Stannum

A library for defining and validating data structures.

Stannum defines the following objects:

• Constraints: A validator object that responds to #match, #matches? and #errors_for for a given object.
• Contracts: A collection of constraints about an object or its properties. Obeys the Constraint interface.
• Errors: Data object for storing validation errors. Supports arbitrary nesting of errors.
• Entities: Defines a mutable data object with a specified set of typed attributes.

Stannum provides a framework-independent toolkit for defining structured data entities and validations. It provides a middle ground between unstructured data (raw Hashes, Structs, or libraries like Hashie) and full frameworks like ActiveModel.

First and foremost, Stannum provides you with the tools to validate your data. Using a Stannum::Constraint, you can apply your validation logic to literally any object, whether pure Ruby or from any framework or toolkit. Stannum provides a range of pre-defined constraints, including constraints for validating object types, defined methods, and more. You can also define custom constraints for any check that can output either true or false.

Finally, you can combine your constraints into a Stannum::Contract to combine multiple validations of your object and its properties. Stannum provides pre-defined contracts for asserting on objects, Arrays, Hashes, and even method parameters.

Stannum also defines the Stannum::Entity module for defining structured data entities that are not tied to any framework or datastore. Stannum entities have more functionality and a friendlier interface than a core library Struct, provide more structure than a Hash or hash-like object (such as an OpenStruct or Hashie::Mash), and are completely independent from the source of the data. Need to load seed data from a YAML configuration file, perform operations in a SQL database, cross-reference with a MongoDB data store, and use an in-memory data array for lightning-fast tests? A Stannum::Entity won't fight you every step of the way.

Stannum is not tied to any framework. You can create constraints and contracts to validate Ruby objects and Entities, data structures such as Arrays, Hashes, and Sets, and even framework objects such as ActiveRecord::Models and Mongoid::Documents.

Still, most projects and applications use one framework to handle their data. Why use Stannum constraints?

• Composability: Because Stannum contracts are their own objects, they can be combined together. Reuse validation logic without duplicating code or defining abstract ancestor classes .
• Polymorphism: Your data validation is separate from your model definitions. This gives you two major advantages over the traditional approach:
  • You can use the same contract to validate different objects. Do you have a shared concern that cuts across multiple domain objects, such as attaching images, having comments, or creating an audit trail? You can write one contract for the concern and apply that same contract to each applicable model or object.
  • You can use different contracts to validate the same object in different contexts. Need different validations for a regular user versus an admin? Need to handle published articles more strictly than drafts? Need to provide custom validations for each step in your state machine? Stannum has you covered, and because contracts are composable, you can pull in the constraints you need without duplicating your logic.
• Separation of Concerns: Your data validation is independent from your entities. This means that you can use the same tools to validate anything from controller parameters to models to configuration files.

Stannum is tested against Ruby (MRI) 3.1 through 3.3.

Documentation is generated using YARD, and can be generated locally using the yard gem.

Copyright (c) 2019-2024 Rob Smith

Stannum is released under the MIT License.

The canonical repository for this gem is located at https://github.com/sleepingkingstudios/stannum.

To report a bug or submit a feature request, please use the Issue Tracker.

To contribute code, please fork the repository, make the desired updates, and then provide a Pull Request. Pull requests must include appropriate tests for consideration, and all code must be properly formatted.

Please note that the Stannum project is released with a Contributor Code of Conduct. By contributing to this project, you agree to abide by its terms.

require 'stannum/constraint'

Constraints provide the foundation for data validation in Stannum. Fundamentally, each Stannum::Constraintencapsulates a predicate - a statement that can be either true or false - that can be applied to other objects. If the statement is true about the object, that object "matches" the constraint. If the statement is false, the object does not match the constraint.

The easiest way to define a constraint is by passing a block to Stannum::Constraint.new:

constraint = Stannum::Constraint.new do |object|
  object.is_a?(String) && !object.empty?
end

Here, we've created a very simple constraint, which will match any non-empty string and will not match empty strings or other objects. When you define a constraint using Stannum::Constraint.new, the constraint will pass for an object if and only if the block returns true for that object. We can also pass in additional metadata about the constraint such as a type or message to display - we will revisit this in Errors, Types and Messages, below.

Defining a constraint is only half the battle - next, we need to use the constraint. Each Stannum::Constraint defines a standard set of methods to match objects.

