Validation System Documentation

The Joinery platform implements a three-layer validation system:

1. Client-side JavaScript validation - Immediate user feedback
2. FormWriter validation - Framework integration and HTML generation
3. Server-side model validation - Data integrity and security

System Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    VALIDATION FLOW                              │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                 │
│  User Input → JavaScript Validation → Form Submission          │
│                    (client-side)         (with errors blocked)  │
│                          ↓                                       │
│                    Server Receives                              │
│                          ↓                                       │
│              FormWriter Processes Data                          │
│                          ↓                                       │
│       Model->prepare() → Server Validation                      │
│            (field_specifications rules)                         │
│                          ↓                                       │
│              Model->save() → Database                           │
│                                                                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

1. Client-Side JavaScript Validation

Joinery uses a custom JoineryValidation library - pure JavaScript with no jQuery dependencies (though compatible with jQuery if present).

Library File

• Location: /assets/js/joinery-validate.js
• Version: 1.0.8
• Dependencies: None (standalone)

Built-in Validators

JavaScript Validation with FormWriterV2

In FormWriterV2, client-side validation is automatic — no manual configuration required. Define validation rules in $field_specifications and end_form() emits the validation script automatically:

<?php
// In data/example_class.php — define validation in field_specifications
public static $field_specifications = array(
    'exa_email' => array(
        'type' => 'varchar(255)',
        'required' => true,
        'validation' => array(
            'email' => true,
            'messages' => array('email' => 'Please enter a valid email address')
        )
    ),
    'exa_password' => array(
        'type' => 'varchar(255)',
        'required' => true,
        'validation' => array(
            'minlength' => 8,
            'messages' => array('minlength' => 'Password must be at least 8 characters')
        )
    ),
);

// In your view — validation JS is output automatically by end_form()
$formwriter = $page->getFormWriter('contact_form');
$formwriter->begin_form(['action' => '/contact', 'method' => 'POST']);
$formwriter->textinput('exa_email', 'Email:', ['required' => true]);
$formwriter->passwordinput('exa_password', 'Password:', ['required' => true]);
$formwriter->submitbutton('btn_submit', 'Submit');
$formwriter->end_form(); // <-- emits validation JS automatically
?>

> Note: set_validate() was removed in the FormWriterV2 migration. It was a vestigial remnant of the old jQuery Validate integration and is no longer available. Any remaining ->set_validate(...) calls are dead code and should be removed.

Manual JavaScript Initialization

If you're not using FormWriter, initialize JoineryValidation directly:

// In your HTML
<script src="/assets/js/joinery-validate.js"></script>

<script>
document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() {
    JoineryValidation.init('myFormId', {
        debug: false,  // Set true for console logging
        rules: {
            email: {
                required: true,
                email: true
            },
            password: {
                required: true,
                minlength: 8
            },
            confirm_password: {
                required: true,
                equalTo: '#password'  // Selector to match
            }
        },
        messages: {
            email: {
                required: 'Email is required',
                email: 'Please enter a valid email'
            },
            password: {
                required: 'Password is required',
                minlength: 'Password must be at least 8 characters'
            }
        },
        submitHandler: function(form) {
            // Optional custom submit logic
            console.log('Form is valid, submitting...');
            form.submit();
        }
    });
});
</script>

Styling Classes (Bootstrap 5)

JoineryValidation automatically applies Bootstrap classes:

<!-- Invalid field -->
<input type="email" id="email" class="form-control is-invalid">
<div class="invalid-feedback">
    Please provide a valid email address.
</div>

<!-- Valid field -->
<input type="text" id="username" class="form-control is-valid">
<div class="valid-feedback">
    Username looks good!
</div>

Array Fields (Checkboxes, Multi-select)

For fields with array notation [], use the base name without brackets in field_specifications:

// field_specifications entry for a multi-select
'product_ids' => array(
    'type' => 'text',
    'validation' => array('minlength' => 1, 'messages' => array('minlength' => 'Select at least one item'))
)

AJAX Validation (Remote Check)

For server-side validation like checking username uniqueness, add a remote rule in field_specifications:

'usr_username' => array(
    'type' => 'varchar(64)',
    'validation' => array(
        'remote' => '/ajax/check_username',
        'messages' => array('remote' => 'Username is already taken')
    )
)

The AJAX endpoint receives the field value as value parameter.

