Validator Facade

The Validator Facade provides a static interface for validating data against rules. It acts as a gateway to the validation system, allowing you to create validator instances, define validation rules, customize error messages, and extend validation functionality with custom rules. The facade resolves to the \Hypervel\Validation\Contracts\Factory interface, which manages validator instance creation and rule registration.

For HTTP request validation patterns, see Request and Response. For testing validation behavior, see Facade Mocking.

Purpose and Scope

The Validator Facade enables:

• Creating validator instances with make() and performing inline validation with validate()
• Applying built-in validation rules covering data types, formats, comparisons, and database existence
• Registering custom validation rules via extend(), extendImplicit(), and extendDependent()
• Customizing error messages and attribute display names
• Accessing validation results, errors, and validated data

Sources: src/Facades/Validator.php1-197

Facade Resolution

The Validator Facade resolves through the service container to the validation factory implementation.

Sources: src/Facades/Validator.php193-196

Basic Usage Patterns

Creating Validator Instances

The make() method creates a validator instance with data, rules, custom messages, and attribute names:

The validate() method performs validation and returns validated data or throws an exception:

Method	Returns	Behavior on Failure
make()	Validator instance	No exception, use passes()/fails()
validate()	Validated data array	Throws validation exception

Sources: src/Facades/Validator.php10-11

Validation Lifecycle

Sources: src/Facades/Validator.php25-47

Built-in Validation Rules

The Validator provides over 100 built-in validation rules organized into functional categories.

Rule Categories

Sources: src/Facades/Validator.php74-186

Common Validation Rules

Rule Category	Methods	Purpose
Required	validateRequired(), validateRequiredIf(), validateRequiredUnless()	Ensure field presence
Type Checking	validateString(), validateInteger(), validateBoolean(), validateArray()	Verify data types
Format	validateEmail(), validateUrl(), validateUuid(), validateJson()	Check specific formats
Size Constraints	validateMin(), validateMax(), validateBetween(), validateSize()	Validate lengths/sizes
String Patterns	validateAlpha(), validateAlphaDash(), validateAlphaNum(), validateRegex()	Pattern matching
Comparison	validateSame(), validateDifferent(), validateConfirmed()	Compare fields
Database	validateExists(), validateUnique()	Check database records
File	validateFile(), validateImage(), validateMimes(), validateExtensions()	Validate uploads
Date/Time	validateDate(), validateDateFormat(), validateBefore(), validateAfter()	Temporal validation
Conditional	validateRequiredWith(), validateProhibitedIf(), validateExcludeIf()	Context-dependent rules

Sources: src/Facades/Validator.php74-186

Custom Rules and Extensions

The Validator supports three types of custom rule extensions, each with different validation behaviors.

Extension Types

Sources: src/Facades/Validator.php12-15

Extension Method Signatures

Method	Parameters	When Runs	Use Case
extend()	(string $rule, \Closure|string $extension, string|null $message)	Attribute present	Standard custom validation
extendImplicit()	(string $rule, \Closure|string $extension, string|null $message)	Always	Required-like rules
extendDependent()	(string $rule, \Closure|string $extension, string|null $message)	Attribute present	Cross-field validation
replacer()	(string $rule, \Closure|string $replacer)	After failure	Custom error formatting

Sources: src/Facades/Validator.php12-15

Adding Extensions to Instances

Validator instances can also have extensions added directly:

Method	Purpose
addExtension()	Add single standard extension
addExtensions()	Add multiple standard extensions
addImplicitExtension()	Add single implicit extension
addImplicitExtensions()	Add multiple implicit extensions
addDependentExtension()	Add single dependent extension
addDependentExtensions()	Add multiple dependent extensions
addReplacer()	Add single message replacer
addReplacers()	Add multiple message replacers

Sources: src/Facades/Validator.php50-57

Error Messages and Attributes

Message Customization Flow

Sources: src/Facades/Validator.php31-71

Message Configuration Methods

Method	Purpose	Example
setCustomMessages(array $messages)	Override default error messages	Custom validation text per rule
setAttributeNames(array $attributes)	Set display names for attributes	"email" → "Email Address"
addCustomAttributes(array $attributes)	Add attribute names without replacing	Merge with existing names
setValueNames(array $values)	Set display names for values	"1" → "Yes", "0" → "No"
addCustomValues(array $customValues)	Add value names without replacing	Merge with existing values
setFallbackMessages(array $messages)	Set fallback messages	Used when translation missing
setImplicitAttributesFormatter(callable $formatter)	Format implicit attribute names	Custom dot notation formatting

