Livewire Rules

[francoism90]

I'm trying to use Livewire and laravel-data together, by using something like this:

```php
class PostEditController extends Component
{
    protected function rules(): array
    {
        return PostData::rules(); // this will return the full set - even lazy/exclude/include ones
    }
}

These are my data objects:

class PostData extends Data
{
    public function __construct(
        public string $name,
        public Lazy|UserData $user, // included in the rules object
    ) {
    }

    public static function fromModel(Post $model): self
    {
        return new self(
            $model->name,
            Lazy::create(fn() => UserData::from($model->user)),
        );
    }

    public static function rules(array $payload = []): array
    {
        return [
            'name' => [new Required(), new StringType(), new Max(40)],
            'user' => [new Sometimes(), new ArrayType()],
        ];
    }
}

class UserDataData extends Data
{
    public function __construct(
        public string $email,
    ) {
    }

    public static function fromModel(User $model): self
    {
        return new self(
            $model->email,
        );
    }

    public static function rules(array $payload = []): array
    {
        return [
            'email' => [new Required(), new EmailType(), new Max(40)],
        ];
    }
}

Would it be possible to build the rules according to what's actually in the payload? Any other workarounds?

Thanks!

[rubenvanassche]

Take a look at optional, Lazy is only being used for transforming a data object into a resource array. Not the other way around, so it shouldn't have affect on creating a data object or creating validation rules. When a property is optional, the sometimes rule gets added.

[francoism90]

@rubenvanassche Thanks for your reply. :)

I've found a better alternative, adding ExcludeWithout. This will exclude the rules if the attribute does not take part in the payload. :)
I'll make a PR, as it seems this rule does not exist yet.

[francoism90]

@rubenvanassche Take this example:

class UserData extends Data
{
    public function __construct(
        public string $name,
    )
    {
    }

    public static function rules(): array
    {
        return [
            'name' => [new Required(), new StringType(), new Max(255),
        ];
    }
}

class PostData extends Data
{
    public function __construct(
        public string $name,
        public Lazy|Optional|UserData $user,
    )
    {
    }

    public static function rules(): array
    {
        return [
            'user' => [new RequiredWhen('user')],
        ];
    }
}

Payload:

$post = PostData::validateAndCreate([
    'name' => 'Post 1',
]);

Result:

user.name is required (even when no user has been given)

If I use ExcludeWithout, it works fine. :)

[rubenvanassche]

Yeah, this is a bigger problem than I thought.

The optional directive will convert the rules into something like this:

[
  'user' => ['sometimes', ...],
  'user.name' => ['required', 'string', ...]
]

I would expect that when we provide a payload without user, that the user.name rules would not be executed since we clearly tell the validator that the user object is sometimes not being defined. That said, Laravel will execute the user.name rule, even if the user object is not given.

A solution would be to add a sometimes directive to this rule like this:

[
  'user' => ['sometimes', ...],
  'user.name' => ['sometimes', 'required', 'string', ...]
]

This works, but actually breaks validation. If the user object also has a property age which always needs to be defined if the user object is given then using the approach above providing an empty user object will also be validated correctly.

I'll merge the PR you made probably later today but we've got a bigger problem here. And at the moment I have no idea how to fix it.

[francoism90]

@rubenvanassche I think the exclude rules help in this case. If I understand it correctly, you simple tell the validator ignore any sub-rules when no payload for it has been given.

I've tried RequiredIf and sometimes, however you'll still have the (sub)rules listed, they aren't 'scraped', if I'm not mistaken.

Maybe we should ask the Laravel devs?

[rubenvanassche]

I've created an issue on it: laravel/framework#44586

We'll see what happens over there 😄