MVC3 Remote Validation with DataAnnotationsModelValidator adapter - asp.net-mvc

I want to validate various telephone number properties on a DTO property of my model using a custom DataAnnotationsAttribute. I don't want to duplicate the DataAnnotations onto ViewModels, to keep the code DRY, and instead I have registered a custom adapter for client-side validation using DataAnnotationsModelValidatorProvider. This adapter provides ModelClientValidationRemoteRules, normally used by the RemoteAttribute. jQuery unobtrusive validation then calls into my validate action, which validates the individual fields.
This setup isn't really adequate however.
The attribute currently uses the its ContainerType to work out which
validation action to call. The DTO is used on different viewmodels
at different levels of nesting, however, so we don't know exactly what
prefix to use on the action. Depending on the location of the ProfileDto
in the model hierarchy, the action prefix would need to change
The validation action uses Request.Form.Keys to work out which
property which should be validating. I know it is best practice to
stay away from the Request object in Action for the sake of unit
testing etc.
Is there a good way to include the name of the field to validate in postback, so I can have it on my action as an additional parameter instead of using Request.Form?
Is there a way to get the model binder to bind my properties, given that they will posted back with a prefix dependent on the child model's name?
Thanks in advance!
The attribute is as follows:
public class PhoneNumberAttribute : ValidationAttribute
{
public PhoneNumberType RequiredType { get; set; }
public PhoneNumberAttribute()
: base("{0} is not a valid phone number.")
{
}
public override bool IsValid(object value)
{
string s = value as string;
if (s == null)
{
return false;
}
if (!PhoneNumberUtils.IsValidNumber(s, RequiredType))
{
return false;
}
return true
}
public override string FormatErrorMessage(string name)
{
return string.Format(ErrorMessageString, name);
}
}
and the adapter:
public class PhoneNumberAttributeAdapter : DataAnnotationsModelValidator<PhoneNumberAttribute>
{
public PhoneNumberAttributeAdapter(ModelMetadata metadata, ControllerContext context, PhoneNumberAttribute attribute)
: base(metadata, context, attribute)
{
}
public override IEnumerable<ModelClientValidationRule> GetClientValidationRules()
{
var errorMessage = Attribute.FormatErrorMessage(Metadata.GetDisplayName());
var routeData = new RouteValueDictionary {
{ "controller", "Validate" },
{ "action", Metadata.ContainerType.Name },
};
var path = RouteTable.Routes.GetVirtualPathForArea(ControllerContext.RequestContext, routeData);
var rule = new ModelClientValidationRemoteRule(
errorMessage,
path.VirtualPath,
"POST",
"*." + Metadata.PropertyName);
return new[] { rule };
}
}
here is the Action:
public ActionResult ProfileDto([Bind(Prefix = "Dto")]ProfileDto model)
{
string fieldToValidate = Request.Form.Keys[0];
if (ModelState.IsValidField(fieldToValidate))
{
return Json(true);
}
var fieldErrors = ModelState[fieldToValidate].Errors;
return Json(fieldErrors.First().ErrorMessage);
}

Take a look at this example here where is show how to get the nested properties even with prefix in the custom jQuery validator.
Secondly, MVC model binder should bind your prefix automatically.