Sources: src/Facades/Validator.php58-64

Accessing Error Information

Method	Returns	Purpose
errors()	MessageBag	Get error message bag
messages()	MessageBag	Alias for errors()
getMessageBag()	MessageBag	Alias for errors()
failed()	array	Get failed rules per attribute
valid()	array	Get validated attributes
invalid()	array	Get invalid attributes

Sources: src/Facades/Validator.php32-37

Validation Results

Checking Validation Status

Sources: src/Facades/Validator.php26-37

Data Access Methods

Method	Returns	Description
validated()	array	Only validated attributes
safe(array|null $keys)	ValidatedInput|array	Safe accessor for validated data
valid()	array	All valid attributes
invalid()	array	All invalid attributes
getData()	array	Original input data
getValue(string $attribute)	mixed	Get single attribute value
attributes()	array	Get attribute display names

Sources: src/Facades/Validator.php29-43

Advanced Features

Database Validation

Database validation rules check for record existence or uniqueness:

Method	Purpose	Parameters
validateExists()	Verify record exists	table,column,value
validateUnique()	Verify value is unique	table,column,except
parseTable()	Parse table name	Connection and table parsing
getQueryColumn()	Resolve column name	Parameter and attribute mapping
guessColumnForQuery()	Infer column from attribute	Convention-based mapping

Sources: src/Facades/Validator.php105-109

Presence Verification

The presence verifier enables database validation:

Method	Purpose
getPresenceVerifier()	Get current verifier instance
setPresenceVerifier(PresenceVerifierInterface $verifier)	Configure database verifier

Sources: src/Facades/Validator.php20-21

Conditional Validation

Sources: src/Facades/Validator.php48-49

Rule Management

Method	Purpose
getRules()	Get all defined rules
getRulesWithoutPlaceholders()	Get rules with placeholders resolved
setRules(array $rules)	Replace all rules
addRules(array $rules)	Add/merge additional rules
hasRule(string $attribute, array|string $rules)	Check if attribute has specific rule

Sources: src/Facades/Validator.php44-47

Data Manipulation

Method	Purpose
setData(array $data)	Replace validation data
setValue(string $attribute, mixed $value)	Set individual attribute value
parseData(array $data)	Parse and prepare data for validation

Sources: src/Facades/Validator.php24-43

After Validation Hooks

The after() method registers callbacks that run after validation completes:

Sources: src/Facades/Validator.php25

Exception Handling

Method	Purpose
getException()	Get exception class name for failures
setException(string|\Throwable $exception)	Configure custom exception class
validateWithBag(string $errorBag)	Validate with named error bag

Sources: src/Facades/Validator.php28-66

Integration with Container

The Validator integrates with the PSR-11 service container for dependency resolution:

Method	Purpose
getContainer()	Get current container instance
setContainer(\Psr\Container\ContainerInterface $container)	Configure dependency injection container
resolver(\Closure $resolver)	Set custom validator resolver

Sources: src/Facades/Validator.php18-23

Parameter Handling

Validation rules often require parameters that are parsed and validated:

Method	Purpose
parseNamedParameters(array $parameters)	Parse named parameter syntax
parseDependentRuleParameters(array $parameters)	Parse dependent rule parameters
requireParameterCount(int $count, array $parameters, string $rule)	Validate parameter count

Sources: src/Facades/Validator.php167-186

Translation Integration

The Validator uses the translation service for internationalized error messages:

Method	Purpose
getTranslator()	Get translator instance
setTranslator(Translator $translator)	Configure translator service

For translation features, see Localization.

Sources: src/Facades/Validator.php19-68

Summary

The Validator Facade provides:

• Static access to validation factory via FactoryContract::class resolution
• Over 100 built-in validation rules covering types, formats, comparisons, and files
• Three extension types: standard (extend), implicit (extendImplicit), and dependent (extendDependent)
• Comprehensive error message customization through messages, attributes, values, and replacers
• Validation result access via passes(), fails(), validated(), and error retrieval methods
• Advanced features including conditional validation, database checks, and after-validation hooks

Sources: src/Facades/Validator.php1-197