Dynamically set required fields - asp.net-mvc

I'm curious how I can dynamically set a model's validation attributes. For instance, I often have Views where certain fields should be required when a user is in a certain role, but not required when a user is in another role. I would like both the server-side and client-side validation to be set accordingly.

Wouldn't something like this work for you for the server side?
public class RequiredForRoleAttribute : ValidationAttribute
{
public string Role { get; set; }
public override bool IsValid(object value)
{
return !Roles.IsUserInRole(Role) || (value != null && !string.IsNullOrEmpty((string)value));
}
}
And an example usage will be;
[RequiredForRoleAttribute(Role = "Admins", ErrorMessage = "Phone number is required for members of the admin role.")]
public string PhoneNumber { get; set; }
Now for the client side of things,
Your going to have to register it for remote validation as described at the following link; http://forums.asp.net/t/1559594.aspx/1
Hope you get it,
Chris

Related

How to omit/prevent data from being sent to the POST method in the Controller in MVC

I have a view that is using a model and I am using that information to create a form.
I have three steps of the form that are optional or may not be shown.
The problem is that these hidden sections get posted along with the form data and break the business logic. (I have no control over the business logic)
So is there a way to tell the framework not to pass certain sections or fields? Perhaps VIA a class or something?
I know I could use AJAX to send certain sections as they are needed, but the site spec is to have them hidden and displayed as needed.
Although you could do this client-side, it won't stop malicious over-posting/mass assignment.
I suggest reading 6 Ways To Avoid Mass Assignment in ASP.NET MVC.
Excerpts:
Specify Included Properties only:
[HttpPost]
public ViewResult Edit([Bind(Include = "FirstName")] User user)
{
// ...
}
Specify Excluded Properties only:
[HttpPost]
public ViewResult Edit([Bind(Exclude = "IsAdmin")] User user)
{
// ...
}
Use TryUpdateModel()
[HttpPost]
public ViewResult Edit()
{
var user = new User();
TryUpdateModel(user, includeProperties: new[] { "FirstName" });
// ...
}
Using an Interface
public interface IUserInputModel
{
string FirstName { get; set; }
}
public class User : IUserInputModel
{
public string FirstName { get; set; }
public bool IsAdmin { get; set; }
}
[HttpPost]
public ViewResult Edit()
{
var user = new User();
TryUpdateModel<IUserInputModel>(user);
// ...
}
Use the ReadOnlyAttribute
public class User
{
public string FirstName { get; set; }
[ReadOnly(true)]
public bool IsAdmin { get; set; }
}
Lastly, and the most recommended approach is to use a real ViewModel, instead a domain Model:
public class UserInputViewModel
{
public string FirstName { get; set; }
}
Show/Hide will not allow/disallow the value from being sent to the Controller.
Elements that are Disabled or just not editable will (99% of the time) be returned as null / minVal.
You can set the elements in the View as Disabled by using JQuery in the script:
$('#elementID').attr("disabled", true);
OR you could use a DOM command:
document.getElementById('elementID').disabled = "true";
So you can set the fields as both Disabled AND Hidden, so that it is neither displayed, nor populated. Then in your Controller you can just base the Business Logic on whether or not certain fields (preferable Mandatory fields, if you have any) are null.
You can check this in C# like this:
For a string:
if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(Model.stringField))
{
ModelState.AddModelError("stringField", "This is an error.");
}
For a DateTime:
if (Model.dateTimeField == DateTime.MinValue)
{
ModelState.AddModelError("dateTimeField ", "This is an error.");
}
Just for interest sake, here is how you can Hide/Show elements on the View using JQuery:
$('#elementID').hide();
$('#elementID').show();

How to make a property required based on multiple condition?