Debug Mode

Enable console logging during development by passing debug: true to JoineryValidation.init() in the Manual JavaScript Initialization section below.

2. Server-Side Model Validation

Model validation happens at three points:

1. Field Specifications - Declarative validation rules
2. Model->prepare() - Validation before save
3. Model->save() - Final safety checks

Field Specifications Validation

Define validation rules in field_specifications:

<?php
// In /data/user_class.php

class User extends SystemBase {
    public static $field_specifications = array(
        'usr_email' => array(
            'type' => 'varchar(255)',
            'required' => true,           // Must be non-empty string
            'unique' => true,             // Must be unique in table
            'validation' => array(
                'email' => true,           // Must be valid email
                'minlength' => 5,
                'maxlength' => 255,
                'messages' => array(
                    'email' => 'Email must be a valid email address',
                    'minlength' => 'Email must be at least 5 characters'
                )
            )
        ),
        'usr_first_name' => array(
            'type' => 'varchar(255)',
            'required' => true,
            'validation' => array(
                'minlength' => 2,
                'maxlength' => 255,
                'pattern' => '/^[a-zA-Z\s\'-]+$/',  // Letters, spaces, hyphens, apostrophes
                'messages' => array(
                    'minlength' => 'Name must be at least 2 characters',
                    'pattern' => 'Name contains invalid characters'
                )
            )
        ),
        'usr_username' => array(
            'type' => 'varchar(64)',
            'required' => true,
            'unique' => true,
            'validation' => array(
                'minlength' => 3,
                'maxlength' => 64,
                'pattern' => '/^[a-zA-Z0-9_\.]+$/',  // Alphanumeric, underscore, period only
            )
        ),
        'usr_password' => array(
            'type' => 'varchar(255)',
            'required' => true,
            'validation' => array(
                'minlength' => 8
            )
        ),
        'usr_status' => array(
            'type' => 'integer',
            'required' => true,
            'default' => 1,
            'validation' => array(
                'numeric' => true
            )
        ),
    );
}
?>

Supported Validation Rules

Basic Rules

'required' => true,              // Must be non-null and non-empty string
'unique' => true,                // Single field must be unique
'unique_with' => array('field2'), // Composite unique constraint

// Numeric rules
'numeric' => true,               // Must be numeric
'min' => 0,                      // Minimum numeric value
'max' => 100,                    // Maximum numeric value

// String rules
'minlength' => 3,                // Minimum character count
'maxlength' => 255,              // Maximum character count

// Format validation
'email' => true,                 // Must be valid email (auto-detected)
'url' => true,                   // Must be valid URL
'pattern' => '/regex/',          // Regex pattern match

Model->prepare() Method

Call prepare() to validate before saving:

<?php
// In a logic file or view
$user = new User(NULL);  // Create new user
$user->set('usr_email', $_POST['email']);
$user->set('usr_username', $_POST['username']);
$user->set('usr_password', $_POST['password']);

try {
    // This triggers all validation from field_specifications
    $user->prepare();

    // If prepare() succeeds, save to database
    $user->save();

    echo "User created successfully!";
} catch (DisplayableUserException $e) {
    // User-friendly error message (from validation rules)
    echo "Error: " . htmlspecialchars($e->getMessage());
} catch (SystemBaseException $e) {
    // System error (log it, don't show to user)
    error_log($e->getMessage());
    echo "An error occurred while processing your request.";
}
?>

Multiple Unique Constraints

For multi-field unique constraints:

'usr_email' => array(
    'type' => 'varchar(255)',
    'unique' => true,  // Single field unique
),
'usr_code' => array(
    'type' => 'varchar(10)',
    'unique_with' => array('org_id'),  // Unique combination with org_id
),

This ensures (usr_code, org_id) combination is unique.

Validation in Model Methods

Override prepare() for custom validation:

class Product extends SystemBase {
    // ... field specifications ...

    function prepare() {
        // Call parent validation first
        parent::prepare();

        // Custom validation logic
        if ($this->get('pro_price') < 0) {
            throw new DisplayableUserException('Price cannot be negative');
        }

        if ($this->get('pro_quantity') < 0) {
            throw new DisplayableUserException('Quantity cannot be negative');
        }

        // Check business logic (example)
        if ($this->get('pro_quantity') > 1000 && $this->get('pro_price') < 1) {
            throw new DisplayableUserException(
                'High quantity items must have minimum price of $1'
            );
        }
    }
}

3. FormWriter Integration

FormWriter provides a convenient interface for generating validation rules alongside form HTML, with automatic validation detection from model field_specifications.