First, the #matches? method will return true if the object matches the constraint, and will return false if the object does not match.

constraint.matches?(nil)
#=> false

constraint.matches?('')
#=> false

constraint.matches?('Greetings, programs!')
#=> true

Knowing that an object does not match isn't always enough information - we need to know why. Stannum defines the Stannum::Errors object for this purpose (see Errors, below). We can use the #match method to both check whether an object matches the constraint and return any errors with one method call.

status, errors = constraint.matches?(nil)
status
#=> false
errors
#=> an instance of Stannum::Errors
errors.empty?
#=> false

status, errors = constraint.matches?('Greetings, programs!')
status
#=> true
errors
#=> an instance of Stannum::Errors
errors.empty?
#=> true

Finally, if we already know that an object does not match the constraint, we can check its errors using the #errors_for method.

errors = constraint.errors_for(nil)
#=> an instance of Stannum::Errors
errors.empty?
#=> false

Important Note: Stannum does not guarantee that #errors_for will return an empty Errors object for an object that matches the constraint. Always check whether the object matches the constraint before checking the errors.

A constraint can also be used to check if an object does not match the constraint. Each Stannum::Constraint defines helpers for the negated use case.

The #does_not_match? method is the inverse of #matches?. It will return false if the object matches the constraint, and will return true if the object does not match.

constraint.does_not_match?(nil)
#=> true

constraint.does_not_match?('')
#=> true

constraint.does_not_match?('Greetings, programs!')
#=> false

Negated matches can also generate errors objects. Whereas the errors from a standard match will list how the object fails to match the constraint, the errors from a negated match will list how the object does match the constraint. The #negated_match method will both check that the object does not match the constraint and return the relevant errors, while the #negated_errors_for method will return the negated errors for a matching object.

We can customize the error returned by the constraint for a non-matching object by setting the constraint type and/or message.

constraint = Stannum::Constraint.new(
  message: 'must be even',
  type:    'example.constraints.even'
) { |i| i.even? }

The constraint #type identifies the kind of constraint. For example, a case or conditional statement that checks for an error of a particular variety would look at the error's type. The constraint #message, on the other hand, is a human-readable description of the error. A flash message or rendered might use the error's message to display the status to the user. An API response might provide both the type and the message.

The constraint type and message are used to generate the corresponding error:

errors = constraint.errors_for(nil)
errors.count
#=> 1
errors.first.message
#=> 'must be even'
errors.first.type
#=> 'example.constraints.even'

The error message can also be generated automatically from the type (see Generating Messages, below).

Defining a subclass of Stannum::Constraint allows for greater control over the predicate logic and the generated errors.

class EvenIntegerConstraint < Stannum::Constraint
  NEGATED_TYPE = 'examples.constraints.odd'
  TYPE         = 'examples.constraints.even'

  def errors_for(actual, errors: nil)
    return super if actual.is_a?(Integer)

    (errors || Stannum::Errors.new)
      .add('examples.constraints.type', type: Integer)
  end

  def matches?(actual)
    actual.is_a?(Integer) && actual.even?
  end
end

Let's take it from the top. We start by defining ::NEGATED_TYPE and ::TYPE constraints. These serve two purposes: first, the constraint will use these values as the default #type and #negated_type properties, without having to pass in values to the constructor. Second, we are declaring the type of error this constraints will return to the rest of the code. This allows us to reference these values elsewhere, such as a case or conditional statement checking for the presense of this error.

Second, we define our #matches? method. This method takes one parameter (the object being matched) and returns either true or false. Our other matching methods - #does_not_match?, #match, and #negated_match - will delegate to this implementation unless we specifically override them.

Finally, we are defining the errors to be returned from our constraint using the #errors_for method. This method takes one required argument actual, which is the object being matched. If the object is an integer, then we fall back to the default behavior: super will add an error with a #type equal to the constraint's #type (or the :type passed into the constructor, if any). If the object is not an integer, then we instead display a custom error. In addition to the error #type, we are defining some error #data. In addition, #errors_for can take an optional keyword :errors, which is either an instance of Stannum::Errors or nil. This allows the user to pass an existing errors object to #errors_for, which will add its own errors to the given errors object instead of creating a new one.

errors = constraint.errors_for(nil)
errors.count
#=> 1
errors.first.type
#=> 'examples.constraints.type'
errors.first.data
#=> { type: Integer }

errors = constraint.errors_for('')
errors.count
#=> 1
errors.first.type
#=> 'examples.constraints.even'
errors.first.data
#=> {}

We can likewise define the behavior of the constraint when negated. We've already set the ::NEGATED_TYPE constant, but we can go further and override the #does_not_match? and/or #negated_errors_for methods as well for full control over the behavior when performing a negated match.

require 'stannum/contract'

A contract is a collection of constraints that validate an object and its properties. Each Stannum::Contract holds a set of Stannum::Constraints, each of which must match an object or the referenced property for that object to match the contract as a whole. Contracts also obey the Constraint interface, and can be used inside other contracts to compose complex or nested validations.