I have a list of Pair of radio buttons (Yes/No):
Q1.(Y)(N)
Q2.(Y)(N)
Q3.(Y)(N)
Q4.(Y)(N)
and I have one property in my model
public string MedicalExplanation { get; set; }
My goal is to make Explanation required if any of the radio button has been set to true.
My first try was to use [Required] but it does not handle conditions.
Then I decided to use third party tool like MVC Foolproof Validation
I used it like this:
[RequiredIf("Q1", true, ErrorMessage = "You must explain any \"Yes\" answers!")]
Now the problem is I don't know how to make it required if any of the other Q2, Q3, Q4 is checked.
Please advice
In your ViewModel, create a bool property like this:
public bool IsMedicalExplanationRequired
{
get
{
return Q1 || Q2 || Q3 || Q4;
}
}
Then, use your RequiredIf attribute like this:
[RequiredIf("IsMedicalExplanationRequired", true, ErrorMessage = "You must explain any \"Yes\" answers!")]
UPDATE:
If your Q1 - Q4 properties are of type bool?, just change the IsMedicalExplanationRequired property like below:
public bool IsMedicalExplanationRequired
{
get
{
return Q1.GetValueOrDefault() || Q2.GetValueOrDefault() || Q3.GetValueOrDefault() || Q4.GetValueOrDefault();
}
}
This is how I did it:
First I created a custom validation attribute which gets a string array of fields to check passed in:
public class ValidateAtLeastOneChecked : ValidationAttribute {
public string[] CheckBoxFields {get; set;}
public ValidateAtLeastOneChecked(string[] checkBoxFields) {
CheckBoxFields = checkBoxFields;
}
protected override ValidationResult IsValid(Object value, ValidationContext context) {
Object instance = context.ObjectInstance;
Type type = instance.GetType();
foreach(string s in CheckBoxFields) {
Object propertyValue = type.GetProperty(s).GetValue(instance, null);
if (bool.Parse(propertyValue.ToString())) {
return ValidationResult.Success;
}
}
return new ValidationResult(base.ErrorMessageString);
}
}
Then I use it like this (I am using resource files to localize my error messages):
[ValidateAtLeastOneChecked(new string[] { "Checkbox1", "Checkbox2", "Checkbox3", "Checkbox4" }, ErrorMessageResourceType=typeof(ErrorMessageResources),ErrorMessageResourceName="SelectAtLeastOneTopic")]
public bool Checkbox1{ get; set; }
public bool Checkbox2{ get; set; }
public bool Checkbox3{ get; set; }
public bool Checkbox4{ get; set; }
It is only actually setting the error on the first checkbox. If you are using the built in css highlighting to highlight fields in error you will need to modify this slightly to make it look right, but I felt this was a clean solution which was reusable and allowed me to take advantage of the support for resource files in validation attributes.

ASP.NET MVC: Implement client side validation with attribute without IClientValidatable