Quick Example

$formwriter = new FormWriterV2Bootstrap('contact_form');

// Define validation rules
$validation_rules = array();
$validation_rules['email']['required']['value'] = 'true';
$validation_rules['email']['email']['value'] = 'true';
$validation_rules['password']['minlength']['value'] = '8';

// Output validation script (generates JavaScript automatically)
echo $formwriter->set_validate($validation_rules);

// Build the form with validated fields
$formwriter->begin_form();
$formwriter->textinput('email', 'Email', ['required' => true, 'validation' => 'email']);
$formwriter->passwordinput('password', 'Password', ['validation' => ['minlength' => 8]]);
$formwriter->end_form();

FormWriter includes model-aware validation - it can automatically extract validation rules from model field_specifications for seamless integration.

For complete FormWriter validation documentation, including:

• Usage patterns and examples
• Model-aware validation
• Common validation patterns
• Custom error messages
• Integration examples

4. Complete Validation Example

Here's a complete end-to-end validation example with all layers:

Step 1: Define Model with Validation Rules

<?php
// /data/product_class.php

class Product extends SystemBase {
    public static $tablename = 'pro_products';
    public static $pkey_column = 'pro_id';

    public static $field_specifications = array(
        'pro_id' => array('type'=>'int8', 'is_nullable'=>false, 'serial'=>true),

        'pro_name' => array(
            'type' => 'varchar(255)',
            'is_nullable' => false,
            'required' => true,
            'unique' => true,
            'validation' => array(
                'minlength' => 3,
                'maxlength' => 255,
                'messages' => array(
                    'minlength' => 'Product name must be at least 3 characters'
                )
            )
        ),

        'pro_description' => array(
            'type' => 'text',
            'is_nullable' => true,
            'validation' => array(
                'maxlength' => 5000
            )
        ),

        'pro_price' => array(
            'type' => 'numeric(10,2)',
            'is_nullable' => false,
            'required' => true,
            'validation' => array(
                'numeric' => true,
                'min' => 0,
                'messages' => array(
                    'numeric' => 'Price must be a number',
                    'min' => 'Price cannot be negative'
                )
            )
        ),

        'pro_sku' => array(
            'type' => 'varchar(50)',
            'is_nullable' => false,
            'required' => true,
            'unique' => true,
            'validation' => array(
                'pattern' => '/^[A-Z0-9\-]+$/',
                'maxlength' => 50
            )
        ),
    );

    // Custom validation
    function prepare() {
        parent::prepare();

        // Business logic validation
        if ($this->get('pro_price') < 0.01) {
            throw new DisplayableUserException('Price must be at least $0.01');
        }
    }
}
?>

Step 2: Create Admin Form with FormWriter

<?php
// /adm/admin_product_edit.php

require_once(PathHelper::getIncludePath('includes/AdminPage.php'));
require_once(PathHelper::getIncludePath('data/product_class.php'));

$session = SessionControl::get_instance();
$session->check_permission(5);
$session->set_return();

// Handle form submission
$product = NULL;
$product_id = $_GET['pro_id'] ?? NULL;
$product = new Product($product_id ?? NULL, !empty($product_id));

if ($_POST) {
    try {
        $product->set('pro_name', $_POST['pro_name']);
        $product->set('pro_description', $_POST['pro_description']);
        $product->set('pro_price', $_POST['pro_price']);
        $product->set('pro_sku', $_POST['pro_sku']);

        // Server-side validation
        $product->prepare();
        $product->save();

        header('Location: /adm/admin_products?msg=saved');
        exit;
    } catch (DisplayableUserException $e) {
        $error_message = $e->getMessage();
    }
}

// Display form
$page = new AdminPage();
$page->admin_header(array(
    'menu-id' => 'products',
    'page_title' => 'Products',
    'readable_title' => empty($product_id) ? 'Add Product' : 'Edit Product',
    'session' => $session,
));

if (isset($error_message)) {
    echo '<div class="alert alert-danger">' . htmlspecialchars($error_message) . '</div>';
}

