NAME¶
Data::FormValidator::Constraints::DateTime - D::FV constraints for dates and
times
DESCRIPTION¶
This package provides constraint routines for Data::FormValidator for dealing
with dates and times. It provides an easy mechanism for validating dates of
any format (using
strptime(3)) and transforming those dates (as long as
you 'untaint' the fields) into valid DateTime objects, or into strings that
would be properly formatted for various database engines.
ABSTRACT¶
use Data::FormValidator;
use Data::FormValidator::Constraints::DateTime qw(:all);
# create our profile
my $profile = {
required => [qw(my_date)],
constraint_methods => {
my_date => to_datetime('%D'), # in the format MM/DD/YYYY
},
untaint_all_constraints => 1,
};
# validate 'my_date'
my $results = Data::FormValidator->check($my_input, $profile);
if( $results->success ) {
# if we got here then $results->valid('my_date')
# is a valid DateTime object
my $datetime = $results->valid('my_date');
.
.
}
Most of the validation routines provided by this module use
strptime(3)
format strings to know what format your date string is in before we can
process it. You specify this format for each date you want to validate using
by passing it to constraint generation routine (see the example above).
We use DateTime::Format::Strptime for this transformation. If you need a list of
these formats (if you haven't yet committed them to memory) you can see the
strptime(3) man page (if you are on a *nix system) or you can see the
DateTime::Format::Strptime documentation.
There are however some routines that can live without the format param. These
include routines which try and validate according to rules for a particular
database ("to_mysql_*" and "to_pg_*"). If no format is
provided, then we will attempt to validate according to the rules for that
datatype in that database (using DateTime::Format::MySQL and
DateTime::Format::Pg). Here are some examples:
without a format param
my $profile = {
required => [qw(my_date)],
constraint_methods => {
my_date => to_mysql_datetime(),
},
};
with a format param
my $profile = {
required => [qw(my_date)],
constraint_methods => {
my_date => to_mysql_datetime('%m/%d/%Y'),
},
};
Using
strptime(3) format strings gives a lot of flexibility, but
sometimes not enough. Suppose you have a web form that allows the user to
input a date in the format '11/21/2006' or simply '11/21/06'. A simple format
string is not enough. To take full advantage of the DateTime project, any
place that you can pass in a
strptime(3) format string, you can also
pass in a DateTime::Format object. To solve the above problem you might have
code that looks like this:
# your formatter code
package MyProject::DateTime::FlexYear;
use DateTime::Format::Strptime;
use DateTime::Format::Builder (
parsers => {
parse_datetime => [
sub { eval { DateTime::Format::Strptime->new(pattern => '%m/%d/%Y')->parse_datetime($_[1]) } },
sub { eval { DateTime::Format::Strptime->new(pattern => '%m/%d/%y')->parse_datetime($_[1]) } },
]
}
);
1;
# in your web validation code
my $profile = {
required => [qw(my_date)],
constraint_methods => {
my_date => to_mysql_datetime(MyProject::DateTime::FlexYear->new()),
},
};
VALIDATION ROUTINES¶
Following is the list of validation routines that are provided by this module.
to_datetime¶
The routine will validate the date aginst a
strptime(3) format and change
the date string into a DateTime object. This routine
must have an
accompanying strptime format param.
If the value is untainted (using "untaint_all_constraints" or
"untaint_constraint_fields", it will change the date string into a
DateTime object.
ymd_to_datetime¶
This routine is used to take multiple inputs (one each for the year, month, and
day) and combine them into a DateTime object, validate the resulting date, and
give you the resulting DateTime object in your "valid()" results. It
must receive as "params" the year, month, and day inputs in that
order. You may also specify additional "params" that will be
interpretted as 'hour', 'minute' and 'second' values to use. If none are
provided, then the time '00:00:00' will be used.
my $profile = {
required => [qw(my_year)],
constraint_methods => {
my_year => ymd_to_datetime(qw(my_year my_month my_day my_hour my_min my_sec)),
},
};
If the value is untainted (using "untaint_all_constraints" or
"untaint_constraint_fields", it will change the date string into a
DateTime object.
before_today¶
This routine will validate the date and make sure it less than or equal to today
(using "DateTime->today"). It takes one param which is the
<strptime|DateTime::Format::Strptime> format string for the date.
If it validates and you tell D::FV to untaint this parameter it will be
converted into a DateTime object.
# make sure they weren't born in the future
my $profile = {
required => [qw(birth_date)],
constraint_methods => {
birth_date => before_today('%m/%d/%Y'),
},
};
If the value is untainted (using "untaint_all_constraints" or
"untaint_constraint_fields", it will change the date string into a
DateTime object.
after_today¶
This routine will validate the date and make sure it is greater than or equal to
today (using "DateTime->today()"). It takes only one param, which
is the strptime format for the date being validated.
If it validates and you tell D::FV to untaint this parameter it will be
converted into a DateTime object.
# make sure the project isn't already due
my $profile = {
required => [qw(death_date)],
constraint_methods => {
death_date => after_today('%m/%d/%Y'),
},
untaint_all_constraints => 1,
};
If the value is untainted (using "untaint_all_constraints" or
"untaint_constraint_fields", it will change the date string into a
DateTime object.
ymd_before_today¶
This routine will validate the date and make sure it less than or equal to today
(using "DateTime->today"). It works just like ymd_to_datetime in
the parameters it takes.
If it validates and you tell D::FV to untaint this parameter it will be
converted into a DateTime object.
