dox_validation 3.0.0-alpha.1

Schema validation for Dart, like Zod. Typed parse results, JSON Schema export, Standard Schema interface and Laravel style string rules.

dox_validation

Schema validation for Dart, like Zod.

• Fluent schemas with typed output.
• All problems come back at once, each with a path, a code and a message.
• Every schema implements the Standard Schema interface (StandardSchema).
• Every schema can export JSON Schema (draft 2020-12, OpenAPI 3.1) with toJsonSchema().
• Laravel style string rules ('required|email|max:255') still work with v.fromRules().
• No dependencies.

Quick start

import 'package:dox_validation/dox_validation.dart';

final ObjectSchema createUser = v.object(<String, Schema<Object?>>{
  'name': v.string().trim().min(3).max(50),
  'email': v.string().email(),
  'age': v.coerce.int().min(18).optional(),
  'role': v.enumOf<String>(<String>['admin', 'user']).defaultTo('user'),
  'tags': v.list(v.string()).max(5),
});

// Throws ValidationException when the input is not valid.
Map<String, dynamic> data = createUser.parse(input);

// Never throws for bad input.
ParseResult<Map<String, dynamic>> result = createUser.safeParse(input);
if (!result.success) {
  print(result.errors); // {'email': 'The email is not a valid email'}
  for (ValidationIssue issue in result.issues) {
    print('${issue.path} ${issue.code} ${issue.message}');
  }
}

Schemas

Schema	Notes
v.string()	min, max, length, nonEmpty, email, url, uuid, ip, datetime, regex, startsWith, endsWith, includes, alpha, alphaDash, alphaNumeric, trim, toLowerCase, toUpperCase
v.int(), v.num()	min, max, gt, lt, positive, nonNegative, multipleOf
v.bool()
v.date()	DateTime only. min, max
v.enumOf([...]), v.literal(x)
v.list(item)	min, max, nonEmpty
v.object({...})	strict, passthrough, strip, pick, omit, extend, partial
v.map(values, keys: ...)	any keys
v.union([...])	first match wins
v.any(), v.file()	file() takes a FileInput. image, extensions

On every schema: optional(), nullable(), nullish(), defaultTo(x), transform(fn), refine(fn), refineAsync(fn), superRefine(fn), use(rule), describe(text), example(x).

• optional(): the key may be missing. null is still an error.
• nullable(): the value may be null. The key must be there.
• nullish(): both.
• defaultTo(x): default is a reserved word in Dart, so the name is different.

Coercion

Query strings and form data are text. v.coerce turns text into the right type first.

v.coerce.int().parse('42');       // 42
v.coerce.num().parse('4.5');      // 4.5
v.coerce.bool().parse('on');      // true  (true/1/yes/on, false/0/no/off)
v.coerce.date().parse('2024-01-31');
v.coerce.string().parse(5);       // '5'

Async checks

final StringSchema email = v.string().email().refineAsync(
  (String value) async {
    return !(await users.emailExists(value));
  },
  message: 'The {field} is already taken',
);

await email.parseAsync('[e-mail]');

parse() throws a StateError when a schema has async checks. Use parseAsync() or safeParseAsync().

Object checks

final ObjectSchema signUp = v.object(<String, Schema<Object?>>{
  'password': v.string().min(8),
  'confirm': v.string(),
}).refine((Map<String, dynamic> data) {
  return data['password'] == data['confirm'];
}, message: 'Passwords do not match', path: <Object>['confirm']);

Custom rules

Extend Rule for a check you want to reuse. Add an extension method to make it look like a built-in method.

class SlugRule extends Rule<String> {
  SlugRule({super.message});

  @override
  String get name {
    return 'slug';
  }

  @override
  String get defaultMessage {
    return 'The {field} must be a slug';
  }

  @override
  bool check(String value, RuleContext context) {
    return RegExp(r'^[a-z0-9-]+$').hasMatch(value);
  }

  // Optional: shown in toJsonSchema().
  @override
  Map<String, dynamic> toJsonSchema() {
    return <String, dynamic>{'pattern': r'^[a-z0-9-]+$'};
  }
}

extension SlugMethods on StringSchema {
  StringSchema slug({String? message}) {
    return use(SlugRule(message: message));
  }
}

v.string().min(3).slug();

• For a database check, extend AsyncRule and implement checkAsync.
• Add values for the message with the params getter, like {'count': 3} for {count}.
• RuleContext gives path, field, root (the whole input) and lookup('other.field').

