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diff --git a/user_guide/libraries/form_validation.html b/user_guide/libraries/form_validation.html index 63111919f..684fe9b51 100644 --- a/user_guide/libraries/form_validation.html +++ b/user_guide/libraries/form_validation.html @@ -1,1221 +1,1221 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
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-Form Validation
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-<div id="content">
-
-<h1>Form Validation</h1>
-
-<p>CodeIgniter provides a comprehensive form validation and data prepping class that helps minimize the amount of code you'll write.</p>
-
-<p class="important"><strong>Note:</strong> As of CodeIgniter 1.7.0, this Form Validation class supercedes the old Validation class, which is now deprecated. We
-have left the old class in the library so applications currently using it will not break, but you are encouraged to migrate to this new version.</p>
-
-<ul>
-<li><a href="#overview">Overview</a></li>
-<li><a href="#tutorial">Form Validation Tutorial</a>
-
- <ul>
- <li><a href="#theform">The Form</a></li>
- <li><a href="#thesuccesspage">The Success Page</a></li>
- <li><a href="#thecontroller">The Controller</a></li>
- <li><a href="#validationrules">Setting Validation Rules</a></li>
- <li><a href="#validationrulesasarray">Setting Validation Rules Using an Array</a></li>
- <li><a href="#cascadingrules">Cascading Rules</a></li>
- <li><a href="#preppingdata">Prepping Data</a></li>
- <li><a href="#repopulatingform">Re-populating the Form</a></li>
- <li><a href="#callbacks">Callbacks</a></li>
- <li><a href="#settingerrors">Setting Error Messages</a></li>
- <li><a href="#errordelimiters">Changing the Error Delimiters</a></li>
- <li><a href="#translatingfn">Translating Field Names</a></li>
- <li><a href="#individualerrors">Showing Errors Individually</a></li>
- <li><a href="#savingtoconfig">Saving Sets of Validation Rules to a Config File</a></li>
- <li><a href="#arraysasfields">Using Arrays as Field Names</a></li>
- </ul>
-</li>
-<li><a href="#rulereference">Rule Reference</a></li>
-<li><a href="#preppingreference">Prepping Reference</a></li>
-<li><a href="#functionreference">Function Reference</a></li>
-<li><a href="#helperreference">Helper Reference</a></li>
-
-</ul>
-
-
-
-
-
-
-<p> </p>
-
-<a name="overview"></a>
-<h1>Overview</h1>
-
-
-<p>Before explaining CodeIgniter's approach to data validation, let's describe the ideal scenario:</p>
-
-<ol>
-<li>A form is displayed.</li>
-<li>You fill it in and submit it.</li>
-<li>If you submitted something invalid, or perhaps missed a required item, the form is redisplayed containing your data
-along with an error message describing the problem.</li>
-<li>This process continues until you have submitted a valid form.</li>
-</ol>
-
-<p>On the receiving end, the script must:</p>
-
-<ol>
-<li>Check for required data.</li>
-<li>Verify that the data is of the correct type, and meets the correct criteria. For example, if a username is submitted
-it must be validated to contain only permitted characters. It must be of a minimum length,
-and not exceed a maximum length. The username can't be someone else's existing username, or perhaps even a reserved word. Etc.</li>
-<li>Sanitize the data for security.</li>
-<li>Pre-format the data if needed (Does the data need to be trimmed? HTML encoded? Etc.)</li>
-<li>Prep the data for insertion in the database.</li>
-</ol>
-
-
-<p>Although there is nothing terribly complex about the above process, it usually requires a significant
-amount of code, and to display error messages, various control structures are usually placed within the form HTML.
-Form validation, while simple to create, is generally very messy and tedious to implement.</p>
-
-<p> </p>
-
-
-<a name="tutorial"></a>
-<h1>Form Validation Tutorial</h1>
-
-<p>What follows is a "hands on" tutorial for implementing CodeIgniters Form Validation.</p>
-
-
-<p>In order to implement form validation you'll need three things:</p>
-
-<ol>
-<li>A <a href="../general/views.html">View</a> file containing a form.</li>
-<li>A View file containing a "success" message to be displayed upon successful submission.</li>
-<li>A <a href="../general/controllers.html">controller</a> function to receive and process the submitted data.</li>
-</ol>
-
-<p>Let's create those three things, using a member sign-up form as the example.</p>
-
-
-
-<a name="theform"></a>
-
-<h2>The Form</h2>
-
-<p>Using a text editor, create a form called <dfn>myform.php</dfn>. In it, place this code and save it to your <samp>applications/views/</samp>
-folder:</p>
-
-
-<textarea class="textarea" style="width:100%" cols="50" rows="30"><html>
-<head>
-<title>My Form</title>
-</head>
-<body>
-
-<?php echo validation_errors(); ?>
-
-<?php echo form_open('form'); ?>
-
-<h5>Username</h5>
-<input type="text" name="username" value="" size="50" />
-
-<h5>Password</h5>
-<input type="text" name="password" value="" size="50" />
-
-<h5>Password Confirm</h5>
-<input type="text" name="passconf" value="" size="50" />
-
-<h5>Email Address</h5>
-<input type="text" name="email" value="" size="50" />
-
-<div><input type="submit" value="Submit" /></div>
-
-</form>
-
-</body>
-</html>
-</textarea>
-
-
-
-
-<a name="thesuccesspage"></a>
-<h2>The Success Page</h2>
-
-
-<p>Using a text editor, create a form called <dfn>formsuccess.php</dfn>. In it, place this code and save it to your <samp>applications/views/</samp>
-folder:</p>
-
-
-<textarea class="textarea" style="width:100%" cols="50" rows="14">
-<html>
-<head>
-<title>My Form</title>
-</head>
-<body>
-
-<h3>Your form was successfully submitted!</h3>
-
-<p><?php echo anchor('form', 'Try it again!'); ?></p>
-
-</body>
-</html>
-</textarea>
-
-
-
-<a name="thecontroller"></a>
-<h2>The Controller</h2>
-
-<p>Using a text editor, create a controller called <dfn>form.php</dfn>. In it, place this code and save it to your <samp>applications/controllers/</samp>
-folder:</p>
-
-
-<textarea class="textarea" style="width:100%" cols="50" rows="21"><?php
-
-class Form extends Controller {
-
- function index()
- {
- $this->load->helper(array('form', 'url'));
-
- $this->load->library('form_validation');
-
- if ($this->form_validation->run() == FALSE)
- {
- $this->load->view('myform');
- }
- else
- {
- $this->load->view('formsuccess');
- }
- }
-}
-?></textarea>
-
-
-<h2>Try it!</h2>
-
-<p>To try your form, visit your site using a URL similar to this one:</p>
-
-<code>example.com/index.php/<var>form</var>/</code>
-
-<p><dfn>If you submit the form you should simply see the form reload. That's because you haven't set up any validation
-rules yet.</dfn></p>
-
-<p><strong>Since you haven't told the Form Validation class to validate anything yet, it returns <kbd>FALSE</kbd> (boolean false) by default. The <samp>run()</samp>
-function only returns <kbd>TRUE</kbd> if it has successfully applied your rules without any of them failing.</strong></p>
-
-
-<h2>Explanation</h2>
-
-<p>You'll notice several things about the above pages:</p>
-
-<p>The <dfn>form</dfn> (myform.php) is a standard web form with a couple exceptions:</p>
-
-<ol>
-<li>It uses a <dfn>form helper</dfn> to create the form opening.
-Technically, this isn't necessary. You could create the form using standard HTML. However, the benefit of using the helper
-is that it generates the action URL for you, based on the URL in your config file. This makes your application more portable in the event your URLs change.</li>
-
-<li>At the top of the form you'll notice the following function call:
-<code><?php echo validation_errors(); ?></code>
-
-<p>This function will return any error messages sent back by the validator. If there are no messages it returns an empty string.</p>
-</li>
-</ol>
-
-<p>The <dfn>controller</dfn> (form.php) has one function: <dfn>index()</dfn>. This function initializes the validation class and
-loads the <var>form helper</var> and <var>URL helper</var> used by your view files. It also <samp>runs</samp>
-the validation routine. Based on
-whether the validation was successful it either presents the form or the success page.</p>
-
-
-
-
-<a name="validationrules"></a>
-
-<h2>Setting Validation Rules</h2>
-
-<p>CodeIgniter lets you set as many validation rules as you need for a given field, cascading them in order, and it even lets you prep and pre-process the field data
-at the same time. To set validation rules you will use the <dfn>set_rules()</dfn> function:</p>
-
-<code>$this->form_validation->set_rules();</code>
-
-<p>The above function takes <strong>three</strong> parameters as input:</p>
-
-<ol>
- <li>The field name - the exact name you've given the form field.</li>
- <li>A "human" name for this field, which will be inserted into the error message. For example, if your field is named "user" you might give it a human name of "Username". <strong>Note:</strong> If you would like the field name to be stored in a language file, please see <a href="#translatingfn">Translating Field Names</a>.</li>
- <li>The validation rules for this form field.</li>
-</ol>
-
-
-<p><br />Here is an example. In your <dfn>controller</dfn> (form.php), add this code just below the validation initialization function:</p>
-
-<code>
-$this->form_validation->set_rules('username', 'Username', 'required');<br />
-$this->form_validation->set_rules('password', 'Password', 'required');<br />
-$this->form_validation->set_rules('passconf', 'Password Confirmation', 'required');<br />
-$this->form_validation->set_rules('email', 'Email', 'required');<br />
-</code>
-
-<p>Your controller should now look like this:</p>
-
-<textarea class="textarea" style="width:100%" cols="50" rows="28"><?php
-
-class Form extends Controller {
-
- function index()
- {
- $this->load->helper(array('form', 'url'));
-
- $this->load->library('form_validation');
-
- $this->form_validation->set_rules('username', 'Username', 'required');
- $this->form_validation->set_rules('password', 'Password', 'required');
- $this->form_validation->set_rules('passconf', 'Password Confirmation', 'required');
- $this->form_validation->set_rules('email', 'Email', 'required');
-
- if ($this->form_validation->run() == FALSE)
- {
- $this->load->view('myform');
- }
- else
- {
- $this->load->view('formsuccess');
- }
- }
-}
-?></textarea>
-
-<p><dfn>Now submit the form with the fields blank and you should see the error messages.