# make sure they weren't born in the future
my $profile = {
required => [qw(birth_date)],
constraint_methods => {
birth_date => ymd_before_today(qw(dob_year dob_month dob_day)),
},
untaint_all_constraints => 1,
};
If the value is untainted (using "untaint_all_constraints" or
"untaint_constraint_fields", it will change the date string into a
DateTime object.
ymd_after_today¶
This routine will validate the date and make sure it greater than or equal to
today (using "DateTime->today"). It works just like
ymd_to_datetime in the parameters it takes.
If it validates and you tell D::FV to untaint this parameter it will be
converted into a DateTime object.
# make sure the project isn't already due
my $profile = {
required => [qw(due_date)],
constraint_methods => {
birth_date => ymd_after_today(qw(dob_year dob_month dob_day)),
},
untaint_all_constraints => 1,
};
If the value is untainted (using "untaint_all_constraints" or
"untaint_constraint_fields", it will change the date string into a
DateTime object.
before_datetime¶
This routine will validate the date and make sure it occurs before the specified
date. It takes two params:
- •
- first, the strptime format
(for both the date we are validating and also the date we want to compare
against)
- •
- second, the date we are comparing against.
This date we are comparing against can either be a specified date (using a
scalar ref), or a named parameter from your form (using a scalar
name).
If it validates and you tell D::FV to untaint this parameter it will be
converted into a DateTime object.
# make sure they were born before 1979
my $profile = {
required => [qw(birth_date)],
constraint_methods => {
birth_date => before_datetime('%m/%d/%Y', '01/01/1979'),
},
untaint_all_constraints => 1,
};
If the value is untainted (using "untaint_all_constraints" or
"untaint_constraint_fields", it will change the date string into a
DateTime object.
after_datetime¶
This routine will validate the date and make sure it occurs after the specified
date. It takes two params:
- •
- first, the strptime format
(for both the date we are validating and also the date we want to compare
against)
- •
- second, the date we are comparing against.
This date we are comparing against can either be a specified date (using a
scalar ref), or a named parameter from your form (using a scalar
name).
# make sure they died after they were born
my $profile = {
required => [qw(birth_date death_date)],
constraint_methods => {
death_date => after_datetime('%m/%d/%Y', 'birth_date'),
},
untaint_all_constraints => 1,
};
If the value is untainted (using "untaint_all_constraints" or
"untaint_constraint_fields", it will change the date string into a
DateTime object.
between_datetimes¶
This routine will validate the date and make sure it occurs after the first
specified date and before the second specified date. It takes three params:
- •
- first, the strptime format
(for both the date we are validating and also the dates we want to compare
against)
- •
- second, the first date we are comparing against.
- •
- third, the second date we are comparing against.
This date (and the second) we are comparing against can either be a
specified date (using a scalar ref), or a named parameter from your form
(using a scalar name).
# make sure they died after they were born
my $profile = {
required => [qw(birth_date death_date marriage_date)],
constraint_methods => {
marriage_date => between_datetimes('%m/%d/%Y', 'birth_date', 'death_date'),
},
untaint_all_constraints => 1,
};
If the value is untainted (using "untaint_all_constraints" or
"untaint_constraint_fields", it will change the date string into a
DateTime object.
to_mysql_datetime¶
The routine will change the date string into a DATETIME datatype suitable for
MySQL. If you don't provide a format parameter then this routine will just
validate the data as a valid MySQL DATETIME datatype (using
DateTime::Format::MySQL).
If the value is untainted (using "untaint_all_constraints" or
"untaint_constraint_fields", it will change the date string into a
DateTime object.
to_mysql_date¶
The routine will change the date string into a DATE datatype suitable for MySQL.
If you don't provide a format param then this routine will validate the data
as a valid DATE datatype in MySQL (using DateTime::Format::MySQL).
If the value is untainted (using "untaint_all_constraints" or
"untaint_constraint_fields", it will change the date string into a
DateTime object.
to_mysql_timestamp¶
The routine will change the date string into a TIMESTAMP datatype suitable for
MySQL. If you don't provide a format then the data will be validated as a
MySQL TIMESTAMP datatype.
If the value is untainted (using "untaint_all_constraints" or
"untaint_constraint_fields", it will change the date string into a
DateTime object.
to_pg_datetime¶
The routine will change the date string into a DATETIME datatype suitable for
PostgreSQL. If you don't provide a format then the data will validated as a
DATETIME datatype in PostgreSQL (using DateTime::Format::Pg).
If the value is untainted (using "untaint_all_constraints" or
"untaint_constraint_fields", it will change the date string into a
DateTime object.
AUTHOR¶
Michael Peters <mpeters@plusthree.com>
Thanks to Plus Three, LP (
http://www.plusthree.com) for sponsoring my work on
this module
CONTRIBUTORS¶
- Mark Stosberg <mark@summersault.com>
- Charles Frank <cfrank@plusthree.com>
- Aaron Ross <aaronelliotross@gmail.com>
SUPPORT¶
This module is a part of the larger Data::FormValidator project. If you have
questions, comments, bug reports or feature requests, please join the
Data::FormValidator's mailing list.
CAVEAT¶
When passing parameters to typical Data::FormValidator constraints you pass
plain scalars to refer to query params and scalar-refs to refer to literals.
We get around that in this module by assuming everything could be refering to
a query param, and if one is not found, then it's a literal. This works well
unless you have query params with names like '01/02/2005' or '%m/%d/%Y'.
And if you do, shame on you for having such horrible names.
SEE ALSO¶
Data::FormValidator, DateTime. DateTime::Format::Strptime,
DateTime::Format::MySQL, DateTime::Format::Pg
COPYRIGHT & LICENSE¶
Copyright Michael Peters 2010, all rights reserved.
This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under
the same terms as Perl itself.