Related

WebAPI Model [ModelBinder] with interface class while specifying implementation

Is it possible to pass into the ModelBinder which implementation you want to use inline?
Given the following definitions:
public interface ISomeInterface
{
string MyString{get;set;}
}
public class SomeInterfaceImplementation_One : ISomeInterface
{
private string _MyString;
public string MyString
{
get {return "This is implementation One " + _MyString ; }
set { _MyString = value; }
}
}
public class SomeInterfaceImplementation_Two : ISomeInterface
{
private string _MyString;
public string MyString
{
get {return "This is implementation Two" + _MyString ; }
set { _MyString = value; }
}
}
Given this route in asp.net mvc core:
public ActionResult InterfaceWithInlineImplementation([ModelBinder(typeof(SomeBinder))]ISomeInterface SomeInterface)
{
//Return actionresult
}
I do not want a different ModelBinder class for each implementation rather I would like each route to specify which implementation inline.
So something like:
[UseImplementation(SomeInterfaceImplementation_One)]
public ActionResult InterfaceWithInlineImplementation([ModelBinder(typeof(SomeBinder))]ISomeInterface SomeInterface)
{
}
Or:
public ActionResult InterfaceWithInlineImplementation([ModelBinder(typeof(SomeBinder), ConcreteType = SomeInterfaceImplementation_Two )]ISomeInterface SomeInterface)
{
}
This way the SomeBinder class can access which implementation is being requested in the BindModelAsync method of SomeBinder : IModelBinder class.
public class SomeBinder : Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.ModelBinding.IModelBinder
{
public Task BindModelAsync(Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.ModelBinding.ModelBindingContext bindingContext)
{
if (bindingContext == null)
throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(bindingContext));
string valueFromBody = string.Empty;
using (var sr = new StreamReader(bindingContext.HttpContext.Request.Body))
{
valueFromBody = sr.ReadToEnd();
}
if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(valueFromBody))
{
return Task.CompletedTask;
}
var settings = new JsonSerializerSettings()
{
ContractResolver = new InterfaceContractResolver(), // Need requested implementation from InterfaceWithInlineImplementation() method
};
var obj = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject(valueFromBody, [**Need Requested Implementation from Method**], settings);
bindingContext.Model = obj;
bindingContext.Result = ModelBindingResult.Success(obj);
return Task.CompletedTask;
}
Use generics.
public class SomeBinder<TConcreteType> : IModelBinder
{
}
Then your signature becomes
public ActionResult InterfaceWithInlineImplementation(
[ModelBinder(typeof(SomeBinder<SomeInterfaceImpelemtation_One>))]ISomeInterface SomeInterface)
Then deserialization is:
JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<TConcreteType>(json)
However based on your last comment it sounds like you just need to Prevent overposting instead of this convoluted model binding.
So lets say the client knows that the server implementation has security methods and tries to match the signature hoping everything get deseriazled for example. Its being explicit as to what you're expecting. And you're explicitly expecting only the contract definition and nothing more.
Excerpt:
Mass assignment typically occurs during model binding as part of MVC. A simple example would be where you have a form on your website in which you are editing some data. You also have some properties on your model which are not editable as part of the form, but instead are used to control the display of the form, or may not be used at all.
public class UserModel
{
public string Name { get; set; }
public bool IsAdmin { get; set; }
}
So the idea here is that you only render a single input tag to the markup, but you post this to a method that uses the same model as you used for rendering:
[HttpPost]
public IActionResult Vulnerable(UserModel model)
{
return View("Index", model);
}
However, with a simple bit of HTML manipulation, or by using Postman/Fiddler , a malicious user can set the IsAdmin field to true. The model binder will dutifully bind the value, and you have just fallen victim to mass assignment/over posting:
So how can you prevent this attack? Luckily there's a whole host of different ways, and they are generally the same as the approaches you could use in the previous version of ASP.NET. I'll run through a number of your options here.
Continue to article...

ASP.NET MVC Web API Models that are not tied to query string parameters

I know how to create a model class that mirrors query string variables so that when it comes into my Web API controller action, the model is populated.
However, is there a way to make it so that I'm not locked into the query string variable names as the properties on my model class?
Example:
public class MyModel {
public string o {get;set;}
}
public class MyController {
public string Get(MyModel model) {
}
}
Then, if my query string looks like:
GET http://domain.com/?o=12345
Is there a way to name that model property "Order" or something instead of "o" and then have it populated with the value from "o="?
You can create custom model binder that will bind data to model as you wish. To use it you should:
public string Get([ModelBinder(typeof(MyComplexTypeModelBinder))]MyModel model)
{
...
}
To create custom model binder you can inherit from IModelBinder or from DefaultModelBinder.
public class MyComplexTypeModelBinder : IModelBinder
{
public Object BindModel(ControllerContext controllerContext,
ModelBindingContext bindingContext)
{
if (bindingContext == null)
throw new ArgumentNullException("bindingContext");
// Create the model instance (using the ctor you like best)
var obj = new MyComplexType();
// Set properties reading values from registered value providers
obj.Order = FromPostedData<string>(bindingContext, "o");
...
return obj;
}
private T FromPostedData<T>(ModelBindingContext context, String key)
{
// Get the value from any of the input collections
ValueProviderResult result;
context.ValueProvider.TryGetValue(key, out result);
// Set the state of the model property resulting from
context.ModelState.SetModelValue(key, result);
// Return the value converted (if possible) to the target type
return (T) result.ConvertTo(typeof(T));
}
Solution for this scenario is custom IValueProvider. This ASP.NET MVC extension point is the correct place, where we can bridge the QueryString keys into Model.Property names. In comparison with ModelBinder, this will target exactly what we need (while not introducing later issues, when even other value providers (FORM) accidently contains that key...)
There is good tutorial how to introduce the custom IValueProvider:
http://donovanbrown.com/post/How-to-create-a-custom-Value-Provider-for-MVC.aspx
And there is an simple example which is able to provide values for Model "Order" property, coming as QueryString "o" key:
Factory
// Factory
public class MyValueProviderFactory : ValueProviderFactory
{
public override IValueProvider GetValueProvider(ControllerContext ctx)
{
return new MyValueProvider(ctx);
}
}
Provider
// Provider
class MyValueProvider : IValueProvider
{
protected HttpRequestBase Request { get; set; }
public MyValueProvider(ControllerContext ctx)
{
Request = ctx.HttpContext.Request;
}
// our custom logic to test QueryString keys, and expected prefixes
public bool ContainsPrefix(string prefix)
{
var containsSpecial =
"Order".Equals(prefix, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase)
&& Request.QueryString.AllKeys.Contains("o"
, StringComparer.InvariantCultureIgnoreCase);
return containsSpecial;
}
// Handling "Order" key
public ValueProviderResult GetValue(string key)
{
if (!ContainsPrefix(key))
{
return null;
}
var values = Request.QueryString.GetValues("o");
if (values.Any())
{
return new ValueProviderResult(values, values.First()
, CultureInfo.CurrentCulture);
}
return null;
}
}
And in the global.asax we have to inject it:
protected void Application_Start()
{
ValueProviderFactories.Factories.Add(new MyValueProviderFactory());
...