-If you submit the form with all the fields populated you'll see your success page.</dfn></p>
-
-<p class="important"><strong>Note:</strong> The form fields are not yet being re-populated with the data when
-there is an error. We'll get to that shortly.</p>
-
-
-
-
-<a name="validationrulesasarray"></a>
-<h2>Setting Rules Using an Array</h2>
-
-<p>Before moving on it should be noted that the rule setting function can be passed an array if you prefer to set all your rules in one action.
-If you use this approach you must name your array keys as indicated:</p>
-
-<code>
-$config = array(<br />
- array(<br />
- 'field' => 'username', <br />
- 'label' => 'Username', <br />
- 'rules' => 'required'<br />
- ),<br />
- array(<br />
- 'field' => 'password', <br />
- 'label' => 'Password', <br />
- 'rules' => 'required'<br />
- ),<br />
- array(<br />
- 'field' => 'passconf', <br />
- 'label' => 'Password Confirmation', <br />
- 'rules' => 'required'<br />
- ), <br />
- array(<br />
- 'field' => 'email', <br />
- 'label' => 'Email', <br />
- 'rules' => 'required'<br />
- )<br />
- );<br />
-<br />
-$this->form_validation->set_rules($config);
-</code>
-
-
-
-
-
-
-<a name="cascadingrules"></a>
-<h2>Cascading Rules</h2>
-
-<p>CodeIgniter lets you pipe multiple rules together. Let's try it. Change your rules in the third parameter of rule setting function, like this:</p>
-
-<code>
-$this->form_validation->set_rules('username', 'Username', 'required|min_length[5]|max_length[12]');<br />
-$this->form_validation->set_rules('password', 'Password', 'required|matches[passconf]');<br />
-$this->form_validation->set_rules('passconf', 'Password Confirmation', 'required');<br />
-$this->form_validation->set_rules('email', 'Email', 'required|valid_email');<br />
-</code>
-
-<p>The above code sets the following rules:</p>
-
-<ol>
-<li>The username field be no shorter than 5 characters and no longer than 12.</li>
-<li>The password field must match the password confirmation field.</li>
-<li>The email field must contain a valid email address.</li>
-</ol>
-
-<p>Give it a try! Submit your form without the proper data and you'll see new error messages that correspond to your new rules.
-There are numerous rules available which you can read about in the validation reference.</p>
-
-
-
-<a name="preppingdata"></a>
-<h2>Prepping Data</h2>
-
-<p>In addition to the validation functions like the ones we used above, you can also prep your data in various ways.
-For example, you can set up rules like this:</p>
-
-<code>
-$this->form_validation->set_rules('username', 'Username', '<kbd>trim</kbd>|required|min_length[5]|max_length[12]|<kbd>xss_clean</kbd>');<br />
-$this->form_validation->set_rules('password', 'Password', '<kbd>trim</kbd>|required|matches[passconf]|<kbd>md5</kbd>');<br />
-$this->form_validation->set_rules('passconf', 'Password Confirmation', '<kbd>trim</kbd>|required');<br />
-$this->form_validation->set_rules('email', 'Email', '<kbd>trim</kbd>|required|valid_email');<br />
-</code>
-
-
-<p>In the above example, we are "trimming" the fields, converting the password to MD5, and running the username through
-the "xss_clean" function, which removes malicious data.</p>
-
-<p><strong>Any native PHP function that accepts one parameter can be used as a rule, like <dfn>htmlspecialchars</dfn>,
-<dfn>trim</dfn>, <dfn>MD5</dfn>, etc.</strong></p>
-
-<p><strong>Note:</strong> You will generally want to use the prepping functions <strong>after</strong>
-the validation rules so if there is an error, the original data will be shown in the form.</p>
-
-
-
-
-<a name="repopulatingform"></a>
-<h2>Re-populating the form</h2>
-
-<p>Thus far we have only been dealing with errors. It's time to repopulate the form field with the submitted data. CodeIgniter offers several helper functions
-that permit you to do this. The one you will use most commonly is:</p>
-
-<code>set_value('field name')</code>
-
-
-<p>Open your <dfn>myform.php</dfn> view file and update the <strong>value</strong> in each field using the <dfn>set_value()</dfn> function:</p>
-
-<p><strong>Don't forget to include each. field name in the <dfn>set_value()</dfn> functions!</strong></p>
-
-
-<textarea class="textarea" style="width:100%" cols="50" rows="30">
-<html>
-<head>
-<title>My Form</title>
-</head>
-<body>
-
-<?php echo validation_errors(); ?>
-
-<?php echo form_open('form'); ?>
-
-<h5>Username</h5>
-<input type="text" name="username" value="<?php echo set_value('username'); ?>" size="50" />
-
-<h5>Password</h5>
-<input type="text" name="password" value="<?php echo set_value('password'); ?>" size="50" />
-
-<h5>Password Confirm</h5>
-<input type="text" name="passconf" value="<?php echo set_value('passconf'); ?>" size="50" />
-
-<h5>Email Address</h5>
-<input type="text" name="email" value="<?php echo set_value('email'); ?>" size="50" />
-
-<div><input type="submit" value="Submit" /></div>
-
-</form>
-
-</body>
-</html>
-</textarea>
-
-
-<p><dfn>Now reload your page and submit the form so that it triggers an error. Your form fields should now be re-populated</dfn></p>
-
-<p class="important"><strong>Note:</strong> The <a href="#functionreference">Function Reference</a> section below contains functions that
-permit you to re-populate <select> menus, radio buttons, and checkboxes.</p>
-
-
-<p><strong>Important Note:</strong> If you use an array as the name of a form field, you must supply it as an array to the function. Example:</p>
-
-<code><input type="text" name="<kbd>colors[]</kbd>" value="<?php echo set_value('<kbd>colors[]</kbd>'); ?>" size="50" /></code>
-
-<p>For more info please see the <a href="#arraysasfields">Using Arrays as Field Names</a> section below.</p>
-
-
-
-
-
-<a name="callbacks"></a>
-<h2>Callbacks: Your own Validation Functions</h2>
-
-<p>The validation system supports callbacks to your own validation functions. This permits you to extend the validation class
-to meet your needs. For example, if you need to run a database query to see if the user is choosing a unique username, you can
-create a callback function that does that. Let's create a example of this.</p>
-
-<p>In your controller, change the "username" rule to this:</p>
-
-<code>$this->form_validation->set_rules('username', 'Username', '<kbd>callback_username_check</kbd>');</code>
-
-
-<p>Then add a new function called <dfn>username_check</dfn> to your controller. Here's how your controller should now look:</p>
-
-
-<textarea class="textarea" style="width:100%" cols="50" rows="44"><?php
-
-class Form extends Controller {
-
- function index()
- {
- $this->load->helper(array('form', 'url'));
-
- $this->load->library('form_validation');
-
- $this->form_validation->set_rules('username', 'Username', 'callback_username_check');
- $this->form_validation->set_rules('password', 'Password', 'required');
- $this->form_validation->set_rules('passconf', 'Password Confirmation', 'required');
- $this->form_validation->set_rules('email', 'Email', 'required');
-
- if ($this->form_validation->run() == FALSE)
- {
- $this->load->view('myform');
- }
- else
- {
- $this->load->view('formsuccess');
- }
- }
-
- function username_check($str)
- {
- if ($str == 'test')
- {
- $this->form_validation->set_message('username_check', 'The %s field can not be the word "test"');
- return FALSE;
- }
- else
- {
- return TRUE;
- }
- }
-
-}
-?></textarea>
-
-<p><dfn>Reload your form and submit it with the word "test" as the username. You can see that the form field data was passed to your
-callback function for you to process.</dfn></p>
-
-<p><strong>To invoke a callback just put the function name in a rule, with "callback_" as the rule prefix.</strong></p>
-
-<p>You can also process the form data that is passed to your callback and return it. If your callback returns anything other than a boolean TRUE/FALSE
-it is assumed that the data is your newly processed form data.</p>
-
-
-
-
-<a name="settingerrors"></a>
-<h2>Setting Error Messages</h2>
-
-
-<p>All of the native error messages are located in the following language file: <dfn>language/english/form_validation_lang.php</dfn></p>
-
-<p>To set your own custom message you can either edit that file, or use the following function:</p>
-
-<code>$this->form_validation->set_message('<var>rule</var>', '<var>Error Message</var>');</code>
-
-<p>Where <var>rule</var> corresponds to the name of a particular rule, and <var>Error Message</var> is the text you would like displayed.</p>
-
-<p>If you include <dfn>%s</dfn> in your error string, it will be replaced with the "human" name you used for your field when you set your rules.</p>
-
-<p>In the "callback" example above, the error message was set by passing the name of the function:</p>
-
-<code>$this->form_validation->set_message('username_check')</code>
-
-<p>You can also override any error message found in the language file. For example, to change the message for the "required" rule you will do this:</p>
-
-<code>$this->form_validation->set_message('required', 'Your custom message here');</code>
-
-
-
-<a name="translatingfn"></a>
-<h2>Translating Field Names</h2>
-
-<p>If you would like to store the "human" name you passed to the <dfn>set_rules()</dfn> function in a language file, and therefore make the name able to be translated, here's how:</p>
-