How can I create a custom validation attribute with client side validation without implementing IClientValidatable?
How does System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations.RequiredAttribute client side validate?
The reason to do this is because I'm using objects from classes in another project as models in my views and I don't want to add the System.Web.MVC reference to that project.
EDIT to add more information:
I know that IClientValidatable is used to add custom attributes to
the HTML to be used later by the unobtrusive validation.
I know I'll need to add the javascript code to made the validation in
the client.
What I don't know is how to use the information from the custom validation attribute to add the necessary attributes to the HTML for unobtrusive validation to work.
This is my custom validation attribute:
public class RequiredGuidAttribute : ValidationAttribute
{
public override bool IsValid(object value)
{
Guid? guidValue = value as Guid?;
if (guidValue == null)
return false;
return guidValue != Guid.Empty;
}
}
This is my property with the attribute applied:
[RequiredGuid(ErrorMessageResourceType = typeof(ClientOrderResources), ErrorMessageResourceName = "RequiredShippingMethod")]
public Guid ShippingMethodId
{
get { return GetProperty(ShippingMethodIdProperty); }
set { SetProperty(ShippingMethodIdProperty, value); }
}
And finally I'm rendering a hidden input for that property in the view using Html.HiddenFor.
Now, how can I get the error message from the attribute to apply it to the HTML? Should I do it my self using Reflection or there is a better way?
And then how can I tell Html.HiddenFor to use that information to add the necessary attributes to the HTML?
We had a similar problem. We have a model we use for our account creation that uses IClientValidatable on its custom attributes. However, we created a batch account creation process that sits outside of the website that we weren't able to reference System.Web.Mvc in. Because of this, when we called Validator.TryValidateObject, any custom validator that inherited from IClientValidatable was simply skipped. Here's what we were working with that was failing to validate outside of our website:
public class AgeValidatorAttribute : ValidationAttribute, IClientValidatable
{
public int AgeMin { get; set; }
public int AgeMax { get; set; }
public override bool IsValid(object value)
{
//run validation
}
}
public IEnumerable<ModelClientValidationRule> GetClientValidationRules(ModelMetadata metadata, ControllerContext context)
{
var rule = new ModelClientValidationRule
{
ErrorMessage = ErrorMessageString,
ValidationType = "agevalidator"
};
rule.ValidationParameters["agemin"] = AgeMin;
rule.ValidationParameters["agemax"] = AgeMax;
yield return rule;
}
Removing System.Web.Mvc required us to also remove GetClientValidationRules and the IClientValidatable reference. In order to do this and still have client side validation, we had to create a new class:
public class AgeValidatorClientValidator : DataAnnotationsModelValidator<AgeValidatorAttribute>
{
private readonly string _errorMessage;
private readonly string _validationType;
public AgeValidatorClientValidator(ModelMetadata metadata, ControllerContext context, AgeValidatorAttribute attribute)
: base(metadata, context, attribute)
{
this._errorMessage = attribute.FormatErrorMessage(metadata.DisplayName);
this._validationType = "agevalidator";
}
public override IEnumerable<ModelClientValidationRule> GetClientValidationRules()
{
var rule = new ModelClientValidationRule
{
ErrorMessage = this._errorMessage,
ValidationType = this._validationType
};
rule.ValidationParameters["agemin"] = base.Attribute.AgeMin;
rule.ValidationParameters["agemax"] = base.Attribute.AgeMax;
yield return rule;
}
}
As you can see, it does essentially the same thing as it used to, it's just done using the DataAnnatotationsModelValidator rather than IClientValidatable. There's one more step we need to do to actually attach the DataAnnotationsModelValidator to the atttribute, and that's done in the Global.asax.cs Application_Start method
DataAnnotationsModelValidatorProvider.RegisterAdapter(
typeof(AgeValidatorAttribute), typeof(AgeValidatorClientValidator));
Now you can use this just as you would use a normal attribute:
[AgeValidator(AgeMax = 110, AgeMin = 18, ErrorMessage = "The member must be between 18 and 110 years old")]
public string DateOfBirth { get; set; }
I know this question is a year old, but I spent all day yesterday and half of today trying to figure this issue out. So I hope this helps somebody who runs into the same problem if OP hasn't figured the answer out yet.
Please note, I did not include any javascript in this writeup as it required no changes from the standard implementation of custom validation rules using jQuery.validate.
You can't have custom validation on the client unless you implement IClientValidatable. And for that you also need to add client script as well.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/vs2010trainingcourse_aspnetmvccustomvalidation_topic3.aspx
It is possible, i found this article on how to do it:
http://xhalent.wordpress.com/2011/05/12/custom-unobstrusive-jquery-validation-in-asp-net-mvc-3-using-dataannotationsmodelvalidatorprovider/
basically you have to create a DataAnnotationsModelValidator on your client an register it in Application_Start().
And don't forget that you still have to write the Javascript for client side validation.