MVC3 Custom Unobtrusive Validator on a List of Objects

The basic question to start: How can you put a custom, unobtrusive validator ontop of a list of objects within your model? Like, say my model allows multiple file uploads, and thus I have a list of files, and I want my validator to run on each of those files?
Now for a specific example. I've got a custom, unobtrusive validator that checks to see if a file extension is not within a list of prohibited extensions:
public class FileExtensionValidatorAttribute : ValidationAttribute, IClientValidatable {
protected static string[] PROHIBITED_EXTENSIONS = {
// ... List of extensions I don't allow.
};
public override bool IsValid(object value) {
if (value is IEnumerable<HttpPostedFileBase>) {
foreach (var file in (IEnumerable<HttpPostedFileBase>)value) {
var fileName = file.FileName;
if (PROHIBITED_EXTENSIONS.Any(x => fileName.EndsWith(x))) return false;
}
} else {
var file = (HttpPostedFileBase)value;
var fileName = file.FileName;
if (PROHIBITED_EXTENSIONS.Any(x => fileName.EndsWith(x))) return false;
}
return true;
}
public IEnumerable<ModelClientValidationRule> GetClientValidationRules(ModelMetadata metadata, ControllerContext context) {
var modelClientVlidationRule = new ModelClientValidationRule {
ErrorMessage = this.ErrorMessageString,
ValidationType = "fileextension",
};
modelClientVlidationRule.ValidationParameters.Add("prohibitedextensions", string.Join("|", PROHIBITED_EXTENSIONS));
yield return modelClientVlidationRule;
}
}
Take note in my IsValid that I built this to accept a single file or a list of files.
In my model class, I can make use of this on a single HttpPostedFileBase:
[FileExtensionValidator(ErrorMessage = "Invalid Extension")]
public HttpPostedFileBase Upload { get; set; }
Then I attach to jquery's validator in my view:
jQuery.validator.addMethod("fileExtension", function (value, element, param) {
var extension = "";
var dotIndex = value.lastIndexOf('.');
if (dotIndex != -1) extension = value.substring(dotIndex + 1).toLowerCase();
return $.inArray(extension, param.prohibitedExtensions) === -1;
});
jQuery.validator.unobtrusive.adapters.add('fileextension', ['prohibitedextensions'], function (options) {
options.rules['fileExtension'] = {
prohibitedExtensions: options.params.prohibitedextensions.split('|')
};
options.messages['fileExtension'] = options.message;
});
This all works great, client side and server side ...but only on a single HttpPostedFileBase. The problem is that I need to provide users the ability to upload one or more files. If I change my model to this:
[FileExtensionValidator(ErrorMessage = "Invalid Extension")]
public List<HttpPostedFileBase> Uploads { get; set; }
...the Client-side validation no longer runs; only the server-side works. This is evident when doing a view-source. The <input> tag that gets generated is missing all the data-val attributes it needs to run. In doing a debug, GetClientValidationRules is never called.
What am I missing?
Could this be because of how I render it? I'm simply using an EditorTemplate for HttpPostedFileBase:
#model System.Web.HttpPostedFileBase
#Html.TextBoxFor(m => m, new { type = "file", size = 60 })
...and my view renders it like this:
<p>#Html.EditorFor(m => m.Uploads)</p>
Any advice is appreciated.
Here's what I came up with.
I actually think the problem is ultimately caused because MVC doesn't know that I want that Data Annotation on the List to be applied to all of its members. Nor should it I suppose.
So I simply made a "viewmodel" wrapper around HttpPostedFileBase, and put my validator there:
public class UploadedFile {
[FileExtensionValidator(ErrorMessage = "Invalid Extension")]
public HttpPostedFileBase File { get; set; }
}
Then, in my actual model, I now just use a list of those instead:
public List<UploadedFile> Uploads { get; set; }
...with no more dataannotations here of course since they're now in UploadedFile.
Then, with minor modifications to the view and editortemplate to use these, this now works a-ok, client side and server side. (Still, feels clunky to me. If anyone has a simpler way I'm still happy to hear it.)