-<p>First, prefix your "human" name with <dfn>lang:</dfn>, as in this example:</p>
-
-<code>
-$this->form_validation->set_rules('first_name', '<kbd>lang:</kbd>first_name', 'required');<br />
-</code>
-
-<p>Then, store the name in one of your language file arrays (without the prefix):</p>
-
-<code>$lang['first_name'] = 'First Name';</code>
-
-<p><strong>Note:</strong> If you store your array item in a language file that is not loaded automatically by CI, you'll need to remember to load it in your controller using:</p>
-
-<code>$this->lang->load('file_name');</code>
-
-<p>See the <a href="language.html">Language Class</a> page for more info regarding language files.</p>
-
-
-<a name="errordelimiters"></a>
-<h2>Changing the Error Delimiters</h2>
-
-<p>By default, the Form Validation class adds a paragraph tag (<p>) around each error message shown. You can either change these delimiters globally or
-individually.</p>
-
-<ol>
-
-<li><strong>Changing delimiters Globally</strong>
-
-<p>To globally change the error delimiters, in your controller function, just after loading the Form Validation class, add this:</p>
-
-<code>$this->form_validation->set_error_delimiters('<kbd><div class="error"></kbd>', '<kbd></div></kbd>');</code>
-
-<p>In this example, we've switched to using div tags.</p>
-
-</li>
-
-<li><strong>Changing delimiters Individually</strong>
-
-<p>Each of the two error generating functions shown in this tutorial can be supplied their own delimiters as follows:</p>
-
-<code><?php echo form_error('field name', '<kbd><div class="error"></kbd>', '<kbd></div></kbd>'); ?></code>
-
-<p>Or:</p>
-
-<code><?php echo validation_errors('<kbd><div class="error"></kbd>', '<kbd></div></kbd>'); ?></code>
-
-</li>
-</ol>
-
-
-
-
-<a name="individualerrors"></a>
-<h2>Showing Errors Individually</h2>
-
-<p>If you prefer to show an error message next to each form field, rather than as a list, you can use the <dfn>form_error()</dfn> function.</p>
-
-<p>Try it! Change your form so that it looks like this:</p>
-
-<textarea class="textarea" style="width:100%" cols="50" rows="18">
-<h5>Username</h5>
-<?php echo form_error('username'); ?>
-<input type="text" name="username" value="<?php echo set_value('username'); ?>" size="50" />
-
-<h5>Password</h5>
-<?php echo form_error('password'); ?>
-<input type="text" name="password" value="<?php echo set_value('password'); ?>" size="50" />
-
-<h5>Password Confirm</h5>
-<?php echo form_error('passconf'); ?>
-<input type="text" name="passconf" value="<?php echo set_value('passconf'); ?>" size="50" />
-
-<h5>Email Address</h5>
-<?php echo form_error('email'); ?>
-<input type="text" name="email" value="<?php echo set_value('email'); ?>" size="50" />
-</textarea>
-
-<p>If there are no errors, nothing will be shown. If there is an error, the message will appear.</p>
-
-<p><strong>Important Note:</strong> If you use an array as the name of a form field, you must supply it as an array to the function. Example:</p>
-
-<code><?php echo form_error('<kbd>options[size]</kbd>'); ?><br />
-<input type="text" name="<kbd>options[size]</kbd>" value="<?php echo set_value("<kbd>options[size]</kbd>"); ?>" size="50" />
-</code>
-
-<p>For more info please see the <a href="#arraysasfields">Using Arrays as Field Names</a> section below.</p>
-
-
-
-
-<p> </p>
-
-
-<a name="savingtoconfig"></a>
-<h1>Saving Sets of Validation Rules to a Config File</h1>
-
-<p>A nice feature of the Form Validation class is that it permits you to store all your validation rules for your entire application in a config file. You
-can organize these rules into "groups". These groups can either be loaded automatically when a matching controller/function is called, or
-you can manually call each set as needed.</p>
-
-<h3>How to save your rules</h3>
-
-<p>To store your validation rules, simply create a file named <kbd>form_validation.php</kbd> in your <dfn>application/config/</dfn> folder.
-In that file you will place an array named <kbd>$config</kbd> with your rules. As shown earlier, the validation array will have this prototype:</p>
-
-<code>
-$config = array(<br />
- array(<br />
- 'field' => 'username', <br />
- 'label' => 'Username', <br />
- 'rules' => 'required'<br />
- ),<br />
- array(<br />
- 'field' => 'password', <br />
- 'label' => 'Password', <br />
- 'rules' => 'required'<br />
- ),<br />
- array(<br />
- 'field' => 'passconf', <br />
- 'label' => 'Password Confirmation', <br />
- 'rules' => 'required'<br />
- ), <br />
- array(<br />
- 'field' => 'email', <br />
- 'label' => 'Email', <br />
- 'rules' => 'required'<br />
- )<br />
- );<br />
-</code>
-
-<p><dfn>Your validation rule file will be loaded automatically and used when you call the run() function.</dfn></p>
-
-<p class="important">Please note that you MUST name your array $config.</p>
-
-<h3>Creating Sets of Rules</h3>
-
-<p>In order to organize your rules into "sets" requires that you place them into "sub arrays". Consider the following example, showing two sets of rules.
-We've arbitrarily called these two rules "signup" and "email". You can name your rules anything you want:</p>
-
-
-<code>$config = array(<br />
- '<kbd>signup</kbd>' => array(<br />
- array(<br />
- 'field' => 'username',<br />
- 'label' => 'Username',<br />
- 'rules' => 'required'<br />
- ),<br />
- array(<br />
- 'field' => 'password',<br />
- 'label' => 'Password',<br />
- 'rules' => 'required'<br />
- ),<br />
- array(<br />
- 'field' => 'passconf',<br />
- 'label' => 'PasswordConfirmation',<br />
- 'rules' => 'required'<br />
- ),<br />
- array(<br />
- 'field' => 'email',<br />
- 'label' => 'Email',<br />
- 'rules' => 'required'<br />
- )<br />
- ),<br />
- '<kbd>email</kbd>' => array(<br />
- array(<br />
- 'field' => 'emailaddress',<br />
- 'label' => 'EmailAddress',<br />
- 'rules' => 'required|valid_email'<br />
- ),<br />
- array(<br />
- 'field' => 'name',<br />
- 'label' => 'Name',<br />
- 'rules' => 'required|alpha'<br />
- ),<br />
- array(<br />
- 'field' => 'title',<br />
- 'label' => 'Title',<br />
- 'rules' => 'required'<br />
- ),<br />
- array(<br />
- 'field' => 'message',<br />
- 'label' => 'MessageBody',<br />
- 'rules' => 'required'<br />
- )<br />
- ) <br />
- );<br />
-</code>
-
-
-<h3>Calling a Specific Rule Group</h3>
-
-<p>In order to call a specific group you will pass its name to the <kbd>run()</kbd> function. For example, to call the <kbd>signup</kbd> rule you will do this:</p>
-
-<code>
-if ($this->form_validation->run('<kbd>signup</kbd>') == FALSE)<br />
-{<br />
- $this->load->view('myform');<br />
-}<br />
-else<br />
-{<br />
- $this->load->view('formsuccess');<br />
-}<br />
-</code>
-
-
-
-<h3>Associating a Controller Function with a Rule Group</h3>
-
-<p>An alternate (and more automatic) method of calling a rule group is to name it according to the controller class/function you intend to use it with. For example, let's say you
-have a controller named <kbd>Member</kbd> and a function named <kbd>signup</kbd>. Here's what your class might look like:</p>
-
-<code>
-<?php<br /><br />
-class <kbd>Member</kbd> extends Controller {<br />
-<br />
- function <kbd>signup</kbd>()<br />
- { <br />
- $this->load->library('form_validation');<br />
- <br />
- if ($this->form_validation->run() == FALSE)<br />
- {<br />
- $this->load->view('myform');<br />
- }<br />
- else<br />
- {<br />
- $this->load->view('formsuccess');<br />
- }<br />
- }<br />
-}<br />
-?></code>
-
-<p>In your validation config file, you will name your rule group <kbd>member/signup</kbd>:</p>
-
-
-<code>$config = array(<br />
- '<kbd>member/signup</kbd>' = array(<br />
- array(<br />
- 'field' => 'username',<br />
- 'label' => 'Username',<br />
- 'rules' => 'required'<br />
- ),<br />
- array(<br />
- 'field' => 'password',<br />
- 'label' => 'Password',<br />
- 'rules' => 'required'<br />
- ),<br />
- array(<br />
- 'field' => 'passconf',<br />
- 'label' => 'PasswordConfirmation',<br />
- 'rules' => 'required'<br />
- ),<br />
- array(<br />
- 'field' => 'email',<br />
- 'label' => 'Email',<br />
- 'rules' => 'required'<br />
- )<br />
- )<br />
- );<br />
-</code>
-
-<p><dfn>When a rule group is named identically to a controller class/function it will be used automatically when the run() function is invoked from that class/function.</dfn></p>
-
-<p> </p>
-
-
-<a name="arraysasfields"></a>
-<h1>Using Arrays as Field Names</h1>
-
-<p>The Form Validation class supports the use of arrays as field names. Consider this example:</p>
-
-<code><input type="text" name="<kbd>options[]</kbd>" value="" size="50" /></code>
-
-<p>If you do use an array as a field name, you must use the EXACT array name in the <a href="#helperreference">Helper Functions</a> that require the field name,
-and as your Validation Rule field name.</p>
-
-<p>For example, to set a rule for the above field you would use:</p>
-
-<code>$this->form_validation->set_rules('<kbd>options[]</kbd>', 'Options', 'required');</code>
-
-<p>Or, to show an error for the above field you would use:</p>
-
-<code><?php echo form_error('<kbd>options[]</kbd>'); ?></code>
-
-<p>Or to re-populate the field you would use:</p>
-
-<code><input type="text" name="<kbd>options[]</kbd>" value="<kbd><?php echo set_value('<kbd>options[]</kbd>'); ?></kbd>" size="50" /></code>
-
