Cakephp Validation Messages on API - validation

Question

I have a registration form for my web client and API for the same registration form. I want to validate the data from the API by using the same rules that I use for the web client in the Model but I need to display different messages. In the web client I have messages like “‘Error in field Name” and for the API I need message like “1”. Now I`m doing this with if statement in the controller, if the error is ‘Error in field Name’ give me message ‘1’. The problem is that if I have to validate 10 fields I need to write 10 if statements in the controller. Is there any smarter way for doing this?
Model:
class User extends AppModel {
public $validate = array(
'name'=>array(
'rule'=>'notEmpty',
'message'=> ‘Error in field Name’
)
);
}
Controller
class RestUsersController extends AppController {
$errors = $this->User->invalidFields();
if(array_shift(array_slice($errors, 0, 1))== ' Error in field Name '){
$message='1';
}
}
Thank you in advance!

Answer 1

You can set validations rules in beforeValidation() callback in your model. In this method you can prepare two arrays of validation sets and and put one variable in AppModel which will be working like switch to choose proper validation set. All you need to make it working will be setting proper value for this switch in your API controller in beforeFilter() callback. For better understanding of my solution, look at code sample below.
Model
class User extends AppModel {
public function beforeValidate($options = array()) {
parent::beforeValidate($options);
$this->_prepareValidationRules();
}
protected function _prepareValidationRules() {
if (!empty($this->apiValidation)) { // for API
$this->validate = array(
'name' => array(
'rule' => 'notEmpty',
'message' => 'Error in field Name'
));
} else { // default behaviour
$this->validate = array(
'name' => array(
'rule' => 'notEmpty',
'message' => '1'
));
}
}
}
Controller
class RestUsersController extends AppController {
public function beforeFilter() {
parent::beforeFilter();
$this->User->apiValidation = true;
}
}
AppModel.php
class AppModel extends Model {
public $apiValidation = false;
(...)
}
Of course you could define $apiValidation variable as protected and controll it by method, but this is up to you.