Fluent Validation in ASP.net MVC - Database Validations

I'm using the Fluent Validation framework in my ASP.net MVC 3 project. So far all of my validations have been very simple (make sure string is not empty, only a certain length, etc.) but now I need to verify that something exists in the database or not.
Should Fluent Validation be used in this case?
If the database validation should be done using Fluent Validation, then how do I handle dependencies? The validator classes are created automatically, and I would need to somehow pass it one of my repository instances in order to query my database.
An example of what I'm trying to validate might:
I have a dropdown list on my page with a list of selected items. I want to validate that the item they selected actually exists in the database before trying to save a new record.
Edit
Here is a code example of a regular validation in Fluent Validation framework:
[Validator(typeof(CreateProductViewModelValidator))]
public class CreateProductViewModel
{
public string Name { get; set; }
public decimal Price { get; set; }
}
public class CreateProductViewModelValidator : AbstractValidator<CreateProductViewModel>
{
public CreateProductViewModelValidator()
{
RuleFor(m => m.Name).NotEmpty();
}
}
Controller:
public ActionResult Create(CreateProductViewModel model)
{
if(!ModelState.IsValid)
{
return View(model);
}
var product = new Product { Name = model.Name, Price = model.Price };
repository.AddProduct(product);
return RedirectToAction("Index");
}
As you can see, I never create the Validator myself. This works because of the following line in Global.asax:
FluentValidation.Mvc.FluentValidationModelValidatorProvider.Configure();
The problem is that now I have a validator that needs to interact with my database using a repository, but since I'm not creating the validators I don't know how I would get that dependency passed in, other than hardcoding the concrete type.
Can't you just create your own validation method where in you would kick-off the database validation?
RuleFor(m => m.name)
.Must(BeInDatabase)
private static bool BeInDatabase(string name)
{
// Do database validation and return false if not valid
return false;
}
I'm using FluentValidation for DataBase validations. just pass the Validation class the session in the Ctor. and do the validation inside the action something like:
var validationResult = new ProdcutValidator(session).Validate(product);
Update: Based on your example I add my example...
public class CreateProductViewModel
{
public string Name { get; set; }
public decimal Price { get; set; }
}
public class CreateProductViewModelValidator : abstractValidator<CreateProductViewModel>
{
private readonly ISession _session;
public CreateProductViewModelValidator(ISession session)
{
_session = session;
RuleFor(m => m.Name).NotEmpty();
RuleFor(m => m.Code).Must(m, Code => _session<Product>.Get(Code) == null);
}
}
Controller:
public ActionResult Create(CreateProductViewModel model)
{
var validator = new CreateProductViewModelValidator();
var validationResult =validator.Validate(model);
if(!validationResult.IsValid)
{
// You will have to add the errors by hand to the ModelState's errors so the
// user will be able to know why the post didn't succeeded(It's better writing
// a global function(in your "base controller" That Derived From Controller)
// that migrate the validation result to the
// ModelState so you could use the ModelState Only.
return View(model);
}
var product = new Product { Name = model.Name, Price = model.Price };
repository.AddProduct(product);
return RedirectToAction("Index");
}
Second update:
If you insist using parameterless constructor you will have to use some Inversion Of control container, a static class that is something like the Factory of your objects.
use it like this:
public class CreateProductViewModelValidator : abstractValidator<CreateProductViewModel>
{
private readonly ISession _session;
public CreateProductViewModelValidator()
{
_session = IoC.Container.Reslove<ISession>();
RuleFor(m => m.Name).NotEmpty();
RuleFor(m => m.Code).Must(m, Code => _session<Product>.Get(Code) == null);
}
}
You can find many IoC containers, most famous are Windsor and Ninject,
You will need to register- instruct the container once to resolve all the ISession to return your's session object.
The other way this could work for you is using Constructor injection. While this method isn't as clear cut as using an IoC library, it may help if you have a static way of accessing or fetching your session.
public class CreateProductViewModelValidator
{
private ISession _session;
public CreateProductViewModelValidator()
:this(SessionFactory.GetCurrentSession()) //Or some other way of fetching the repository.
{
}
internal CreateProductViewModelValidator(ISession session)
{
this._session = session;
RuleFor(m => m.Name);//More validation here using ISession...
}
}
I have been spending quite a bit of time thinking about this exact same issue. I am using ninject to inject my repository into my web UI layer so that my web UI only accesses the database through an interface.
I am wanting to be able to validate things that access the database such as checking for duplicate names and hence my validation needs to access the injected repository. I think that the best way to do this is to just setup Fluent Validation via the manual method rather than the MVC integrated way. For Example:
Create your validation Class (can pass in repository Interface):
public class CategoryDataBaseValidation : AbstractValidator<CategoryViewModel>
{
private IRepository repository;
public CategoryDataBaseValidation (IRepository repoParam)
{
repository = repoParam;
RuleFor(Category => Category.Name).Must(NotHaveDuplicateName).WithMessage("Name already exists");
}
private bool NotHaveDuplicateName(string name)
{
List<Category> c = repository.Categories.ToList(); //Just showing that you can access DB here and do what you like.
return false;
}
}
}
Then in your controller you can just create an instance of above class and pass in the repository (that ninject would have injected in the controller constructor)
[HttpPost]
public ActionResult Create(CategoryViewModel _CategoryViewModel )
{
CategoryDataBaseValidation validator = new CategoryDataBaseValidation (repository);
ValidationResult results = validator.Validate(_CategoryViewModel );
if (results.IsValid == false)
{
foreach (var failure in results.Errors)
{
//output error
}
}
return View(category);
}
Both the above files can live in the Web UI project and you can then also just use the standard MVC DataAnnotations for client side validation.
Just thought that I would put this up for comment / help someone.