Like constraints, contracts can be created by passing a block to Stannum::Contract.new:

contract = Stannum::Contract.new do
  constraint(type: 'examples.constraints.numeric') do |actual|
    actual.is_a?(Numeric)
  end

  constraint(type: 'examples.constraints.integer') do |actual|
    actual.is_a?(Integer)
  end

  constraint(type: 'examples.constraints.in_range') do |actual|
    actual >= 0 && actual <= 10 rescue false
  end
end

contract.matches?(nil)
#=> false
contract.errors_for(nil).map(&:type)
#=> ['examples.constraints.numeric', 'examples.constraints.integer', 'examples.constraints.in_range']

contract.matches?(99.0)
#=> false
contract.errors_for(99.0).map(&:type)
#=> ['examples.constraints.integer', 'examples.constraints.in_range']

contract.matches?(99)
#=> false
contract.errors_for(99).map(&:type)
#=> ['examples.constraints.in_range']

contract.matches?(5)
#=> true

As you can see, the contract matches the object against each of its constraints. If any of the constraints fail to match the object, then the contract also does not match. Finally, the errors from each failing constraint are aggregated together.

You can also add constraints to an existing contract using the #add_constraint method.

constraint = Stannum::Constraint.new(type: 'examples.constraints.even') do |actual|
  actual.respond_to?(:even) && actual.even?
end

contract.add_constraint(constraint)

contract.matches?(5)
#=> false
contract.errors_for(99).map(&:type)
#=> ['examples.constraints.even']

contract.matches?(6)
#=> true

The #add_constraint method returns the contract, so you can chain multiple #add_constraint calls together.

Like a constraint, a contract can perform a negated match. Whereas an object matches the contract if all of the constraints match the object, the object will pass a negated match if none of the constraints match the object.

contract = Stannum::Contract.new do
  constraint(type: 'examples.constraints.color') do |hsh|
    hsh[:color] == 'red'
  end

  constraint(type: 'examples.constraints.shape') do |hsh|
    hsh[:color] == 'circle'
  end
end

contract.matches?({ color: 'red', shape: 'circle' })
#=> true
contract.does_not_match?({ color: 'red', shape: 'circle' })
#=> false
contract.errors_for({ color: 'red', shape: 'square' }).map(&:type)
#=> ['examples.constraints.color', 'examples.constraints.shape']

contract.matches?({ color: 'red', shape: 'square' })
#=> false
contract.does_not_match?({ color: 'red', shape: 'square' })
#=> false
contract.errors_for({ color: 'red', shape: 'square' }).map(&:type)
#=> ['examples.constraints.color']

contract.matches?({ color: 'blue', shape: 'square'})
#=> false
contract.does_not_match?({ color: 'blue', shape: 'square'})
#=> true

Note that for an object that partially matches the contract, both #matches? and #does_not_match? methods will return false. If you want to check whether any of the constraints do not match the object, use the #matches? method and apply the ! boolean negation operator (or switch from an if to an unless).

Constraints can also define constraints on the properties of the matched object. This is a powerful feature for defining validations on objects and nested data structures. To define a property constraint, use the property macro in a contract constructor block, or use the #add_property_constraint method on an existing contract.

gadget_contract = Stannum::Contract.new do
  property :name, Stannum::Constraints::Presence.new

  property :name, Stannum::Constraints::Types::StringType.new

  property(:size, type: 'examples.constraints.size') do |size|
    %w[small medium large].include?(size)
  end

  property :manufacturer, Stannum::Contract.new do
    constraint Stannum::Constraints::Presence.new

    property :address, Stannum::Constraints::Presence.new
  end
end

There's a lot going on here, so let's break it down. First, we're defining constraints on the properties of the object, rather than on the object as a whole. In particular, note that we're setting multiple constraints on the :name property - an object will only match the contract if it's #name matches both of those constraints.

We're also using some pre-defined constraints, rather than having to start from scratch. The Presence constraint validates that an object is not nil and not #empty?, while the Types::StringType constraint validates that the object is an instance of String. For a full list of pre-defined constraints, see Built-In Constraints and Contracts, below. You can also define your own constraint classes and reference them in your contracts.