Messages

Each issue has a code, like required or min_length (see IssueCodes). Messages are found in this order:

1. The message on the rule: .min(3, message: 'Too short').
2. messages['path.code'], like email.required or items.*.name.required.
3. messages['code'], like required.
4. The default English text (see DefaultMessages).

Placeholders: {field} (last key in the path), {value}, and rule values like {min} and {max}. Old dox %s placeholders also work.

// Global messages
v.messages.setMessages(<String, String>{'required': 'Please fill in {field}'});

// For one call
createUser.safeParse(input, messages: MessageResolver(messages: <String, String>{
  'email.required': 'We need your email',
}));

// For i18n, extend MessageResolver and override resolve().
v.messages = MyGermanResolver();

Laravel style rules

v.fromRules() builds an ObjectSchema from the rule strings that dox apps already use.

final ObjectSchema rules = v.fromRules(<String, String>{
  'email': 'required|email|max:255',
  'age': 'nullable|integer|min:18',
  'nickname': 'sometimes|required|string',
  'address.city': 'required',
  'products.*.name': 'required',
}, messages: <String, String>{
  'email.required': 'Email please',
});

rules.parse(request.all());

How it works:

• A missing field that is not required skips all its other rules.
• Empty text that is not required also skips other rules.
• nullable: null is fine.
• sometimes: skip everything when the field is missing, even required.
• Each field stops at its first failed rule, so there is one message per field.
• Dotted keys make nested objects. * makes a list.
• The output has only the fields that have rules. The values are not changed.
• An unknown rule name throws an ArgumentError when the schema is built.

Rules: required, required_if, required_if_not, string, numeric, integer, double, boolean, array, json, date, email, ip, url, uuid, alpha, alpha_dash, alpha_numeric, min_length, max_length, length_between, between, greater_than, less_than, min, max, in, not_in, start_with, end_with, confirmed, image, file, plus the flags nullable, sometimes, bail.

min and max check text length when the field also has string, list size for lists, and the number value otherwise.

Add your own rule name:

v.registerRule('unique', (RuleDefinition definition) {
  return UniqueRule(table: definition.arg(0)); // 'unique:users'
});

For dependency injection, make your own Validator(registry: RuleRegistry.withDefaults()) instead of using the global v.

JSON Schema

v.object(<String, Schema<Object?>>{
  'email': v.string().email().describe('Login email'),
  'age': v.int().min(18).nullable(),
  'role': v.enumOf<String>(<String>['admin', 'user']).defaultTo('user'),
}).strict().toJsonSchema();

{
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "email": { "type": "string", "format": "email", "description": "Login email" },
    "age": { "type": ["integer", "null"], "minimum": 18 },
    "role": { "type": "string", "enum": ["admin", "user"], "default": "user" }
  },
  "required": ["email", "age"],
  "additionalProperties": false
}

v.fromRules(...) schemas export JSON Schema too.

Standard Schema

Every schema implements StandardSchema<Object?, O>:

abstract class StandardSchema<I, O> {
  String get vendor;   // 'dox'
  int get version;     // 1
  FutureOr<StandardResult<O>> validate(Object? value);
}

Code that only needs to validate can accept any StandardSchema, from dox or from another library.

• validate returns a plain result for sync schemas and a Future for async ones.
• On success, issues is an empty list (the JS spec uses undefined).