Validating symfony collection based on getters instead of properties - php

Question

I have 2 questions regarding validation. I make a lot of use of property methods (getters) in my entities (nicer code imho). This is one such entity:
class Spec2Events implements ValueAssignable
{
private $values;
/**
* #return \Doctrine\Common\Collections\Collection
*/
public function getValues()
{
return $this->values;
}
/**
* #return \Doctrine\Common\Collections\Collection
*/
public function getCauseOfDeathValues()
{
$codPms=array();
array_push($codPms,'Cause of death::Natural');
array_push($codPms,'Cause of death::Bycatch');
array_push($codPms,'Cause of death::Ship strike');
array_push($codPms,'Cause of death::Predation');
array_push($codPms,'Cause of death::Other');
array_push($codPms,'Cause of death::Unknown');
return $this->getValues()->filter(
function($entry) use ($codPms) {
return in_array($entry->getPmdSeqno()->getName(), $codPms);
}
);
}
}
$values in this case is a collection of SpecimenValues (which implements EntityValues). ValueAssignables have a collection of EntityValues.
An EntityValuesType class is the form for any class that implements EntityValues. This form has some text or choice childs.
EntityValuesType forms are called like this:
$builder->add('causeOfDeathValues', 'collection', array('type' => new EntityValuesType($this->doctrine),
'options' => array('data_class' => 'AppBundle\Entity\SpecimenValues'),
'allow_delete' => true,
'delete_empty' => true
)); //in order to check if using a class getter as a property works (fails)
$builder->add('values', 'collection', array('type' => new EntityValuesType($this->doctrine),
'options' => array('data_class' => 'AppBundle\Entity\SpecimenValues'),
'allow_delete' => true,
'delete_empty' => true
)); //in order to check if using a class member as a property works (works)
Validation.yml for SpecimenValues looks like this:
AppBundle\Entity\SpecimenValues:
properties:
pmdSeqno:
- NotBlank: ~
- NotNull: ~
s2eScnSeqno:
- NotBlank: ~
- NotNull: ~
description:
- Length:
min: 0
max: 250
value:
- NotBlank: ~
- NotNull: ~
- Length:
min: 1
max: 50
valueFlag:
- Length:
min: 0
max: 50
The Controller looks like this:
public function newAction()
{
$observation = $this->prepareObservation();
$form = $this->createForm(new ObservationsType($this->getDoctrine()), $observation);
return $this->render('AppBundle:Page:add-observations-specimens.html.twig', array(
'form' => $form->createView()
));
}
private function prepareObservation(){
$observation = new Observations();
$event = new EventStates();
$observation->setEseSeqno($event);
$s2e = new Spec2Events();
$event->setSpec2Events($s2e);
$this->instantiateSpecimenValues('Cause of death::Natural', $s2e, false);
$this->instantiateSpecimenValues('Cause of death::Bycatch', $s2e, false);
$this->instantiateSpecimenValues('Cause of death::Ship strike', $s2e, false);
$this->instantiateSpecimenValues('Cause of death::Predation', $s2e, false);
$this->instantiateSpecimenValues('Cause of death::Other', $s2e, false);
$this->instantiateSpecimenValues('Cause of death::Unknown', $s2e, false);
//...
return $observation;
}
private function instantiateSpecimenValues($pmName, &$s2e, $mustBeFlagged)
{
$em = $this->getDoctrine()->getManager();
$pm = $em->getRepository("AppBundle:ParameterMethods")->getParameterMethodByName($pmName);
$sv = new SpecimenValues();
$sv->setPmdSeqno($pm);
$sv->setS2eScnSeqno($s2e);
$sv->setValueFlagRequired($mustBeFlagged);
return $sv;
}
Now, my problem is that empty values are not blocked by the validator (no form error message appears).
If I add a validation constraint programmatically in FormEvents::PRE_SET_DATA, like this:
$options2['constraints'] = array(new \Symfony\Component\Validator\Constraints\NotNull());
it works, but the constraints placed in the .yml file are ignored. Is it possible to combine doing this 'programmatically' AND with validation.yml? In any case I'll write a callback to add in the .yml, so I prefer validation.yml.
Using a form child with name 'values', corresponding to the pure class member variable, works as it should: all required empty fields get a message. All other validation works normally.
What could solve this? I could also use 'values' and use twig to split the collection, but I like using methods as property accessors better.
Thanks!

Answer 1

I've solved this simply by creating the fields both as getters and as properties. The properties themselves are set in the setters. This is necessary otherwise the validator is never called.
So:
/**
* #var \Doctrine\Common\Collections\Collection
* #ORM\OneToMany(targetEntity="AppBundle\Entity\SpecimenValues", mappedBy="s2eScnSeqno")
*/
private $values;
private $causeOfDeathValues;
/**
* #param \Doctrine\Common\Collections\Collection $values
* #return Spec2Events
*/
public function setCauseOfDeathValues(\Doctrine\Common\Collections\Collection $values)
{
$this->causeOfDeathValues=$values;
$this->values= new \Doctrine\Common\Collections\ArrayCollection(
array_merge($this->getValues()->toArray(), $values->toArray())
);
return $this;
}