Symfony Validator Laravel Package

Getting Started

Minimal Setup

1. Installation

   composer require spiral-packages/symfony-validator:^1.5.0
   

   Add the package to your Spiral Framework bootstrap.php:

   $container->set(SymfonyValidator::class, fn() => new SymfonyValidator());
   

2. First Use Case: Basic Validation (Symfony 7.0 Compatible) Define a validator in a command or controller:

   use Spiral\Validator\ValidatorInterface;
   use Spiral\Validator\Rule\StringRule;
   
   $validator = $container->get(ValidatorInterface::class);
   $result = $validator->validate([
       'name' => 'John Doe',
       'email' => 'invalid-email'
   ], [
       'name' => [new StringRule(['min' => 2])],
       'email' => [new StringRule(['email' => true])]
   ]);
   

3. Key Files to Review

   • src/ValidatorInterface.php (Core interface)
   • src/SymfonyValidator.php (Updated bridge for Symfony 7.0)
   • src/Rule/ (Predefined rules, now compatible with Symfony 7.0 constraints)
   • src/Constraint/ (Newly added or updated Symfony constraint mappings)

Implementation Patterns

Common Workflows

1. Request Validation (API/HTTP)

Use with Spiral's HTTP layer for incoming requests:

use Spiral\Http\Middleware\ValidationMiddleware;

$middleware = new ValidationMiddleware(
    $validator,
    [
        'email' => [new StringRule(['email' => true])],
        'age' => [new NumericRule(['min' => 18])]
    ]
);

2. Form/Entity Validation

Validate domain entities before persistence:

$user = new User($data);
$result = $validator->validateObject($user, [
    'email' => [new StringRule(['email' => true])],
    'password' => [new StringRule(['min' => 8])]
]);

3. Dynamic Rules (Runtime Validation)

Build rules programmatically:

$rules = [];
if ($isAdmin) {
    $rules['role'] = [new InRule(['values' => ['admin']])];
}
$validator->validate($data, $rules);

4. Custom Rules (Symfony 7.0 Constraints)

Extend Symfony 7.0 constraints for Spiral:

use Symfony\Component\Validator\Constraint;
use Spiral\Validator\Rule\CustomRule;

class UniqueUsernameRule extends CustomRule {
    protected function getSymfonyConstraint(): Constraint {
        return new \Symfony\UX\Validator\Constraints\UniqueEntity(['entity' => User::class, 'fields' => 'username']);
    }
}

5. Integration with Spiral's DI

Bind validator to specific contexts (e.g., CLI vs. HTTP):

$container->bindInterface(
    ValidatorInterface::class,
    fn() => new SymfonyValidator(['context' => 'cli'])
);

6. Symfony 7.0-Specific Features

Leverage Symfony 7.0's new constraints (e.g., Url, Ipv4, Ipv6):

use Spiral\Validator\Rule\UrlRule;

$rules = [
    'website' => [new UrlRule()]
];

Gotchas and Tips

Pitfalls

1. Rule Mismatch (Symfony 7.0 Updates)

   • Symfony 7.0 may introduce breaking changes in constraint classes (e.g., NotBlank → NotNull for certain types).
   • Fix: Use CustomRule for complex Symfony 7.0 constraints or check the Symfony 7.0 migration guide.

2. Lazy Loading

   • Symfony's validator may throw UndefinedIndex if data keys don’t match rules.
   • Fix: Use null as default for missing fields:

     $result = $validator->validate(array_merge($data, ['missing_field' => null]), $rules);
     

3. Performance

   • Compile rules for repeated validation:

     $compiled = $validator->compileRules($rules);
     $validator->validate($data, $compiled);
     

4. Doctrine Integration (Symfony 7.0)

   • If using UniqueEntity, ensure Doctrine is loaded first and compatible with Symfony 7.0:

     $container->set(DoctrineValidator::class, fn() => new DoctrineValidator($entityManager));
     

Debugging Tips

• Detailed Errors: Enable Symfony 7.0's validator groups:

  $validator->validate($data, $rules, ['groups' => ['default', 'strict']]);
  

• Rule Inspection: Dump compiled rules:

  $compiled = $validator->compileRules($rules);
  var_dump($compiled);
  

• Symfony Validator Dump: Access the underlying validator:

  $symfonyValidator = $container->get(SymfonyValidator::class)->getValidator();
  $symfonyValidator->validate($data, $constraints);
  

Extension Points

1. Custom Error Messages Override Symfony's messages in Spiral's rules:

   new StringRule(['min' => 3, 'message' => 'Name must be at least 3 characters.']);
   

2. Validation Groups (Symfony 7.0) Use Symfony 7.0's groups for modular validation:

   $validator->validate($data, $rules, ['groups' => ['registration', 'profile']]);
   

3. Event Listeners Attach Spiral events to validation:

   $container->pipe(
       OnValidateEvent::class,
       fn(OnValidateEvent $event) => $event->setData($this->sanitize($event->getData()))
   );
   

4. Testing Mock the validator in tests:

   $validatorMock = Mockery::mock(ValidatorInterface::class);
   $validatorMock->shouldReceive('validate')->andReturn(['errors' => []]);
   $container->set(ValidatorInterface::class, $validatorMock);
   

5. Symfony 7.0 Constraint Updates

   • Check for deprecated constraints (e.g., Length → StringLength):

     use Spiral\Validator\Rule\StringLengthRule;
     $rules = ['name' => [new StringLengthRule(['max' => 50])]];
     

6. New Symfony 7.0 Features

   • Use Expression constraint for complex logic:

     use Spiral\Validator\Rule\ExpressionRule;
     $rules = ['age' => [new ExpressionRule('this > 18', 'You must be over 18.')]];