Finally, note that the constraint for the :manufacturer property is itself a contract. We are asserting that the actual object has a non-nil #manufacturer property and that the manufacturer's #address is also non-nil (and not #empty?).

gadget = Gadget.new(manufacturer: Manufacturer.new)
gadget_contract.matches?(gadget)
#=> false
gadget_contract.errors_for(gadget).map { |err| [err.path, err.type] }
#=> [
#     [%i[name], 'stannum.constraints.absent'],
#     [%i[name], 'stannum.constraints.is_not_type'],
#     [%i[size], 'examples.constraints.size'],
#     [%i[manufacturer address], 'stannum.constraints.absent']
#   ]

We've established that each error has a #type, which identifies which type of constraint failed to match the object. Here, we can see that each error also has a #path property, which represents the relative path of the property from the original matched object. For example, errors on the gadget.name property will have a path of %i[name], while the error on the gadget.manufacturer.address will have a path of %i[manufacturer address]. A constraint without a property, i.e. on the matched object itself, will have a path of [], an empty string.

The errors for a property or nested contract can also be accessed using the #[] operator or the #dig method.

gadget_contract.errors_for(gadget)[:manufacturer].map { |err| [err.path, err.type] }
#=> [[%i[address], 'stannum.constraints.absent']]

gadget_contract.errors_for(gadget).dig(:manufacturer, :address).map { |err| [err.path, err.type] }
#=> [[[], 'stannum.constraints.absent']]

Be careful when defining property constraints on a contract that might be matched against nil or an unknown object type - Ruby will raise a NoMethodError when trying to access the property. To avoid this, you can add a sanity constraint (see below) to ensure that the contract only validates the expected type of object.

In some cases, before running through the full set of constraints in a contract, we want to run a quick sanity check to make sure the contract is even applicable to the object. By adding sanity: true when defining the constraint, you can mark a constraint as a sanity check.

gadget_contract.add_constraint(Stannum::Constraints::Type.new(Gadget), sanity: true)

When matching an object, all of a contract's sanity constraints will be evaluated first. The remaining constraints will be matched against the object only if all of the sanity constraints match the object. This can be especially important if some of the constraints return nonsensical results or even raise exceptions when given an invalid object.

gadget_contract.matches?(nil)
#=> false
gadget_contract.errors_for(nil).map { |err| [err.path, err.type] }
#=> [[[], 'stannum.constraints.is_not_type']]

Likewise, when performing a negated match, the sanity constraints will be evaluated first, and the remaining constraints will be evaluated only if all of the sanity constraints match.

Stannum provides two mechanisms for composing contracts together. Each contract is a constraint, and so can be added to another contract (with or without a property or scope). This allows you to create and reuse validation logic simply by adding a contract as a constraint:

named_contract = Stannum::Contract.new do
  property :name, Stannum::Constraints::Presence.new
end

widget_contract = Stannum::Contract.new do
  constraint(Stannum::Constraints::Type.new(Widget))

  constraint(named_contract)
end

widget = Widget.new
widget_contract.matches?(Widget.new)
#=> false
widget_contract.matches?(Widget.new(name: 'Whirlygig'))
#=> true

The second mechanism is contract concatenation. Under the hood, concatenation directly pulls in the constraints from a concatenated contract, rather than evaluating that contract on its own. This can be likened to inheriting methods from a superclass or an included Module.

gadget_contract = Stannum::Contract.new do
  constraint(Stannum::Constraints::Type.new(Gadget))

  concat(named_contract)
end

Using concatenation, you have finer control over the constraints that are added to the contract. Specifically, when defining a contract you can mark certain constraints as excluded from concatenation by adding the concatenatable: false keyword to #add_constraint. As an example, this can be useful if you want to inherit constraints about the properties of an object, but not potentially conflicting constraints about the object's type.

By default, a Stannum::Contract accesses an object's properties as method calls, using the . dot notation. When validating Arrays and Hashes, this approach is less useful. Therefore, Stannum provides special contracts for operating on data structures.

