Zend Framework: Zend_Validate_Or Component Proposal

Table of Contents

1. Overview

Zend_Validate_Or is a validator that makes it possible to chain other validate instances using the OR logical operation.

2. References

• Logical disjunction (OR) Wikipedia Entry
• Zend_Validate manual page

3. Component Requirements, Constraints, and Acceptance Criteria

• This component will accept (an array of) one or more Zend_Validate_Abstract instances in it's constructor and it's addConditionals() method.
• This component will throw a Zend_Validate_Exception if isValid() is called and no validators are passed in the constructor or the addConditionals() method.
• This component will allow for subclassing, having protected properties and methods.
• This component will return true if at least one of the validators that have been set in this validator returns true.
• This component will return false and provide the error messages from all failed validators if none of the validators that have been set return true.
• This component must extend from Zend_Validate_Abstract.

4. Dependencies on Other Framework Components

• Zend_Validate_Abstract
• Zend_Exception

5. Theory of Operation

This validator is useful if you want to validate something with the idea that at least one of the validators that have been set in Zend_Validate_Or should return true. So, instead of combining multiple validators with an AND logical operation, you combine the validators with the OR logical operation.

6. Milestones / Tasks

• Milestone 1: [DONE] Write proposal
• Milestone 2: Community feedback
• Milestone 3: Working prototype checked into the incubator supporting use cases #1, #2, ...
• Milestone 4: Unit tests exist, work, and are checked into SVN.
• Milestone 5: Initial documentation exists.

7. Class Index

• Zend_Validate_Or

8. Use Cases

Instantiate the class, add some extra validators and validate a value:

Add the validator to a form element (setting the validators in the class constructor):

9. Class Skeletons