$formwriter = $page->getFormWriter('product_form');

// Define validation rules
$validation_rules = array();
$validation_rules['pro_name']['required']['value'] = 'true';
$validation_rules['pro_name']['minlength']['value'] = '3';

$validation_rules['pro_price']['required']['value'] = 'true';
$validation_rules['pro_price']['number']['value'] = 'true';

$validation_rules['pro_sku']['required']['value'] = 'true';
$validation_rules['pro_sku']['pattern']['value'] = '"/^[A-Z0-9\-]+$/"';

// Output validation script
echo $formwriter->set_validate($validation_rules);

// Output form
echo $formwriter->begin_form('product_form', 'POST', $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'] . '?pro_id=' . $product->key);

echo $formwriter->textinput('Product Name', 'pro_name', 'form-control', 100,
    $product->get('pro_name'), 'Enter product name', 255);

echo $formwriter->textbox('Description', 'pro_description', 'form-control', 5, 40,
    $product->get('pro_description'), 'Enter product description');

echo $formwriter->textinput('Price', 'pro_price', 'form-control', 10,
    $product->get('pro_price'), 'e.g., 19.99', 10);

echo $formwriter->textinput('SKU', 'pro_sku', 'form-control', 20,
    $product->get('pro_sku'), 'e.g., PROD-001', 50);

echo $formwriter->start_buttons();
echo $formwriter->new_form_button('Save Product', 'btn btn-primary');
echo $formwriter->end_buttons();

echo $formwriter->end_form();

$page->admin_footer();
?>

Step 3: Form Submission Flow

User enters data → JavaScript validation → Submit form → Server validation → Database save

1. JavaScript Validation (instant feedback)

1. User fixes and submits

1. Server Validation (final check)

1. Save or Reject

5. Validation Rule Reference

Required Fields

// In field_specifications
'field_name' => array(
    'type' => 'varchar(255)',
    'required' => true,  // Must not be NULL or empty string
)

// JavaScript validation
$rules['field_name']['required']['value'] = 'true';

Unique Fields

// Single field unique
'username' => array(
    'type' => 'varchar(64)',
    'unique' => true,  // Must be unique across table
)

// Multi-field unique (composite key)
'sku' => array(
    'type' => 'varchar(50)',
    'unique_with' => array('store_id'),  // (sku, store_id) must be unique
)

String Length

'field_name' => array(
    'type' => 'varchar(255)',
    'validation' => array(
        'minlength' => 3,    // At least 3 characters
        'maxlength' => 255   // No more than 255 characters
    )
)

Format Validation

'email' => array(
    'type' => 'varchar(255)',
    'validation' => array(
        'email' => true,  // Must be valid email format
    )
)

'website' => array(
    'type' => 'varchar(255)',
    'validation' => array(
        'url' => true,  // Must be valid URL
    )
)

'age' => array(
    'type' => 'integer',
    'validation' => array(
        'numeric' => true,  // Must be numeric
    )
)

Pattern Matching

'username' => array(
    'type' => 'varchar(64)',
    'validation' => array(
        'pattern' => '/^[a-zA-Z0-9_]{3,64}$/',  // Alphanumeric + underscore only
    )
)

'phone' => array(
    'type' => 'varchar(20)',
    'validation' => array(
        'pattern' => '/^\d{3}-\d{3}-\d{4}$/',  // XXX-XXX-XXXX format
    )
)

Numeric Range

'age' => array(
    'type' => 'integer',
    'validation' => array(
        'min' => 0,
        'max' => 150
    )
)

'quantity' => array(
    'type' => 'integer',
    'validation' => array(
        'min' => 1,  // Must be at least 1
    )
)

Custom Error Messages

'field_name' => array(
    'type' => 'varchar(255)',
    'validation' => array(
        'required' => true,
        'minlength' => 3,
        'messages' => array(
            'required' => 'This field cannot be empty',
            'minlength' => 'Must be at least 3 characters long'
        )
    )
)

6. Common Validation Patterns

Email Signup Form

FormWriter V2 (preferred):