A Stannum::Contracts::ArrayContract is used for validating sequential data, using the #[] method to access indexed values.

class BaseballContract < Stannum::Contracts::ArrayContract
  def initialize
    super do
      item { |actual| actual == 'Who' }
      item { |actual| actual == 'What' }
      item { |actual| actual == "I Don't Know" }
    end
  end
end

contract = BaseballContract.new
contract.matches?(nil)
#=> false
contract.errors_for(nil).map { |err| [err.path, err.type] }
#=> [[[], 'stannum.constraints.is_not_type']]

array = %w[Who What]
contract.matches?(array)
#=> false
contract.errors_for(array).map { |err| [err.path, err.type] }
#=> [[[2], 'stannum.constraints.invalid']]

array = ['Who', 'What', "I Don't Know"]
contract.matches?(array)
#=> true

array = ['Who', 'What', "I Don't Know", 'Tomorrow']
contract.matches?(array)
#=> false
contract.errors_for(array).map { |err| [err.path, err.type] }
#=> [[[3], 'stannum.constraints.tuples.extra_items']]

Here, we are defining an ArrayContract using the #item macro, which defines an item constraint for each successive item in the array. We can also define a property constraint using the #property macro, using an Integer as the property to validate. This would allow us to add multiple constraints for the value at a given index, although the recommended approach is to use a nested contract.

When matching an object, the contract first validates that the object is an instance of Array. If not, it will immedidately fail matching and the remaining constraints will not be matched against the object. If the object is an an array, then the contract checks each of the defined constraints against the value of the array at that index.

Finally, the constraint checks for the highest index expected by an item constraint. If the array contains additional items after this index, those items will fail with a type of "extra_items". To allow additional items instead, pass allow_extra_items: true to the ArrayContract constructor.

contract = BaseballContract.new(allow_extra_items: true)
contract.matches?(['Who', 'What', "I Don't Know", 'Tomorrow'])
#=> true

An ArrayContract will first validate that the object is an instance of Array. For validating Array-like objects that access indexed data using the #[] method, you can instead use a Stannum::Contracts::TupleContract.

A Stannum::Contracts::HashContract is used for validating key-value data, using the #[] method to access values by key.

class ResponseContract < Stannum::Contracts::HashContract
  def initialize
    super do
      key :status, Stannum::Constraints::Types::IntegerType.new

      key :json,
        Stannum::Contracts::HashContract.new(allow_extra_keys: true) do
          key :ok, Stannum::Constraints::Boolean.new
        end

      key :signature, Stannum::Constraints::Presence.new
    end
  end
end

contract = ResponseContract.new
contract.matches?(nil)
#=> false
contract.errors_for(nil).map { |err| [err.path, err.type] }
#=> [[[], 'stannum.constraints.is_not_type']]

response = { status: 500, json: {} }
contract.matches?(response)
#=> false
contract.errors_for(response).map { |err| [err.path, err.type] }
#=> [
#     %i[json ok], 'stannum.constraints.is_not_boolean'],
#     %i[signature], 'stannum.constraints.absent'
#   ]

response = { status: 200, json: { ok: true }, signature: '12345' }
contract.matches?(response)
#=> true

response = { status: 200, json: { ok: true }, signature: '12345', role: 'admin' }
#=> false
contract.errors_for(response).map { |err| [err.path, err.type] }
#=> [[%i[role], 'stannum.constraints.hashes.extra_keys']]

We define a HashContract using the #key macro, which defines a key-value constraint for the specified value in the hash. When validating a Hash, the value at each key must match the given constraint. The contract will also fail if there are additional keys without a corresponding constraint. To allow additional keys instead, pass allow_extra_keys: true to the HashContract constructor.

contract = ResponseContract.new(allow_extra_keys: true)
response = { status: 200, json: { ok: true }, signature: '12345', role: 'admin' }
contract.matches?(response)
#=> true

A HashContract will first validate that the object is an instance of Hash. For validating Hash-like objects that access key-value data using the #[] method, you can instead use a Stannum::Contracts::MapContract.

For most use cases, defining a custom contract subclass will involve adding default constraints for the contact. Stannum provides two easy methods for doing so. First, you can leverage the default behavior by passing a block to super in the contract constructor. This will allow you to take advantage of the constraint, property, and other macros.

class GizmoContract
  def initialize(**_options)
    super do
      constraint Stannum::Constraints::Type.new(Gizmo), sanity: true

      property :complexity, Stannum::Constraints::Presence.new
    end
  end
end

As an alternative, Stannum::Contract defines a private #define_constraints method that is used to initialize any constraints.

class WhirlygigContract
  private

  def define_constraints
    super

    constraint Stannum::Constraints::Type.new(Whirlygig), sanity: true

    property :rotation_speed, Stannum::Constraints::Types::Float.new
  end
end

require 'stannum/errors'