-<p>You can use multidimensional arrays as field names as well. For example:</p>
-
-<code><input type="text" name="<kbd>options[size]</kbd>" value="" size="50" /></code>
-
-<p>Or even:</p>
-
-<code><input type="text" name="<kbd>sports[nba][basketball]</kbd>" value="" size="50" /></code>
-
-<p>As with our first example, you must use the exact array name in the helper functions:</p>
-
-<code><?php echo form_error('<kbd>sports[nba][basketball]</kbd>'); ?></code>
-
-<p>If you are using checkboxes (or other fields) that have multiple options, don't forget to leave an empty bracket after each option, so that all selections will be added to the
-POST array:</p>
-
-<code>
-<input type="checkbox" name="<kbd>options[]</kbd>" value="red" /><br />
-<input type="checkbox" name="<kbd>options[]</kbd>" value="blue" /><br />
-<input type="checkbox" name="<kbd>options[]</kbd>" value="green" />
-</code>
-
-<p>Or if you use a multidimensional array:</p>
-
-<code>
-<input type="checkbox" name="<kbd>options[color][]</kbd>" value="red" /><br />
-<input type="checkbox" name="<kbd>options[color][]</kbd>" value="blue" /><br />
-<input type="checkbox" name="<kbd>options[color][]</kbd>" value="green" />
-</code>
-
-<p>When you use a helper function you'll include the bracket as well:</p>
-
-<code><?php echo form_error('<kbd>options[color][]</kbd>'); ?></code>
-
-
-
-
-<p> </p>
-
-
-<a name="rulereference"></a>
-<h1>Rule Reference</h1>
-
-<p>The following is a list of all the native rules that are available to use:</p>
-
-
-
-<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1" border="0" style="width:100%" class="tableborder">
-<tr>
-<th>Rule</th>
-<th>Parameter</th>
-<th>Description</th>
-<th>Example</th>
-</tr><tr>
-
-<td class="td"><strong>required</strong></td>
-<td class="td">No</td>
-<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the form element is empty.</td>
-<td class="td"> </td>
-</tr><tr>
-
-<td class="td"><strong>matches</strong></td>
-<td class="td">Yes</td>
-<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the form element does not match the one in the parameter.</td>
-<td class="td">matches[form_item]</td>
-</tr><tr>
-
-<td class="td"><strong>min_length</strong></td>
-<td class="td">Yes</td>
-<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the form element is shorter then the parameter value.</td>
-<td class="td">min_length[6]</td>
-</tr><tr>
-
-<td class="td"><strong>max_length</strong></td>
-<td class="td">Yes</td>
-<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the form element is longer then the parameter value.</td>
-<td class="td">max_length[12]</td>
-</tr><tr>
-
-<td class="td"><strong>exact_length</strong></td>
-<td class="td">Yes</td>
-<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the form element is not exactly the parameter value.</td>
-<td class="td">exact_length[8]</td>
-</tr><tr>
-
-<td class="td"><strong>alpha</strong></td>
-<td class="td">No</td>
-<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the form element contains anything other than alphabetical characters.</td>
-<td class="td"> </td>
-</tr><tr>
-
-<td class="td"><strong>alpha_numeric</strong></td>
-<td class="td">No</td>
-<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the form element contains anything other than alpha-numeric characters.</td>
-<td class="td"> </td>
-</tr><tr>
-
-<td class="td"><strong>alpha_dash</strong></td>
-<td class="td">No</td>
-<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the form element contains anything other than alpha-numeric characters, underscores or dashes.</td>
-<td class="td"> </td>
-</tr>
-
-<tr>
-<td class="td"><strong>numeric</strong></td>
-<td class="td">No</td>
-<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the form element contains anything other than numeric characters.</td>
-<td class="td"> </td>
-</tr>
-
-<tr>
-<td class="td"><strong>integer</strong></td>
-<td class="td">No</td>
-<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the form element contains anything other than an integer.</td>
-<td class="td"> </td>
-</tr>
-
-<tr>
-<td class="td"><strong>is_natural</strong></td>
-<td class="td">No</td>
-<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the form element contains anything other than a natural number: 0, 1, 2, 3, etc.</td>
-<td class="td"> </td>
-</tr>
-
-<tr>
-<td class="td"><strong>is_natural_no_zero</strong></td>
-<td class="td">No</td>
-<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the form element contains anything other than a natural number, but not zero: 1, 2, 3, etc.</td>
-<td class="td"> </td>
-</tr>
-
-<tr>
-<td class="td"><strong>valid_email</strong></td>
-<td class="td">No</td>
-<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the form element does not contain a valid email address.</td>
-<td class="td"> </td>
-</tr>
-
-<tr>
-<td class="td"><strong>valid_emails</strong></td>
-<td class="td">No</td>
-<td class="td">Returns FALSE if any value provided in a comma separated list is not a valid email.</td>
-<td class="td"> </td>
-</tr>
-
-<tr>
-<td class="td"><strong>valid_ip</strong></td>
-<td class="td">No</td>
-<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the supplied IP is not valid.</td>
-<td class="td"> </td>
-</tr>
-
-<tr>
-<td class="td"><strong>valid_base64</strong></td>
-<td class="td">No</td>
-<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the supplied string contains anything other than valid Base64 characters.</td>
-<td class="td"> </td>
-</tr>
-
-
-</table>
-
-<p><strong>Note:</strong> These rules can also be called as discrete functions. For example:</p>
-
-<code>$this->form_validation->required($string);</code>
-
-<p class="important"><strong>Note:</strong> You can also use any native PHP functions that permit one parameter.</p>
-
-
-
-<p> </p>
-
-<a name="preppingreference"></a>
-<h1>Prepping Reference</h1>
-
-<p>The following is a list of all the prepping functions that are available to use:</p>
-
-
-
-<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1" border="0" style="width:100%" class="tableborder">
-<tr>
-<th>Name</th>
-<th>Parameter</th>
-<th>Description</th>
-</tr><tr>
-
-<td class="td"><strong>xss_clean</strong></td>
-<td class="td">No</td>
-<td class="td">Runs the data through the XSS filtering function, described in the <a href="input.html">Input Class</a> page.</td>
-</tr><tr>
-
-<td class="td"><strong>prep_for_form</strong></td>
-<td class="td">No</td>
-<td class="td">Converts special characters so that HTML data can be shown in a form field without breaking it.</td>
-</tr><tr>
-
-<td class="td"><strong>prep_url</strong></td>
-<td class="td">No</td>
-<td class="td">Adds "http://" to URLs if missing.</td>
-</tr><tr>
-
-<td class="td"><strong>strip_image_tags</strong></td>
-<td class="td">No</td>
-<td class="td">Strips the HTML from image tags leaving the raw URL.</td>
-</tr><tr>
-
-<td class="td"><strong>encode_php_tags</strong></td>
-<td class="td">No</td>
-<td class="td">Converts PHP tags to entities.</td>
-</tr>
-
-</table>
-
-<p class="important"><strong>Note:</strong> You can also use any native PHP functions that permit one parameter,
-like <kbd>trim</kbd>, <kbd>htmlspecialchars</kbd>, <kbd>urldecode</kbd>, etc.</p>
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-<p> </p>
-
-<a name="functionreference"></a>
-<h1>Function Reference</h1>
-
-<p>The following functions are intended for use in your controller functions.</p>
-
-<h2>$this->form_validation->set_rule();</h2>
-
-<p>Permits you to set validation rules, as described in the tutorial sections above:</p>
-
-<ul>
-<li><a href="#validationrules">Setting Validation Rules</a></li>
-<li><a href="#savingtoconfig">Saving Groups of Validation Rules to a Config File</a></li>
-</ul>
-
-
-<h2>$this->form_validation->run();</h2>
-
-<p>Runs the validation routines. Returns boolean TRUE on success and FALSE on failure. You can optionally pass the name of the validation
-group via the function, as described in: <a href="#savingtoconfig">Saving Groups of Validation Rules to a Config File</a>.</p>
-
-
-<h2>$this->form_validation->set_message();</h2>
-
-<p>Permits you to set custom error messages. See <a href="#settingerrors">Setting Error Messages</a> above.</p>
-
-
-<p> </p>
-
-<a name="helperreference"></a>
-<h1>Helper Reference</h1>
-
-<p>The following helper functions are available for use in the view files containing your forms. Note that these are procedural functions, so they
-<strong>do not</strong> require you to prepend them with $this->form_validation.</p>
-
-<h2>form_error()</h2>
-
-<p>Shows an individual error message associated with the field name supplied to the function. Example:</p>
-
-<code><?php echo form_error('username'); ?></code>
-
-<p>The error delimiters can be optionally specified. See the <a href="#errordelimiters">Changing the Error Delimiters</a> section above.</p>
-
-
-
-<h2>validation_errors()</h2>
-<p>Shows all error messages as a string: Example:</p>
-
-<code><?php echo validation_errors(); ?></code>
-
-<p>The error delimiters can be optionally specified. See the <a href="#errordelimiters">Changing the Error Delimiters</a> section above.</p>
-
-
-
-<h2>set_value()</h2>
-
-<p>Permits you to set the value of an input form or textarea. You must supply the field name via the first parameter of the function.
