAM

public static final java.lang.String LOCALE_PARAM
Resources key the Locale is stored. This will be used to retrieve the appropriate FormSet and Form to be processed.

See Also:
Constant Field Values

resources

protected ValidatorResources resources
The Validator Resources.


formName

protected java.lang.String formName
The name of the form to validate


fieldName

protected java.lang.String fieldName
The name of the field on the form to validate

Since:
1.2.0

parameters

protected java.util.Map parameters
Maps validation method parameter class names to the objects to be passed into the method.


page

protected int page
The current page number to validate.


classLoader

protected java.lang.ClassLoader classLoader
The class loader to use for instantiating application objects. If not specified, the context class loader, or the class loader used to load Digester itself, is used, based on the value of the useContextClassLoader variable.


useContextClassLoader

protected boolean useContextClassLoader
Whether or not to use the Context ClassLoader when loading classes for instantiating new objects. Default is false.


onlyReturnErrors

protected boolean onlyReturnErrors
Set this to true to not return Fields that pass validation. Only return failures.

Constructor Detail

Validator

public Validator(ValidatorResources resources)
Construct a Validator that will use the ValidatorResources passed in to retrieve pluggable validators the different sets of validation rules.

Parameters:
resources - ValidatorResources to use during validation.

Validator

public Validator(ValidatorResources resources,
                 java.lang.String formName)
Construct a Validator that will use the ValidatorResources passed in to retrieve pluggable validators the different sets of validation rules.

Parameters:
resources - ValidatorResources to use during validation.
formName - Key used for retrieving the set of validation rules.

Validator

public Validator(ValidatorResources resources,
                 java.lang.String formName,
                 java.lang.String fieldName)
Construct a Validator that will use the ValidatorResources passed in to retrieve pluggable validators the different sets of validation rules.

Parameters:
resources - ValidatorResources to use during validation.
formName - Key used for retrieving the set of validation rules.
fieldName - Key used for retrieving the set of validation rules for a field
Since:
1.2.0
Method Detail

setParameter

public void setParameter(java.lang.String parameterClassName,
                         java.lang.Object parameterValue)
Set a parameter of a pluggable validation method.

Parameters:
parameterClassName - The full class name of the parameter of the validation method that corresponds to the value/instance passed in with it.
parameterValue - The instance that will be passed into the validation method.

getParameterValue

public java.lang.Object getParameterValue(java.lang.String parameterClassName)
Returns the value of the specified parameter that will be used during the processing of validations.

Parameters:
parameterClassName - The full class name of the parameter of the validation method that corresponds to the value/instance passed in with it.
Returns:
value of the specified parameter.

getFormName

public java.lang.String getFormName()
Gets the form name which is the key to a set of validation rules.

Returns:
the name of the form.

setFormName

public void setFormName(java.lang.String formName)
Sets the form name which is the key to a set of validation rules.

Parameters:
formName - the name of the form.

setFieldName

public void setFieldName(java.lang.String fieldName)
Sets the name of the field to validate in a form (optional)

Parameters:
fieldName - The name of the field in a form set
Since:
1.2.0

getPage

public int getPage()
Gets the page. This in conjunction with the page property of a Field can control the processing of fields. If the field's page is less than or equal to this page value, it will be processed.

Returns:
the page number.

setPage

public void setPage(int page)
Sets the page. This in conjunction with the page property of a Field can control the processing of fields. If the field's page is less than or equal to this page value, it will be processed.

Parameters:
page - the page number.

clear

public void clear()
Clears the form name, resources that were added, and the page that was set (if any). This can be called to reinitialize the Validator instance so it can be reused. The form name (key to set of validation rules) and any resources needed, like the JavaBean being validated, will need to set and/or added to this instance again. The ValidatorResources will not be removed since it can be used again and is thread safe.


getUseContextClassLoader

public boolean getUseContextClassLoader()
Return the boolean as to whether the context classloader should be used.

Returns:
whether the context classloader should be used.

setUseContextClassLoader

public void setUseContextClassLoader(boolean use)
Determine whether to use the Context ClassLoader (the one found by calling Thread.currentThread().getContextClassLoader()) to resolve/load classes that are defined in various rules. If not using Context ClassLoader, then the class-loading defaults to using the calling-class' ClassLoader.

Parameters:
use - determines whether to use Context ClassLoader.

getClassLoader

public java.lang.ClassLoader getClassLoader()
Return the class loader to be used for instantiating application objects when required. This is determined based upon the following rules:
  • The class loader set by setClassLoader(), if any
  • The thread context class loader, if it exists and the useContextClassLoader property is set to true
  • The class loader used to load the Digester class itself.

Returns:
the class loader.

setClassLoader

public void setClassLoader(java.lang.ClassLoader classLoader)
Set the class loader to be used for instantiating application objects when required.

Parameters:
classLoader - The new class loader to use, or null to revert to the standard rules

validate

public ValidatorResults validate()
                          throws ValidatorException
Performs validations based on the configured resources.

Returns:
The Map returned uses the property of the Field for the key and the value is the number of error the field had.
Throws:
ValidatorException

getOnlyReturnErrors

public boolean getOnlyReturnErrors()
Returns true if the Validator is only returning Fields that fail validation.

Returns:
whether only failed fields are returned.

setOnlyReturnErrors

public void setOnlyReturnErrors(boolean onlyReturnErrors)
Configures which Fields the Validator returns from the validate() method. Set this to true to only return Fields that failed validation. By default, validate() returns all fields.

Parameters:
onlyReturnErrors - whether only failed fields are returned.


Copyright (c) 2001-2004 Apache Software Foundation