$formwriter->textinput('email', 'Email', ['validation' => 'email', 'required' => true]);
$formwriter->passwordinput('password', 'Password', ['required' => true, 'validation' => ['minlength' => 8]]);
$formwriter->passwordinput('password_confirm', 'Confirm Password', [
    'required' => true,
    'validation' => ['matches' => 'password']  // Field name, not selector
]);

Legacy V1 set_validate() (still works):

$rules['email']['required']['value'] = 'true';
$rules['email']['email']['value'] = 'true';
$rules['password']['required']['value'] = 'true';
$rules['password']['minlength']['value'] = '8';
$rules['password_confirm']['required']['value'] = 'true';
$rules['password_confirm']['equalTo']['value'] = '"#password"';  // V1 uses CSS selector

Product Creation Form

$rules['product_name']['required']['value'] = 'true';
$rules['product_name']['minlength']['value'] = '3';
$rules['product_name']['maxlength']['value'] = '255';

$rules['price']['required']['value'] = 'true';
$rules['price']['number']['value'] = 'true';
$rules['price']['min']['value'] = '0.01';

$rules['sku']['required']['value'] = 'true';
$rules['sku']['pattern']['value'] = '"/^[A-Z0-9\-]+$/"';

Contact Form with Optional Fields

// Name is required
$rules['name']['required']['value'] = 'true';

// Email is required and must be valid
$rules['email']['required']['value'] = 'true';
$rules['email']['email']['value'] = 'true';

// Message is required with minimum length
$rules['message']['required']['value'] = 'true';
$rules['message']['minlength']['value'] = '10';

// Phone is optional but if provided must be valid
$rules['phone']['pattern']['value'] = '"/^[\\d\-\(\)\s]+$/"';  // Digits, dash, parens, spaces

7. Troubleshooting

Validation not triggering

Problem: Form submits without validation

• Check: Is set_validate() being called?
• Check: Is form ID correct in JoineryValidation.init()?
• Check: Is joinery-validate.js loaded?
• Check: Are rules defined correctly (required vs optional)?

Server-side validation not catching errors

Problem: Invalid data saved to database

• Check: Is prepare() called before save()?
• Check: Are field_specifications validation rules defined?
• Check: Is exception being caught and handled?

JavaScript validation rules not matching server rules

Problem: Form passes JavaScript but fails server validation

• Solution: Mirror JavaScript rules in field_specifications
• Solution: Use FormWriter v2 to auto-generate from model

"equalTo" not working

Problem: Password confirm field doesn't validate against password

• Check: In FormWriter V2, use the matches key with a field name (not a CSS selector): 'matches' => 'password'
• Check: The target field must have a matching name attribute in the form
• Check: In legacy V1 set_validate(), the value was a quoted CSS selector: '"#password"'

Pattern validation failing

Problem: Pattern regex not matching valid input

• Check: Regex must be valid JavaScript (not PHP) syntax
• Check: Include delimiters: "/^[a-z]+$/" not "^[a-z]+$"
• Check: Escape special characters: "\\d" not "\d"

Custom messages not showing

Problem: Default error messages showing instead of custom ones

• Check: Message is properly quoted: '"Custom message"' (double then single quotes)
• Check: Message defined in correct rule
• Check: Check console for JavaScript errors

8. Performance Considerations

Minimize Validation Rules

• Only validate what needs validation
• Don't validate computed fields
• Avoid complex regex patterns

Unique Constraints

• Unique checks query the database
• Use remote AJAX for real-time checks
• Don't validate uniqueness on every change

Server-side Validation

• Validate once in prepare()
• Don't repeat validation in custom methods
• Cache validation results when possible

9. Security Notes

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Never trust client-side validation alone!

• JavaScript validation can be bypassed
• Always validate on server (in prepare())
• Always use prepared statements (model classes do this)
• Sanitize output in views with htmlspecialchars()
• Never display database errors to users

// ✅ CORRECT - Validate on server
try {
    $user->prepare();  // Server validation
    $user->save();
} catch (DisplayableUserException $e) {
    echo htmlspecialchars($e->getMessage());  // Safe error message
}

// ❌ WRONG - Only JavaScript validation
// User can disable JavaScript and bypass validation

Related Documentation

• Admin Pages Guide - Form patterns and validation integration
• Logic Architecture - Business logic validation