-The second (optional) parameter allows you to set a default value for the form. Example:</p>
-
-<code><input type="text" name="quantity" value="<dfn><?php echo set_value('quantity', '0'); ?></dfn>" size="50" /></code>
-
-<p>The above form will show "0" when loaded for the first time.</p>
-
-<h2>set_select()</h2>
-
-<p>If you use a <dfn><select></dfn> menu, this function permits you to display the menu item that was selected. The first parameter
-must contain the name of the select menu, the second parameter must contain the value of
-each item, and the third (optional) parameter lets you set an item as the default (use boolean TRUE/FALSE).</p>
-
-<p>Example:</p>
-
-<code>
-<select name="myselect"><br />
-<option value="one" <dfn><?php echo set_select('myselect', 'one', TRUE); ?></dfn> >One</option><br />
-<option value="two" <dfn><?php echo set_select('myselect', 'two'); ?></dfn> >Two</option><br />
-<option value="three" <dfn><?php echo set_select('myselect', 'three'); ?></dfn> >Three</option><br />
-</select>
-</code>
-
-
-<h2>set_checkbox()</h2>
-
-<p>Permits you to display a checkbox in the state it was submitted. The first parameter
-must contain the name of the checkbox, the second parameter must contain its value, and the third (optional) parameter lets you set an item as the default (use boolean TRUE/FALSE). Example:</p>
-
-<code><input type="checkbox" name="mycheck[]" value="1" <dfn><?php echo set_checkbox('mycheck[]', '1'); ?></dfn> /><br />
-<input type="checkbox" name="mycheck[]" value="2" <dfn><?php echo set_checkbox('mycheck[]', '2'); ?></dfn> /></code>
-
-
-<h2>set_radio()</h2>
-
-<p>Permits you to display radio buttons in the state they were submitted. This function is identical to the <strong>set_checkbox()</strong> function above.</p>
-
-<code><input type="radio" name="myradio" value="1" <dfn><?php echo set_radio('myradio', '1', TRUE); ?></dfn> /><br />
-<input type="radio" name="myradio" value="2" <dfn><?php echo set_radio('myradio', '2'); ?></dfn> /></code>
-
-
-
-</div>
-<!-- END CONTENT -->
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We +have left the old class in the library so applications currently using it will not break, but you are encouraged to migrate to this new version.</p> + +<ul> +<li><a href="#overview">Overview</a></li> +<li><a href="#tutorial">Form Validation Tutorial</a> + + <ul> + <li><a href="#theform">The Form</a></li> + <li><a href="#thesuccesspage">The Success Page</a></li> + <li><a href="#thecontroller">The Controller</a></li> + <li><a href="#validationrules">Setting Validation Rules</a></li> + <li><a href="#validationrulesasarray">Setting Validation Rules Using an Array</a></li> + <li><a href="#cascadingrules">Cascading Rules</a></li> + <li><a href="#preppingdata">Prepping Data</a></li> + <li><a href="#repopulatingform">Re-populating the Form</a></li> + <li><a href="#callbacks">Callbacks</a></li> + <li><a href="#settingerrors">Setting Error Messages</a></li> + <li><a href="#errordelimiters">Changing the Error Delimiters</a></li> + <li><a href="#translatingfn">Translating Field Names</a></li> + <li><a href="#individualerrors">Showing Errors Individually</a></li> + <li><a href="#savingtoconfig">Saving Sets of Validation Rules to a Config File</a></li> + <li><a href="#arraysasfields">Using Arrays as Field Names</a></li> + </ul> +</li> +<li><a href="#rulereference">Rule Reference</a></li> +<li><a href="#preppingreference">Prepping Reference</a></li> +<li><a href="#functionreference">Function Reference</a></li> +<li><a href="#helperreference">Helper Reference</a></li> + +</ul> + + + + + + +<p> </p> + +<a name="overview"></a> +<h1>Overview</h1> + + +<p>Before explaining CodeIgniter's approach to data validation, let's describe the ideal scenario:</p> + +<ol> +<li>A form is displayed.</li> +<li>You fill it in and submit it.</li> +<li>If you submitted something invalid, or perhaps missed a required item, the form is redisplayed containing your data +along with an error message describing the problem.</li> +<li>This process continues until you have submitted a valid form.</li> +</ol> + +<p>On the receiving end, the script must:</p> + +<ol> +<li>Check for required data.</li> +<li>Verify that the data is of the correct type, and meets the correct criteria. For example, if a username is submitted +it must be validated to contain only permitted characters. It must be of a minimum length, +and not exceed a maximum length. The username can't be someone else's existing username, or perhaps even a reserved word. Etc.</li> +<li>Sanitize the data for security.</li> +<li>Pre-format the data if needed (Does the data need to be trimmed? HTML encoded? Etc.)</li> +<li>Prep the data for insertion in the database.</li> +</ol> + + +<p>Although there is nothing terribly complex about the above process, it usually requires a significant +amount of code, and to display error messages, various control structures are usually placed within the form HTML. +Form validation, while simple to create, is generally very messy and tedious to implement.</p> + +<p> </p> + + +<a name="tutorial"></a> +<h1>Form Validation Tutorial</h1> + +<p>What follows is a "hands on" tutorial for implementing CodeIgniters Form Validation.</p> + + +<p>In order to implement form validation you'll need three things:</p> + +<ol> +<li>A <a href="../general/views.html">View</a> file containing a form.</li> +<li>A View file containing a "success" message to be displayed upon successful submission.</li> +<li>A <a href="../general/controllers.html">controller</a> function to receive and process the submitted data.</li> +</ol> + +<p>Let's create those three things, using a member sign-up form as the example.</p> + + + +<a name="theform"></a> + +<h2>The Form</h2> + +<p>Using a text editor, create a form called <dfn>myform.php</dfn>. In it, place this code and save it to your <samp>applications/views/</samp> +folder:</p> + + +<textarea class="textarea" style="width:100%" cols="50" rows="30"><html> +<head> +<title>My Form</title> +</head> +<body> + +<?php echo validation_errors(); ?> + +<?php echo form_open('form'); ?> + +<h5>Username</h5> +<input type="text" name="username" value="" size="50" /> + +<h5>Password</h5> +<input type="text" name="password" value="" size="50" /> + +<h5>Password Confirm</h5> +<input type="text" name="passconf" value="" size="50" /> + +<h5>Email Address</h5> +<input type="text" name="email" value="" size="50" /> + +<div><input type="submit" value="Submit" /></div> + +</form> + +</body> +</html> +</textarea> + + + + +<a name="thesuccesspage"></a> +<h2>The Success Page</h2> + + +<p>Using a text editor, create a form called <dfn>formsuccess.php</dfn>. In it, place this code and save it to your <samp>applications/views/</samp> +folder:</p> + + +<textarea class="textarea" style="width:100%" cols="50" rows="14"> +<html> +<head> +<title>My Form</title> +</head> +<body> + +<h3>Your form was successfully submitted!</h3> + +<p><?php echo anchor('form', 'Try it again!'); ?></p> + +</body> +</html> +</textarea> + + + +<a name="thecontroller"></a> +<h2>The Controller</h2> + +<p>Using a text editor, create a controller called <dfn>form.php</dfn>. In it, place this code and save it to your <samp>applications/controllers/</samp> +folder:</p> + + +<textarea class="textarea" style="width:100%" cols="50" rows="21"><?php + +class Form extends Controller { + + function index() + { + $this->load->helper(array('form', 'url')); + + $this->load->library('form_validation'); + + if ($this->form_validation->run() == FALSE) + { + $this->load->view('myform'); + } + else + { + $this->load->view('formsuccess'); + } + } +} +?></textarea> + + +<h2>Try it!</h2> + +<p>To try your form, visit your site using a URL similar to this one:</p> + +<code>example.com/index.php/<var>form</var>/</code> + +<p><dfn>If you submit the form you should simply see the form reload. That's because you haven't set up any validation +rules yet.</dfn></p> + +<p><strong>Since you haven't told the Form Validation class to validate anything yet, it returns <kbd>FALSE</kbd> (boolean false) by default. The <samp>run()</samp> +function only returns <kbd>TRUE</kbd> if it has successfully applied your rules without any of them failing.</strong></p> + + +<h2>Explanation</h2> + +<p>You'll notice several things about the above pages:</p> + +<p>The <dfn>form</dfn> (myform.php) is a standard web form with a couple exceptions:</p> + +<ol> +<li>It uses a <dfn>form helper</dfn> to create the form opening. +Technically, this isn't necessary. You could create the form using standard HTML. However, the benefit of using the helper +is that it generates the action URL for you, based on the URL in your config file. This makes your application more portable in the event your URLs change.</li> + +<li>At the top of the form you'll notice the following function call: +<code><?php echo validation_errors(); ?></code> + +<p>This function will return any error messages sent back by the validator. If there are no messages it returns an empty string.</p> +</li> +</ol> + +<p>The <dfn>controller</dfn> (form.php) has one function: <dfn>index()</dfn>. This function initializes the validation class and +loads the <var>form helper</var> and <var>URL helper</var> used by your view files. It also <samp>runs</samp> +the validation routine. Based on +whether the validation was successful it either presents the form or the success page.</p> + + + + +<a name="validationrules"></a> + +<h2>Setting Validation Rules</h2> + +<p>CodeIgniter lets you set as many validation rules as you need for a given field, cascading them in order, and it even lets you prep and pre-process the field data +at the same time. To set validation rules you will use the <dfn>set_rules()</dfn> function:</p> + +<code>$this->form_validation->set_rules();</code> + +<p>The above function takes <strong>three</strong> parameters as input:</p> + +<ol> + <li>The field name - the exact name you've given the form field.</li> + <li>A "human" name for this field, which will be inserted into the error message. For example, if your field is named "user" you might give it a human name of "Username". <strong>Note:</strong> If you would like the field name to be stored in a language file, please see <a href="#translatingfn">Translating Field Names</a>.</li> + <li>The validation rules for this form field.