MVC dynamic validation

I get a requirement like this:
Different airlines require different traveller's information.
For example:
Airline A , need ID Number ,child birthday is required and age must between 2 ~ 12.
Airline B , need ID Number and gender.
Airline C, require all travellers' birthday, and child age must between 2 ~12.
etc...
My question is : Is there anyway in different scenarios use different validation rules ?
In addition , all children and adult's information collect in one page, so I need specify validation rule for instance of traveller.
How can I do it in MVC ?
Thanks.
Well you can use IValidateObject in mvc. you have not specified what you have done till now but i would have created an Airline viewmodel and validate it somewhat like this
public class AirlineViewModel: IValidatableObject
{
public string AirlineName{ get; set; }
public int IDNo{ get; set; }
// your other properties here
public IEnumerable<ValidationResult> Validate(ValidationContext validationContext)
{
List<ValidationResult> err = new List<ValidationResult>();
if(AirlineName.Equals("Airline a"))
{
if(IDNo>0)
{
yield return new ValidationResult("ID cannot be empty", new[] { "IDNo" });
}
}
else if(AirlineName.Equals("Airline b"))
{
// your stuff here
}
else if(AirlineName.Equals("Airline C"))
{
// your stuff here
}
}
}
As mazhar mentioned, IValidateableObject is one option if you don't care about client-side validation. Another option creating your own data annotation attributes. A third option is to use a third party validation library like Fluent Validation.

Is it possible to update ModelState.IsValid manually?

I would like to use the built-in validation features as far as possible. I would also like to use the same model for CRUD methods.
However, as a drop down list cannot be done using the standard pattern, I have to validate it manually. In the post back method, I would like to just validate the drop down list and add this result to ModelState so that I don't have to validate all the other parameters which are done with Data Annotation. Is it possible to achieve this?
I may be mistaken about the drop down list, but from what I read, the Html object name for a drop down list cannot be the same as the property in the Model in order for the selected value to be set correctly. Is it still possible to use Data Annotation with this workaround?
Thanks.
You can use the addModelError
ModelState.AddModelError(key,message)
when you use that, it will invalidate the ModelState so isValid will return false.
Update
after seeing the comment to #Pieter's answer
If you want to exclude an element from affecting the isValid() result, you can use the ModelState.Remove(field) method before calling isValid().
Another option is to inherit IValidatableObject in your model. Implement its Validate method and you can leave all other validation in place and write whatever code you want in this method. Note: you return an empty IEnumerable<ValidationResult> to indicate there were no errors.
public class Class1 : IValidatableObject
{
public int val1 { get; set; }
public int val2 { get; set; }
public IEnumerable<ValidationResult> Validate(ValidationContext validationContext)
{
var errors = new List<ValidationResult>();
if (val1 < 0)
{
errors.Add(new ValidationResult("val1 can't be negative", new List<string> { "val2" }));
}
if (val2 < 0)
{
errors.Add(new ValidationResult("val2 can't be negative", new List<string> { "val2" }));
}
return errors;
}
}
EDIT: After re-reading the question I don't think this applicable to this case, but I'm leaving the answer here in case it helps someone else.
You cannot manually set the ModelState.IsValid property but you can add messages to the ModelState that will ensure that the IsValid is false.
ModelState.AddModelError();
yes, you can achieve this (also you will use the same model for CRUD methods) :
Example MODEL
public class User
{
public virtual int Id{ get; set; }
public virtual Role Role { get; set; }
}
public class Role
{
[Required(ErrorMessage = "Id Required.")]
public virtual int Id { get; set; }
[Required(ErrorMessage = "Name Required.")]
public virtual string Name { get; set; }
}
Example VIEW with validation on the dropdownlist
#Html.DropDownListFor(m => m.Role.Id, (SelectList)ViewBag.gRoles, "-- Select --")
#Html.ValidationMessageFor(m => m.Role.Id)
CONTROLLER: clearing the required (but not needed here) fields
[HttpPost]
[ValidateAntiForgeryToken]
public ActionResult Creedit(User x)
{
x.Role = db.RoseSet.Find(x.Role.Id);
if (x.Role != null)
{
ModelState["Role.Name"].Errors.Clear();
}
if (ModelState.IsValid)
{
// proceed
}
else
{
// return validation error
}
}
Might be more recent methods, since this is an old post, but this might help future readers.
One can set a field to valid with this two methods:
ModelState.ClearValidationState("Password");
ModelState.MarkFieldValid("Password");
Need to use both because the second one without the first one it gives an error stating that the state is already marked.
To set a field to invalid, just use ModelState.AddModelError() method as already referred.

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