Validate over a collection of beans inside a bean.

[Jimmy Chuck]

Im about to go insane! I have a ValidatorForm called UserDetailsForm ... within that form I have two bean UserAccountDetailsBean and PersonalDetailsBean ... inside the PersonalDetailsBean is a List of EmailAddressBean's and a property of the EmailAddressBean is a public String emailAddress .... How on God's earth can I validate that that property is a valid email and required for every instance of EmailAddressBean contained in the List using validator.xml I have tried so many things Im starting to go mad see code below:

createUser.jsp

<html:form action="/createUserAccount" method="POST">
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" >
<tr>
<td valign="top" id=leftbanner >
<table border="0">
<tr>
<th colspan="3">Create a New User Account</th>
</tr>
<nested:nest property="userAccountDetails">
<tr>
<td><bean:message key="label.createuser.username"/></td>
<td><nested:text property="username" /></td>
<td><nested:errors property="username"/></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><bean:message key="label.createuser.password"/></td>
<td><nested assword property="password" /></td>
<td><nested:errors property="password"/></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><bean:message key="label.createuser.confirmpassword"/></td>
<td><nested assword property="confirmedPassword" /></td>
<td><nested:errors property="confirmedPassword"/></td>
</tr>
</nested:nest>
<nested:nest property="personalDetails">
<nested:iterate property="emailAddresses">
<tr>
<td><bean:message key="label.createuser.email"/></td>
<td><nested:text property="emailAddress"/></td>
<td><nested:errors property="emailAddress"/></td>
</tr>
</nested:iterate>
</nested:nest>
<tr>
<td><html:submit /></td>
</tr>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</html:form>


UserDetailsForm.java

public class UserDetailsForm extends ValidatorForm {

/* Standard serial version UID */
private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;

/* The data elements specific to the users account details */
private UserDetailsBean userAccountDetails;

/* The data elements specific to the users personal details */
private PersonalDetailsBean personalDetails;

/**
* Constructor
*/
public UserDetailsForm() {
userAccountDetails = new UserDetailsBean();
personalDetails = new PersonalDetailsBean();
}

...

PersonalDetailsBean.java

public class PersonalDetailsBean implements Serializable {

/* Standard serial version UID */
private static final long serialVersionUID = -4583072476776502751L;

/* Unique identifier for this personal details data set */
private String personalDetailsID;

...

/* Users email addresses */
private List<EmailAddressBean> emailAddresses;

public PersonalDetailsBean() {
Factory factory = new Factory() {

public Object create() {
return new EmailAddressBean();
}
};
emailAddresses = LazyList.decorate(new ArrayList<EmailAddressBean>(), factory);
emailAddresses.add(new EmailAddressBean());
}

...

EmailAddressBean.java

public class EmailAddressBean implements Serializable {

/* Standard serial version UID */
private static final long serialVersionUID = 6926416463088230275L;

/* A unique id for this email address */
private String emailAddressId;

/* A unique id which links this email address to the corresponding PersonalDetailsBean Object*/
private String personalDetailsId;

/* The email address */
private String emailAddress;

/* Is this emaiil the primary email address of the user to which it is associated */
private boolean primaryEmailAddress;

...

struts-config.xml

<form-beans>
<form-bean name="userDetailsForm" type="struts.form.UserDetailsForm">
<form-property name="userAccountDetails" type="bean.profile.UserDetailsBean" />
<form-property name="personalDetails" type="bean.profile.PersonalDetailsBean" />
</form-bean>
</form-beans>

validator.xml

<form name="userDetailsForm">
<field
property="userAccountDetails.username"
depends="required">
<arg key="key.error.username"/>
</field>
<field
property="userAccountDetails.password"
depends="required,mask">
<arg key="key.error.password"/>
<var>
<var-name>mask</var-name>
<var-value>^[0-9a-zA-Z]*$</var-value>
</var>
</field>
<field
property="userAccountDetails.confirmedPassword"
depends="required,mask">
<arg key="key.error.confirmpassword"/>
<var>
<var-name>mask</var-name>
<var-value>^[0-9a-zA-Z]*$</var-value>
</var>
</field>

<!-- What do I put here to validate the emailAddress Property for every Instance of the Bean in the List, indexes will not cut it because the List varies in length -->

<field property="personalDetails.emailAddresses.emailAddress"
depends="required, email">
<arg key="key.error.emailaddress"/>
</field>
</form>


Please can someone tell me if this is even doable ... Ive started to think ive looked around for days for something that just cant be done

If I have not been clear please let me know and I will try to explain in greater or less ambigious terms.

Thanks,
James

[Merrill Higginson]

Officially, Struts doesn't support validation for indexed properties. However, I have a feeling the following might work:

<field property="personalDetails.emailAddresses[0].emailAddress" depends="required, email">
  <arg key="key.error.emailaddress"/>
</field>
</form>

I'm pretty sure this will at least validate the first element of the collection, but I have had others tell me that it will also validate the other elements as well. I don't have time right now to test it for myself, but if you're willing to be a "guinea pig", give it a try and tell us whether it works for all elements or not.

[Jimmy Chuck]

Thank you so much! The emailAddresses[0] does not validate all elements in the collection, but at least you have told me its not supported! Im very grateful. thanks again