</li> +</ol> + + +<p><br />Here is an example. In your <dfn>controller</dfn> (form.php), add this code just below the validation initialization function:</p> + +<code> +$this->form_validation->set_rules('username', 'Username', 'required');<br /> +$this->form_validation->set_rules('password', 'Password', 'required');<br /> +$this->form_validation->set_rules('passconf', 'Password Confirmation', 'required');<br /> +$this->form_validation->set_rules('email', 'Email', 'required');<br /> +</code> + +<p>Your controller should now look like this:</p> + +<textarea class="textarea" style="width:100%" cols="50" rows="28"><?php + +class Form extends Controller { + + function index() + { + $this->load->helper(array('form', 'url')); + + $this->load->library('form_validation'); + + $this->form_validation->set_rules('username', 'Username', 'required'); + $this->form_validation->set_rules('password', 'Password', 'required'); + $this->form_validation->set_rules('passconf', 'Password Confirmation', 'required'); + $this->form_validation->set_rules('email', 'Email', 'required'); + + if ($this->form_validation->run() == FALSE) + { + $this->load->view('myform'); + } + else + { + $this->load->view('formsuccess'); + } + } +} +?></textarea> + +<p><dfn>Now submit the form with the fields blank and you should see the error messages. +If you submit the form with all the fields populated you'll see your success page.</dfn></p> + +<p class="important"><strong>Note:</strong> The form fields are not yet being re-populated with the data when +there is an error. We'll get to that shortly.</p> + + + + +<a name="validationrulesasarray"></a> +<h2>Setting Rules Using an Array</h2> + +<p>Before moving on it should be noted that the rule setting function can be passed an array if you prefer to set all your rules in one action. +If you use this approach you must name your array keys as indicated:</p> + +<code> +$config = array(<br /> + array(<br /> + 'field' => 'username', <br /> + 'label' => 'Username', <br /> + 'rules' => 'required'<br /> + ),<br /> + array(<br /> + 'field' => 'password', <br /> + 'label' => 'Password', <br /> + 'rules' => 'required'<br /> + ),<br /> + array(<br /> + 'field' => 'passconf', <br /> + 'label' => 'Password Confirmation', <br /> + 'rules' => 'required'<br /> + ), <br /> + array(<br /> + 'field' => 'email', <br /> + 'label' => 'Email', <br /> + 'rules' => 'required'<br /> + )<br /> + );<br /> +<br /> +$this->form_validation->set_rules($config); +</code> + + + + + + +<a name="cascadingrules"></a> +<h2>Cascading Rules</h2> + +<p>CodeIgniter lets you pipe multiple rules together. Let's try it. Change your rules in the third parameter of rule setting function, like this:</p> + +<code> +$this->form_validation->set_rules('username', 'Username', 'required|min_length[5]|max_length[12]');<br /> +$this->form_validation->set_rules('password', 'Password', 'required|matches[passconf]');<br /> +$this->form_validation->set_rules('passconf', 'Password Confirmation', 'required');<br /> +$this->form_validation->set_rules('email', 'Email', 'required|valid_email');<br /> +</code> + +<p>The above code sets the following rules:</p> + +<ol> +<li>The username field be no shorter than 5 characters and no longer than 12.</li> +<li>The password field must match the password confirmation field.</li> +<li>The email field must contain a valid email address.</li> +</ol> + +<p>Give it a try! Submit your form without the proper data and you'll see new error messages that correspond to your new rules. +There are numerous rules available which you can read about in the validation reference.</p> + + + +<a name="preppingdata"></a> +<h2>Prepping Data</h2> + +<p>In addition to the validation functions like the ones we used above, you can also prep your data in various ways. +For example, you can set up rules like this:</p> + +<code> +$this->form_validation->set_rules('username', 'Username', '<kbd>trim</kbd>|required|min_length[5]|max_length[12]|<kbd>xss_clean</kbd>');<br /> +$this->form_validation->set_rules('password', 'Password', '<kbd>trim</kbd>|required|matches[passconf]|<kbd>md5</kbd>');<br /> +$this->form_validation->set_rules('passconf', 'Password Confirmation', '<kbd>trim</kbd>|required');<br /> +$this->form_validation->set_rules('email', 'Email', '<kbd>trim</kbd>|required|valid_email');<br /> +</code> + + +<p>In the above example, we are "trimming" the fields, converting the password to MD5, and running the username through +the "xss_clean" function, which removes malicious data.</p> + +<p><strong>Any native PHP function that accepts one parameter can be used as a rule, like <dfn>htmlspecialchars</dfn>, +<dfn>trim</dfn>, <dfn>MD5</dfn>, etc.</strong></p> + +<p><strong>Note:</strong> You will generally want to use the prepping functions <strong>after</strong> +the validation rules so if there is an error, the original data will be shown in the form.</p> + + + + +<a name="repopulatingform"></a> +<h2>Re-populating the form</h2> + +<p>Thus far we have only been dealing with errors. It's time to repopulate the form field with the submitted data. CodeIgniter offers several helper functions +that permit you to do this. The one you will use most commonly is:</p> + +<code>set_value('field name')</code> + + +<p>Open your <dfn>myform.php</dfn> view file and update the <strong>value</strong> in each field using the <dfn>set_value()</dfn> function:</p> + +<p><strong>Don't forget to include each. field name in the <dfn>set_value()</dfn> functions!</strong></p> + + +<textarea class="textarea" style="width:100%" cols="50" rows="30"> +<html> +<head> +<title>My Form</title> +</head> +<body> + +<?php echo validation_errors(); ?> + +<?php echo form_open('form'); ?> + +<h5>Username</h5> +<input type="text" name="username" value="<?php echo set_value('username'); ?>" size="50" /> + +<h5>Password</h5> +<input type="text" name="password" value="<?php echo set_value('password'); ?>" size="50" /> + +<h5>Password Confirm</h5> +<input type="text" name="passconf" value="<?php echo set_value('passconf'); ?>" size="50" /> + +<h5>Email Address</h5> +<input type="text" name="email" value="<?php echo set_value('email'); ?>" size="50" /> + +<div><input type="submit" value="Submit" /></div> + +</form> + +</body> +</html> +</textarea> + + +<p><dfn>Now reload your page and submit the form so that it triggers an error. Your form fields should now be re-populated</dfn></p> + +<p class="important"><strong>Note:</strong> The <a href="#functionreference">Function Reference</a> section below contains functions that +permit you to re-populate <select> menus, radio buttons, and checkboxes.</p> + + +<p><strong>Important Note:</strong> If you use an array as the name of a form field, you must supply it as an array to the function. Example:</p> + +<code><input type="text" name="<kbd>colors[]</kbd>" value="<?php echo set_value('<kbd>colors[]</kbd>'); ?>" size="50" /></code> + +<p>For more info please see the <a href="#arraysasfields">Using Arrays as Field Names</a> section below.</p> + + + + + +<a name="callbacks"></a> +<h2>Callbacks: Your own Validation Functions</h2> + +<p>The validation system supports callbacks to your own validation functions. This permits you to extend the validation class +to meet your needs. For example, if you need to run a database query to see if the user is choosing a unique username, you can +create a callback function that does that. Let's create a example of this.</p> + +<p>In your controller, change the "username" rule to this:</p> + +<code>$this->form_validation->set_rules('username', 'Username', '<kbd>callback_username_check</kbd>');</code> + + +<p>Then add a new function called <dfn>username_check</dfn> to your controller. Here's how your controller should now look:</p> + + +<textarea class="textarea" style="width:100%" cols="50" rows="44"><?php + +class Form extends Controller { + + function index() + { + $this->load->helper(array('form', 'url')); + + $this->load->library('form_validation'); + + $this->form_validation->set_rules('username', 'Username', 'callback_username_check'); + $this->form_validation->set_rules('password', 'Password', 'required'); + $this->form_validation->set_rules('passconf', 'Password Confirmation', 'required'); + $this->form_validation->set_rules('email', 'Email', 'required'); + + if ($this->form_validation->run() == FALSE) + { + $this->load->view('myform'); + } + else + { + $this->load->view('formsuccess'); + } + } + + function username_check($str) + { + if ($str == 'test') + { + $this->form_validation->set_message('username_check', 'The %s field can not be the word "test"'); + return FALSE; + } + else + { + return TRUE; + } + } + +} +?></textarea> + +<p><dfn>Reload your form and submit it with the word "test" as the username. You can see that the form field data was passed to your +callback function for you to process.</dfn></p> + +<p><strong>To invoke a callback just put the function name in a rule, with "callback_" as the rule prefix.</strong></p> + +<p>You can also process the form data that is passed to your callback and return it. If your callback returns anything other than a boolean TRUE/FALSE +it is assumed that the data is your newly processed form data.</p> + + + + +<a name="settingerrors"></a> +<h2>Setting Error Messages</h2> + + +<p>All of the native error messages are located in the following language file: <dfn>language/english/form_validation_lang.php</dfn></p> + +<p>To set your own custom message you can either edit that file, or use the following function:</p> + +<code>$this->form_validation->set_message('<var>rule</var>', '<var>Error Message</var>');</code> + +<p>Where <var>rule</var> corresponds to the name of a particular rule, and <var>Error Message</var> is the text you would like displayed.</p> + +<p>If you include <dfn>%s</dfn> in your error string, it will be replaced with the "human" name you used for your field when you set your rules.</p> + +<p>In the "callback" example above, the error message was set by passing the name of the function:</p> + +<code>$this->form_validation->set_message('username_check')</code> + +<p>You can also override any error message found in the language file. For example, to change the message for the "required" rule you will do this:</p> + +<code>$this->form_validation->set_message('required', 'Your custom message here');</code> + + + +<a name="translatingfn"></a> +<h2>Translating Field Names</h2> + +<p>If you would like to store the "human" name you passed to the <dfn>set_rules()</dfn> function in a language file, and therefore make the name able to be translated, here's how:</p> + +<p>First, prefix your "human" name with <dfn>lang:</dfn>, as in this example:</p> + +<code> +$this->form_validation->set_rules('first_name', '<kbd>lang:</kbd>first_name', 'required');<br /> +</code> + +<p>Then, store the name in one of your language file arrays (without the prefix):</p> + +<code>$lang['first_name'] = 'First Name';</code> + +<p><strong>Note:</strong> If you store your array item in a language file that is not loaded automatically by CI, you'll need to remember to load it in your controller using:</p> + +<code>$this->lang->load('file_name');</code> + +<p>See the <a href="language.html">Language Class</a> page for more info regarding language files.