Extra group validation based on domain property

ge0ffrey · **Joined:** Thu Oct 13, 2005 4:19 am **Posts:** 98

Let's say we have a Budget class:

Code:

public class Budget {

  @NotNull(groups = "default")
  private BigDecimal budgetAmount;

  private boolean approved = false;
  
  @NotNull(groups = "approved")
  private Date approvalDate;

}

Now I 'd like to put an annotations on the "boolean approved" that if it is true, during the default validation it should also validate "approved".

Code:

  @WhenTrueAlsoValidateGroup(groups = "default", validateGroup = "approved")
  private boolean approved = false;

Currently in Hibernate Validator, I write @AssertTrue to verify that approvalDate isn't null when approved is true.

emmanuel · **Posted:** Wed Apr 23, 2008 8:04 pm

I kinda like the idea, I am not sure how well it can be defined and implemented in a more generic way (just checking a boolean query is probably not specific enough). @NotNull(validateGroups="approved")

Do you want to explore the idea?

ge0ffrey · **Joined:** Thu Oct 13, 2005 4:19 am **Posts:** 98

Sure :) We'll see how far we can stretch this.

Here's an alternative proposal to this problem "activation-conditional-validation-1":

Code:

public class Budget {

  @NotNull(groups = "default")
  private BigDecimal budgetAmount;

  @ActivateConditionalValidationOnTrue(name = "whenApproved")
  private boolean approved = false;
 
  @ConditionalValidations(name = "whenApproved", values = {
    @NotNull()
  })
  private Date approvalDate;

}

This proposal doesn't use groups .

ge0ffrey · **Joined:** Thu Oct 13, 2005 4:19 am **Posts:** 98

Yet another proposal: activation-conditional-validation-2

Code:

public class Budget {

  @NotNull(groups = "default")
  private BigDecimal budgetAmount;

  @ActivateConditionalValidation(name = "whenApproved", conditions= {
    @IsTrue()
  })
  private boolean approved = false;
 
  @ConditionalValidation(name = "whenApproved", validations = {
    @NotNull()
  })
  private Date approvalDate;

} 

The main advantage of this proposal is how smart you can maybe make your InvalidValue's:
"Approval date must be not empty when approved is true"
approvalDate.label + IsNull.label + " when " + approved.label + IsTrue.label

FroMage · **Joined:** Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:10 am **Posts:** 69

I _think_ you can't do that with annotations. I'm also trying to push a proposal for conditional validation here: http://forum.hibernate.org/viewtopic.ph ... 95#2381895

I think my proposal would include what you want to do, and some more.
What do you think about it?

I'm all with you on that one: we need conditional validation.

emmanuel · **Posted:** Thu Apr 24, 2008 10:35 am

I think what I liked was the ability to reuse group names as the condition name.
Your proposal cannot compile in Java btw.

FroMage · **Joined:** Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:10 am **Posts:** 69

emmanuel wrote:

I think what I liked was the ability to reuse group names as the condition name.
Your proposal cannot compile in Java btw.

I think my proposal compiles, I've compiled it. I'm not ruling out typos though ;)

emmanuel · **Posted:** Mon Jun 02, 2008 7:27 pm

Code:

@ConditionalValidation(name = "whenApproved", validations = { 
    @NotNull() 
  }) 
  private Date approvalDate; 

this cannot compile if you expect to replace @NotNull with any annotation. Am I wrong?

ge0ffrey · **Joined:** Thu Oct 13, 2005 4:19 am **Posts:** 98

emmanuel wrote:

Code:

@ConditionalValidation(name = "whenApproved", validations = { 
    @NotNull() 
  }) 
  private Date approvalDate; 

this cannot compile if you expect to replace @NotNull with any annotation. Am I wrong?

I don't know. Maybe it could be compiled by using Annotation as a parameter type:

Code:

/**
 * The common interface extended by all annotation types.  Note that an
 * interface that manually extends this one does <i>not</i> define
 * an annotation type.  Also note that this interface does not itself
 * define an annotation type. ...
 */
public interface Annotation {
   ...
    /**
     * Returns the annotation type of this annotation.
     */
    Class<? extends Annotation> annotationType();
}

But that won't guarantee the parameter type is a hibernate validator annotation class? Can a subset of annotations have a mutual abstract superclass?

emmanuel · **Posted:** Tue Jun 03, 2008 5:46 pm

but then you cannot express the annotation attributes in a safe way you somehow need to use a key value pair