Best way to pass multiple params from View to Controller via JQuery

I have a View for creating a customer that contains numerous textboxes. After the user tabs out of each textbox I want to use JQuery to call a Controller method that will check in the DataBase and look for any possible matches, the controller will then send content and I will use jQuery to dynamically show the possible matches (Similar to what Stack Overflow does when you enter in your question and shows Related Questions).
My question is, I have 15 textboxes and would like to send that data from each back with each call. I'd like to avoid having my Controller method with a signature like
Public ActionResult CheckMatches(string param1, string param2... string param15)
Is there an easier way to pass multiple paramers as a single object, like FormCollection?
All you need to do is create a type with properties the same name as the names of your textboxes:
public class CheckMatchesAguments
{
public string Param1 { get; set; }
public string Param2 { get; set; }
// etc.
}
Then change your action to:
public ActionResult CheckMatches(CheckMatchesAguments arguments)
That's all!
Be warned, though: If CheckMatchesAguments has any non-nullable properties (e.g., ints), then values for those properties must be in the FormCollection, or the default model binder won't bind anything in the type. To fix this, either include those properties, too, in the form, or make the properties nullable.
Javascript:
var data = { foo: "fizz", bar: "buzz" };
$.get("urlOfAction", data, callback, "html")
Action:
public ActionResult FooAction(MegaParameterWithLotOfStuff param)
And a custom model binder:
public class MegaParameterWithLotOfStuffBinder : IModelBinder
{
public object GetValue(ControllerContext controllerContext,
string modelName, Type modelType,
ModelStateDictionary modelState)
{
var param = new MegaParameterWithLotOfStuff();
param.Foo = controllerContext.
HttpContext.Request.Form["foo"];
param.Bar = controllerContext.
HttpContext.Request.Form["bar"];
return customer;
}
}
Global.asax:
protected void Application_Start()
{
ModelBinders.Binders[typeof(MegaParameterWithLotOfStuff)] =
new MegaParameterWithLotOfStuffBinder();
}
Or binding filter+action combo:
public class BindMegaParamAttribute: ActionFilterAttribute
{
public override void OnActionExecuting
(ActionExecutingContext filterContext)
{
var httpContext = filterContext.HttpContext;
var param = new MegaParameterWithLotOfStuff();
param.Foo = httpContext.Request.Form["foo"];
param.Bar = httpContext.Request.Form["bar"];
filterContext.ActionParameters["param"] = param;
base.OnActionExecuted(filterContext);
}
}
Action:
[BindMegaParam]
public ActionResult FooAction(MegaParameterWithLotOfStuff param)

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