Laravel validation differences on update and save - laravel

Question

I'm using Jeffrey Way's model validation (https://github.com/JeffreyWay/Laravel-Model-Validation) to validate both on save and update. With this method, let's say you fill a update some fields on an entry, then call the save() method, the validation will run on all the fields currently set on the entry. But if the validation requires a field, say the email address, to be unique, the validation will fail because it already exists:
User.php:
protected static $rules = [
'email' => 'required|email|unique:users',
'firstname' => 'required',
'lastname' => 'required'
];
Controller.php:
// Get user from id
$user = User::find($id);
// Update user
$user->update($data);
// Validation when model is saved, via Way\Database\Model
if ($user->save())
{
return Response::json([
'data' => $user->toArray()
], 200);
}
if ($user->hasErrors())
{
return Response::json([
'errors' => $user->getErrors()
]);
}
Will return errors because the email address failed the validation. So, with this method, how do you tell the validator to ignore the unique rule for the email?

Answer 1

I think I use similar behaviour with different approach. Using this model, I thing you shold override the validate method to get the rules from a custom method, in witch you could set your new rules for existing models.
Something like this could work:
protected function processRules($rules = array()) {
$result = [];
if (empty($rules)) {
$rules = static::$rules;
}
// Add unique except :id
$replace = ($this->exists()) ? ',' . $this->getKey() : '';
foreach ($rules as $key => $rule) {
$result[$key] = str_replace(',:' . $this->getKeyName(), $replace, $rule);
}
return $result;
}
And override your validate method to call the proccessRules method.
public function validate() {
$v = $this->validator->make($this->attributes, $this->processRules(static::$rules), static::$messages);
if ($v->passes()) {
return true;
}
$this->setErrors($v->messages());
return false;
}
So now, you can define your email rule as required|email|unique:users:id, and when its a new User the rule should be required|email|unique:users and when you update the User with id 1234 the rule will be required|email|unique:users:1234.
I hope it works fine for you.

Answer 2

I've had this problem! I decided the problem on their own.
protected static $rules = [
'email' => $user->email == Input::get('email') ? 'required|email' : 'required|email|unique:users',
'firstname' => 'required',
'lastname' => 'required'
];

Answer 3

You cannot do it using this package, because you need to pass id for the unique rule. You could do it this way:
protected static $rules = [
'email' => 'required|email|unique:users,email,{id}',
'firstname' => 'required',
'lastname' => 'required'
];
and extend this model to add your custom validation method to replace {id} with id attribute