Validation Laravel Package

Getting Started

Start by installing via Composer (composer require spiral/validation) and examine the Validator class and rule definitions in src/Rules. The core workflow is:

1. Define validation rules (e.g., Rules::required(Rules::string()))
2. Instantiate Validator (optionally pass custom message formatters or processors)
3. Call $validator->validate($data, $rules) to get structured errors.

First use case: validating an incoming API request payload (e.g., ['email' => 'bad@example', 'age' => 'twenty']) against a simple schema—this immediately demonstrates structured error output and composability.

Implementation Patterns

• Schema Per Use Case: Define validation schemas as reusable arrays or dedicated classes (e.g., class UserRegistrationRules { public function get(): array { return [...] } }).
• Nested Validation: Use Rules::nested([...]) to validate complex objects or JSON payloads (e.g., ['address' => ['city' => 'NYC', 'zip' => 12345]]).
• Delegated Validation: Chain rules like Rules::all(Rules::email(), Rules::max(255)) and combine with Rules::optional() or Rules::nullable().
• DTO Integration: Inject validation rules into DTO constructors or static factory methods to ensure immutability and type safety post-validation.
• Framework Integration: In Spiral apps, use the provided ValidationMiddleware to auto-validate controller inputs or register ValidatorInterface in services.

Gotchas and Tips

• Non-strict comparison: Rules like Rules::integer() accept numeric strings (e.g., '42'), but Rules::int() enforces strict int type—check rule names carefully.
• Error path structure: Nested errors use dot-notation ('address.city')—ensure your frontend or API client expects this format.
• Empty array handling: Rules::required() fails on empty arrays ([]) but passes on associative arrays (['key' => 'val'])—combine with Rules::minCount(1) if needed.
• No built-in async: Validation is synchronous; avoid heavy I/O rules in Rules::callback().
• Extensibility: Create custom rules by extending Rule or implementing RuleInterface—the package is designed for this (e.g., domain-specific constraints like UniqueEmail).
• Date/time validation: Use Rules::date() or Rules::timestamp() with care—they use PHP’s DateTime, so timezone context matters. Test edge cases like leap years or DST transitions.