</p> + + +<a name="errordelimiters"></a> +<h2>Changing the Error Delimiters</h2> + +<p>By default, the Form Validation class adds a paragraph tag (<p>) around each error message shown. You can either change these delimiters globally or +individually.</p> + +<ol> + +<li><strong>Changing delimiters Globally</strong> + +<p>To globally change the error delimiters, in your controller function, just after loading the Form Validation class, add this:</p> + +<code>$this->form_validation->set_error_delimiters('<kbd><div class="error"></kbd>', '<kbd></div></kbd>');</code> + +<p>In this example, we've switched to using div tags.</p> + +</li> + +<li><strong>Changing delimiters Individually</strong> + +<p>Each of the two error generating functions shown in this tutorial can be supplied their own delimiters as follows:</p> + +<code><?php echo form_error('field name', '<kbd><div class="error"></kbd>', '<kbd></div></kbd>'); ?></code> + +<p>Or:</p> + +<code><?php echo validation_errors('<kbd><div class="error"></kbd>', '<kbd></div></kbd>'); ?></code> + +</li> +</ol> + + + + +<a name="individualerrors"></a> +<h2>Showing Errors Individually</h2> + +<p>If you prefer to show an error message next to each form field, rather than as a list, you can use the <dfn>form_error()</dfn> function.</p> + +<p>Try it! Change your form so that it looks like this:</p> + +<textarea class="textarea" style="width:100%" cols="50" rows="18"> +<h5>Username</h5> +<?php echo form_error('username'); ?> +<input type="text" name="username" value="<?php echo set_value('username'); ?>" size="50" /> + +<h5>Password</h5> +<?php echo form_error('password'); ?> +<input type="text" name="password" value="<?php echo set_value('password'); ?>" size="50" /> + +<h5>Password Confirm</h5> +<?php echo form_error('passconf'); ?> +<input type="text" name="passconf" value="<?php echo set_value('passconf'); ?>" size="50" /> + +<h5>Email Address</h5> +<?php echo form_error('email'); ?> +<input type="text" name="email" value="<?php echo set_value('email'); ?>" size="50" /> +</textarea> + +<p>If there are no errors, nothing will be shown. If there is an error, the message will appear.</p> + +<p><strong>Important Note:</strong> If you use an array as the name of a form field, you must supply it as an array to the function. Example:</p> + +<code><?php echo form_error('<kbd>options[size]</kbd>'); ?><br /> +<input type="text" name="<kbd>options[size]</kbd>" value="<?php echo set_value("<kbd>options[size]</kbd>"); ?>" size="50" /> +</code> + +<p>For more info please see the <a href="#arraysasfields">Using Arrays as Field Names</a> section below.</p> + + + + +<p> </p> + + +<a name="savingtoconfig"></a> +<h1>Saving Sets of Validation Rules to a Config File</h1> + +<p>A nice feature of the Form Validation class is that it permits you to store all your validation rules for your entire application in a config file. You +can organize these rules into "groups". These groups can either be loaded automatically when a matching controller/function is called, or +you can manually call each set as needed.</p> + +<h3>How to save your rules</h3> + +<p>To store your validation rules, simply create a file named <kbd>form_validation.php</kbd> in your <dfn>application/config/</dfn> folder. +In that file you will place an array named <kbd>$config</kbd> with your rules. As shown earlier, the validation array will have this prototype:</p> + +<code> +$config = array(<br /> + array(<br /> + 'field' => 'username', <br /> + 'label' => 'Username', <br /> + 'rules' => 'required'<br /> + ),<br /> + array(<br /> + 'field' => 'password', <br /> + 'label' => 'Password', <br /> + 'rules' => 'required'<br /> + ),<br /> + array(<br /> + 'field' => 'passconf', <br /> + 'label' => 'Password Confirmation', <br /> + 'rules' => 'required'<br /> + ), <br /> + array(<br /> + 'field' => 'email', <br /> + 'label' => 'Email', <br /> + 'rules' => 'required'<br /> + )<br /> + );<br /> +</code> + +<p><dfn>Your validation rule file will be loaded automatically and used when you call the run() function.</dfn></p> + +<p class="important">Please note that you MUST name your array $config.</p> + +<h3>Creating Sets of Rules</h3> + +<p>In order to organize your rules into "sets" requires that you place them into "sub arrays". Consider the following example, showing two sets of rules. +We've arbitrarily called these two rules "signup" and "email". You can name your rules anything you want:</p> + + +<code>$config = array(<br /> + '<kbd>signup</kbd>' => array(<br /> + array(<br /> + 'field' => 'username',<br /> + 'label' => 'Username',<br /> + 'rules' => 'required'<br /> + ),<br /> + array(<br /> + 'field' => 'password',<br /> + 'label' => 'Password',<br /> + 'rules' => 'required'<br /> + ),<br /> + array(<br /> + 'field' => 'passconf',<br /> + 'label' => 'PasswordConfirmation',<br /> + 'rules' => 'required'<br /> + ),<br /> + array(<br /> + 'field' => 'email',<br /> + 'label' => 'Email',<br /> + 'rules' => 'required'<br /> + )<br /> + ),<br /> + '<kbd>email</kbd>' => array(<br /> + array(<br /> + 'field' => 'emailaddress',<br /> + 'label' => 'EmailAddress',<br /> + 'rules' => 'required|valid_email'<br /> + ),<br /> + array(<br /> + 'field' => 'name',<br /> + 'label' => 'Name',<br /> + 'rules' => 'required|alpha'<br /> + ),<br /> + array(<br /> + 'field' => 'title',<br /> + 'label' => 'Title',<br /> + 'rules' => 'required'<br /> + ),<br /> + array(<br /> + 'field' => 'message',<br /> + 'label' => 'MessageBody',<br /> + 'rules' => 'required'<br /> + )<br /> + ) <br /> + );<br /> +</code> + + +<h3>Calling a Specific Rule Group</h3> + +<p>In order to call a specific group you will pass its name to the <kbd>run()</kbd> function. For example, to call the <kbd>signup</kbd> rule you will do this:</p> + +<code> +if ($this->form_validation->run('<kbd>signup</kbd>') == FALSE)<br /> +{<br /> + $this->load->view('myform');<br /> +}<br /> +else<br /> +{<br /> + $this->load->view('formsuccess');<br /> +}<br /> +</code> + + + +<h3>Associating a Controller Function with a Rule Group</h3> + +<p>An alternate (and more automatic) method of calling a rule group is to name it according to the controller class/function you intend to use it with. For example, let's say you +have a controller named <kbd>Member</kbd> and a function named <kbd>signup</kbd>. Here's what your class might look like:</p> + +<code> +<?php<br /><br /> +class <kbd>Member</kbd> extends Controller {<br /> +<br /> + function <kbd>signup</kbd>()<br /> + { <br /> + $this->load->library('form_validation');<br /> + <br /> + if ($this->form_validation->run() == FALSE)<br /> + {<br /> + $this->load->view('myform');<br /> + }<br /> + else<br /> + {<br /> + $this->load->view('formsuccess');<br /> + }<br /> + }<br /> +}<br /> +?></code> + +<p>In your validation config file, you will name your rule group <kbd>member/signup</kbd>:</p> + + +<code>$config = array(<br /> + '<kbd>member/signup</kbd>' = array(<br /> + array(<br /> + 'field' => 'username',<br /> + 'label' => 'Username',<br /> + 'rules' => 'required'<br /> + ),<br /> + array(<br /> + 'field' => 'password',<br /> + 'label' => 'Password',<br /> + 'rules' => 'required'<br /> + ),<br /> + array(<br /> + 'field' => 'passconf',<br /> + 'label' => 'PasswordConfirmation',<br /> + 'rules' => 'required'<br /> + ),<br /> + array(<br /> + 'field' => 'email',<br /> + 'label' => 'Email',<br /> + 'rules' => 'required'<br /> + )<br /> + )<br /> + );<br /> +</code> + +<p><dfn>When a rule group is named identically to a controller class/function it will be used automatically when the run() function is invoked from that class/function.</dfn></p> + +<p> </p> + + +<a name="arraysasfields"></a> +<h1>Using Arrays as Field Names</h1> + +<p>The Form Validation class supports the use of arrays as field names. Consider this example:</p> + +<code><input type="text" name="<kbd>options[]</kbd>" value="" size="50" /></code> + +<p>If you do use an array as a field name, you must use the EXACT array name in the <a href="#helperreference">Helper Functions</a> that require the field name, +and as your Validation Rule field name.</p> + +<p>For example, to set a rule for the above field you would use:</p> + +<code>$this->form_validation->set_rules('<kbd>options[]</kbd>', 'Options', 'required');</code> + +<p>Or, to show an error for the above field you would use:</p> + +<code><?php echo form_error('<kbd>options[]</kbd>'); ?></code> + +<p>Or to re-populate the field you would use:</p> + +<code><input type="text" name="<kbd>options[]</kbd>" value="<kbd><?php echo set_value('<kbd>options[]</kbd>'); ?></kbd>" size="50" /></code> + +<p>You can use multidimensional arrays as field names as well. For example:</p> + +<code><input type="text" name="<kbd>options[size]</kbd>" value="" size="50" /></code> + +<p>Or even:</p> + +<code><input type="text" name="<kbd>sports[nba][basketball]</kbd>" value="" size="50" /></code> + +<p>As with our first example, you must use the exact array name in the helper functions:</p> + +<code><?php echo form_error('<kbd>sports[nba][basketball]</kbd>'); ?></code> + +<p>If you are using checkboxes (or other fields) that have multiple options, don't forget to leave an empty bracket after each option, so that all selections will be added to the +POST array:</p> + +<code> +<input type="checkbox" name="<kbd>options[]</kbd>" value="red" /><br /> +<input type="checkbox" name="<kbd>options[]</kbd>" value="blue" /><br /> +<input type="checkbox" name="<kbd>options[]</kbd>" value="green" /> +</code> + +<p>Or if you use a multidimensional array:</p> + +<code> +<input type="checkbox" name="<kbd>options[color][]</kbd>" value="red" /><br /> +<input type="checkbox" name="<kbd>options[color][]</kbd>" value="blue" /><br /> +<input type="checkbox" name="<kbd>options[color][]</kbd>" value="green" /> +</code> + +<p>When you use a helper function you'll include the bracket as well:</p> + +<code><?php echo form_error('<kbd>options[color][]</kbd>'); ?