How can I validate a date that is set with select boxes on the form, so I can raise an error when it’s invalid?
The default behavior when an invalid date is entered is to add days to arrive to a valid date. For example: if 2012-31-06 is sent to the controller, the resulting date will be 2012-01-07
How can I stop this behavior and raise an error?
I’m using the date_select(object_name, method, options = {}, html_options = {})method in the view.
Interesting question.
In the case when date_select helper used, it automatically generates parameter keys:
‘date(1i)’ - year
‘date(2i)’ - month
‘date(3i)’ - day
When ActiveRecord model receives these parameters, Date object will be generated and assigned to a corresponding model’s attribute. In this process, there is its clever logic: when values of these parameters aren’t clearly ‘crazy’, Date object will be generated correctly without attention to the minor errors in the number of days (28, 30 or 31) without any validation errors.
To avoid this integrated logic you can put down your own model’s accessors for ‘date(1i)’, ‘date(2i)’, ‘date(3i)’ mass-assignment parameters and appropriate custom validator. Or you can hack ActiveRecord::MultiparameterAssignment stack to escape its logic. Both are unaesthetic, unclean approaches from all points of view.
Instead of ‘date_select’, you can use ‘select_date’ (render just the tag), in this case date parameters will be named as you want. Just write the accessors and attribute assignment logic, then put the custom validator and this is it.
As for me, I completely gave up date_helper and other selectors, and began to use strings for dates in a form, adding to their Jquery Date selector plugin. Much more convenient and simpler.
> How can I validate a date that is set with select boxes on the form, so I can raise an error when it's invalid?
> The default behavior when an invalid date is entered is to add days to arrive to a valid date. For example: if 2012-31-06 is sent to the controller, the resulting date will be 2012-01-07
> How can I stop this behavior and raise an error?
> I'm using the date_select(object_name, method, options = {}, html_options = {})method in the view.
Interesting question.
In the case when date_select helper used, it automatically generates parameter keys: 'date(1i)' - year 'date(2i)' - month 'date(3i)' - day
When ActiveRecord model receives these parameters, Date object will be generated and assigned to a corresponding model's attribute. In this process, there is its clever logic: when values of these parameters aren't clearly 'crazy', Date object will be generated correctly without attention to the minor errors in the number of days (28, 30 or 31) without any validation errors.
To avoid this integrated logic you can put down your own model's accessors for 'date(1i)', 'date(2i)', 'date(3i)' mass-assignment parameters and appropriate custom validator. Or you can hack ActiveRecord::MultiparameterAssignment stack to escape its logic. Both are unaesthetic, unclean approaches from all points of view.
Instead of 'date_select', you can use 'select_date' (render just the tag), in this case date parameters will be named as you want. Just write the accessors and attribute assignment logic, then put the custom validator and this is it.
As for me, I completely gave up date_helper and other selectors, and began to use strings for dates in a form, adding to their Jquery
I also used strings, as it is much easier to enter a date with text than picking each field from the dropdowns. I made it so that if you enter a full year, fine. But if you do a 1 or 2 digit year it will pick the rest of the year correctly. If you have 130 year old dates you will have to enter all 4 digits.
here's the code
before_validation :b4_valid
def b4_valid self.xmonth = self.month_.to_i self.xday = self.day_.to_i self.xyear = self.year_.to_i begin if (self.xyear >= 0 && self.xyear <= 100) @compare = Date.new(2000+self.xyear, 1,1) if (@compare > Date.today) self.xyear = 1900+self.xyear self.year_ = self.xyear.to_s else self.xyear = 2000+self.xyear self.year_ = self.xyear.to_s end end rescue return false end begin self.birthday = Date.new(self.xyear, self.xmonth, self.xday) rescue return false end end
<% fields_for "household[people_attributes]", person do | person_form| %> <div><tr> <% fields_for "household" do |household_form| %> <td><%= household_form.radio_button :hoh, person.hoh %></td> <% end %> <%= person_form.hidden_field :hoh, :index => nil %> <td><%= person_form.text_field :last_name, :style => 'text-align: left', :class => 'last_name', :size => 25, :maxlength => 25, :index => nil, :autocomplete => "off" %></td> <td><%= person_form.text_field :first_name, :style => 'text-align: left', :class => 'first_name', :size => 25, :maxlength =>25, :index => nil, :autocomplete => "off" %></td> <td><%= person_form.text_field :middle, :style => 'text-align: right', :class => 'middle', :size => 1, :maxlength =>1, :index => nil, :autocomplete => "off" %></td> <td><%= person_form.text_field :sex, :style => 'text-align: right', :size => 1, :maxlength =>1, :index => nil, :autocomplete => "off" %></td> <td><%= person_form.text_field :month_, :style => 'text-align: right', :size => 2, :maxlength =>2, :index => nil, :autocomplete => "off" %></td> <td><%= person_form.text_field :day_, :style => 'text-align: right', :size => 2, :maxlength =>2, :index => nil, :autocomplete => "off" %></td> <td><%= person_form.text_field :year_, :style => 'text-align: right', :size => 4, :maxlength =>4, :index => nil, :autocomplete => "off" %></td> <td><% if !person_form.object.new_record? %> <%= person_form.hidden_field :id, :index => nil %> <%= link_to 'Delete', person_path(person.id), :confirm => 'Are you sure?', :method => :delete %> <% end %></td> </tr></div> <% end %>
This will calculate the date object based on the input and fail validation if the date is incorrect. Because of the rescue statements, there should be no errors that cause the program to abort. All errors will show as validation failures.
Best of luck Bob <bsm2th@gmail.com>
I prefer to pick up the date from ONE string:
model:
class Software << ActiveRecord::Base
formatted_date_accessor :release_date
end
lib: (/lib/formatted_date_time.rb)
class ActiveRecord::Base def self.formatted_date_accessor(*names) names.each do |name| define_method("#{name}=") do |value| super(value) if value.present? && self[name].nil? class_eval do define_method name.to_sym do value end end self.class.validate do errors.add(name.to_sym, "can't be formatted") end end end end end end
in a View:
<%= f.text_field :release_date %>
You can pass Jan 2, 2011 as: '2011-1-2' or 11-1-2 or 2011.1.2 or 11.01.02, according to a Date's localization order. European order would be: '02.01.2011' or '2-1-2011' whatever...
Any invalid date will raise a validation error. Any posted date saved for the next request to trace the invalid input.