></code> + + + + +<p> </p> + + +<a name="rulereference"></a> +<h1>Rule Reference</h1> + +<p>The following is a list of all the native rules that are available to use:</p> + + + +<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1" border="0" style="width:100%" class="tableborder"> +<tr> +<th>Rule</th> +<th>Parameter</th> +<th>Description</th> +<th>Example</th> +</tr><tr> + +<td class="td"><strong>required</strong></td> +<td class="td">No</td> +<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the form element is empty.</td> +<td class="td"> </td> +</tr><tr> + +<td class="td"><strong>matches</strong></td> +<td class="td">Yes</td> +<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the form element does not match the one in the parameter.</td> +<td class="td">matches[form_item]</td> +</tr><tr> + +<td class="td"><strong>min_length</strong></td> +<td class="td">Yes</td> +<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the form element is shorter then the parameter value.</td> +<td class="td">min_length[6]</td> +</tr><tr> + +<td class="td"><strong>max_length</strong></td> +<td class="td">Yes</td> +<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the form element is longer then the parameter value.</td> +<td class="td">max_length[12]</td> +</tr><tr> + +<td class="td"><strong>exact_length</strong></td> +<td class="td">Yes</td> +<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the form element is not exactly the parameter value.</td> +<td class="td">exact_length[8]</td> +</tr><tr> + +<td class="td"><strong>alpha</strong></td> +<td class="td">No</td> +<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the form element contains anything other than alphabetical characters.</td> +<td class="td"> </td> +</tr><tr> + +<td class="td"><strong>alpha_numeric</strong></td> +<td class="td">No</td> +<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the form element contains anything other than alpha-numeric characters.</td> +<td class="td"> </td> +</tr><tr> + +<td class="td"><strong>alpha_dash</strong></td> +<td class="td">No</td> +<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the form element contains anything other than alpha-numeric characters, underscores or dashes.</td> +<td class="td"> </td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td class="td"><strong>numeric</strong></td> +<td class="td">No</td> +<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the form element contains anything other than numeric characters.</td> +<td class="td"> </td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td class="td"><strong>integer</strong></td> +<td class="td">No</td> +<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the form element contains anything other than an integer.</td> +<td class="td"> </td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td class="td"><strong>is_natural</strong></td> +<td class="td">No</td> +<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the form element contains anything other than a natural number: 0, 1, 2, 3, etc.</td> +<td class="td"> </td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td class="td"><strong>is_natural_no_zero</strong></td> +<td class="td">No</td> +<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the form element contains anything other than a natural number, but not zero: 1, 2, 3, etc.</td> +<td class="td"> </td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td class="td"><strong>valid_email</strong></td> +<td class="td">No</td> +<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the form element does not contain a valid email address.</td> +<td class="td"> </td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td class="td"><strong>valid_emails</strong></td> +<td class="td">No</td> +<td class="td">Returns FALSE if any value provided in a comma separated list is not a valid email.</td> +<td class="td"> </td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td class="td"><strong>valid_ip</strong></td> +<td class="td">No</td> +<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the supplied IP is not valid.</td> +<td class="td"> </td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td class="td"><strong>valid_base64</strong></td> +<td class="td">No</td> +<td class="td">Returns FALSE if the supplied string contains anything other than valid Base64 characters.</td> +<td class="td"> </td> +</tr> + + +</table> + +<p><strong>Note:</strong> These rules can also be called as discrete functions. For example:</p> + +<code>$this->form_validation->required($string);</code> + +<p class="important"><strong>Note:</strong> You can also use any native PHP functions that permit one parameter.</p> + + + +<p> </p> + +<a name="preppingreference"></a> +<h1>Prepping Reference</h1> + +<p>The following is a list of all the prepping functions that are available to use:</p> + + + +<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1" border="0" style="width:100%" class="tableborder"> +<tr> +<th>Name</th> +<th>Parameter</th> +<th>Description</th> +</tr><tr> + +<td class="td"><strong>xss_clean</strong></td> +<td class="td">No</td> +<td class="td">Runs the data through the XSS filtering function, described in the <a href="input.html">Input Class</a> page.</td> +</tr><tr> + +<td class="td"><strong>prep_for_form</strong></td> +<td class="td">No</td> +<td class="td">Converts special characters so that HTML data can be shown in a form field without breaking it.</td> +</tr><tr> + +<td class="td"><strong>prep_url</strong></td> +<td class="td">No</td> +<td class="td">Adds "http://" to URLs if missing.</td> +</tr><tr> + +<td class="td"><strong>strip_image_tags</strong></td> +<td class="td">No</td> +<td class="td">Strips the HTML from image tags leaving the raw URL.</td> +</tr><tr> + +<td class="td"><strong>encode_php_tags</strong></td> +<td class="td">No</td> +<td class="td">Converts PHP tags to entities.</td> +</tr> + +</table> + +<p class="important"><strong>Note:</strong> You can also use any native PHP functions that permit one parameter, +like <kbd>trim</kbd>, <kbd>htmlspecialchars</kbd>, <kbd>urldecode</kbd>, etc.</p> + + + + + + + +<p> </p> + +<a name="functionreference"></a> +<h1>Function Reference</h1> + +<p>The following functions are intended for use in your controller functions.</p> + +<h2>$this->form_validation->set_rule();</h2> + +<p>Permits you to set validation rules, as described in the tutorial sections above:</p> + +<ul> +<li><a href="#validationrules">Setting Validation Rules</a></li> +<li><a href="#savingtoconfig">Saving Groups of Validation Rules to a Config File</a></li> +</ul> + + +<h2>$this->form_validation->run();</h2> + +<p>Runs the validation routines. Returns boolean TRUE on success and FALSE on failure. You can optionally pass the name of the validation +group via the function, as described in: <a href="#savingtoconfig">Saving Groups of Validation Rules to a Config File</a>.</p> + + +<h2>$this->form_validation->set_message();</h2> + +<p>Permits you to set custom error messages. See <a href="#settingerrors">Setting Error Messages</a> above.</p> + + +<p> </p> + +<a name="helperreference"></a> +<h1>Helper Reference</h1> + +<p>The following helper functions are available for use in the view files containing your forms. Note that these are procedural functions, so they +<strong>do not</strong> require you to prepend them with $this->form_validation.</p> + +<h2>form_error()</h2> + +<p>Shows an individual error message associated with the field name supplied to the function. Example:</p> + +<code><?php echo form_error('username'); ?></code> + +<p>The error delimiters can be optionally specified. See the <a href="#errordelimiters">Changing the Error Delimiters</a> section above.</p> + + + +<h2>validation_errors()</h2> +<p>Shows all error messages as a string: Example:</p> + +<code><?php echo validation_errors(); ?></code> + +<p>The error delimiters can be optionally specified. See the <a href="#errordelimiters">Changing the Error Delimiters</a> section above.</p> + + + +<h2>set_value()</h2> + +<p>Permits you to set the value of an input form or textarea. You must supply the field name via the first parameter of the function. +The second (optional) parameter allows you to set a default value for the form. Example:</p> + +<code><input type="text" name="quantity" value="<dfn><?php echo set_value('quantity', '0'); ?></dfn>" size="50" /></code> + +<p>The above form will show "0" when loaded for the first time.</p> + +<h2>set_select()</h2> + +<p>If you use a <dfn><select></dfn> menu, this function permits you to display the menu item that was selected. The first parameter +must contain the name of the select menu, the second parameter must contain the value of +each item, and the third (optional) parameter lets you set an item as the default (use boolean TRUE/FALSE).</p> + +<p>Example:</p> + +<code> +<select name="myselect"><br /> +<option value="one" <dfn><?php echo set_select('myselect', 'one', TRUE); ?></dfn> >One</option><br /> +<option value="two" <dfn><?php echo set_select('myselect', 'two'); ?></dfn> >Two</option><br /> +<option value="three" <dfn><?php echo set_select('myselect', 'three'); ?></dfn> >Three</option><br /> +</select> +</code> + + +<h2>set_checkbox()</h2> + +<p>Permits you to display a checkbox in the state it was submitted. The first parameter +must contain the name of the checkbox, the second parameter must contain its value, and the third (optional) parameter lets you set an item as the default (use boolean TRUE/FALSE). Example:</p> + +<code><input type="checkbox" name="mycheck[]" value="1" <dfn><?php echo set_checkbox('mycheck[]', '1'); ?></dfn> /><br /> +<input type="checkbox" name="mycheck[]" value="2" <dfn><?php echo set_checkbox('mycheck[]', '2'); ?></dfn> /></code> + + +<h2>set_radio()</h2> + +<p>Permits you to display radio buttons in the state they were submitted. This function is identical to the <strong>set_checkbox()</strong> function above.</p> + +<code><input type="radio" name="myradio" value="1" <dfn><?php echo set_radio('myradio', '1', TRUE); ?></dfn> /><br /> +<input type="radio" name="myradio" value="2" <dfn><?php echo set_radio('myradio', '2'); ?></dfn> /></code> + + + +</div> +<!-- END CONTENT --> + + +<div id="footer"> +<p> +Previous Topic: <a href="file_uploading.html">File Uploading Class</a> + · +<a href="#top">Top of Page</a> · +<a href="../index.html">User Guide Home</a> · +Next Topic: <a href="ftp.html">FTP Class</a> +</p> +<p><a href="http://codeigniter.com">CodeIgniter</a> · Copyright © 2006-2008 · <a href="http://ellislab.com/">Ellislab, Inc.</a></p> +</div> + +</body> </html>
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