When a constraint or contract fails to match an object, Stannum can return the reasons for that failure in the form of an errors object. Specifically, a Stannum::Errors object is returned by calling #errors_for or #negated_errors-for with a failing object, or as part of the result of calling #match or #negated_match.

contract.matches?(nil)
#=> false
contract.errors_for(nil)
#=> an instance of Stannum::Errors
status, errors = contract.match(nil)
status
#=> false
errors
#=> an instance of Stannum::Errors

A Stannum::Errors object is an Enumerable collection, while each error is a Hash with the following properties:

• #type: A unique value that defines what kind of error was encountered. Each error's type should be a namespaced String, e.g. "stannum.constraints.invalid".
• #data: A Hash of additional data about the error. For example, a failed type validation will include the expected type for the value; a failed range validation might include the minimum and maximum allowable values.
• #path: The path of the error relative to the top-level object that was validated. The path is always an Array, and each item in the array is either an Integer or a non-empty Symbol. Some examples:
  • An error on the object itself will have an empty path, [].
  • An error on the item at index 3of an array would have a path of [3].
  • An error on the #name property of an object would have a path of [:name].
  • An error on the address of the first manufacturer would have a path of [:manufacturers, 3, :address].
• #message: A human-readable description of the error. Error messages are not generated by default; either specify a message when defining the constraint, or call #with_messages to generate the error messages based on the error types and data. See Generating Messages, below.

The simplest way to access the errors in a Stannum::Errors object is via the #each method, which will yield each error in the collection to the given block. Because each Stannum::Errors is enumerable, you can use the standard Enumerable methods such as #map, #reduce, #select, and so on. You can also use #count to return the number of errors, or #empty? to check if there are any errors in the collection.

errors.count
#=> 3
errors.empty?
#=> false
errors.first
#=> {
#     data: {},
#     message: nil,
#     path: [:name],
#     type: 'stannum.constraints.invalid'
#   }
errors.map(&:type)
#=> [
#     'stannum.constraints.invalid',
#     'stannum.constraints.absent',
#     'stannum.constraints.is_not_type'
#   ]

Usually, an errors object is generated automatically by a constraint or contract with its errors already defined. If you want to add custom errors to an errors object, use the #add method, which takes the error type as one required argument. You can also specify the message keyword, which sets the message of the error. Finally, any additional keywords are added to the error data.

errors = Stannum::Errors.new
errors.count
#=> 0
errors.empty?
#=> true

errors.add('example.constraints.out_of_range', message: 'out of range', min: 0, max: 10)
#=> the errors object
errors.count
#=> 1
errors.empty?
#=> false
errors.first
#=> {
#     data: { min: 0, max: 10 },
#     message: 'out of range',
#     path: [],
#     type: 'example.constraints.out_of_range'
#   }

Conveniently, #add returns the errors object itself, so you can chain together multiple #add calls.

To represent the properties of an object or the values in a data structure, Stannum::Errors can be nested together. Nested error objects are accessed using the #[] operator.

errors = Stannum::Errors.new
errors[:manufacturers][0][:address].add('stannum.constraints.invalid')
errors[:manufacturers][0][:address]
#=> an instance of Stannum::Errors
errors[:manufacturers][0][:address].count
#=> 1
errors[:manufacturers][0][:address].first
#=> {
#     data: {},
#     message: nil,
#     path: [],
#     type: 'stannum.constraints.invalid'
#   }

errors.count
#=> 1
errors.first
#=> {
#     data: {},
#     message: nil,
#     path: [:manufacturers, 0, :address],
#     type: 'stannum.constraints.invalid'
#   }

You can also use the #dig method to access nested errors:

errors.dig(:manufacturers, 0, :address).first
#=> {
#     data: {},
#     message: nil,
#     path: [],
#     type: 'stannum.constraints.invalid'
#   }

By default, errors objects do not generate messages. Stannum::Errors defines the #with_messages method to generate messages for a given errors object. If the :force keyword is set to true, then #with_messages will overwrite any messages that are already set on an error, whether from a constraint or generated by a different strategy.

errors.first.message
#=> nil

errors = errors.with_messages.first.message
errors.first.message
#=> 'is invalid'

Stannum uses the strategy pattern to determine how error messages are generated. You can pass the strategy: keyword to #with_messages to force Stannum to use the specified strategy, or set the Stannum::Messages.strategy property to define the default for your application. The default strategy for Stannum uses an I18n-like configuration file to define messages based on the type and optionally the data for each error.

While constraints and contracts are used to validate data, entities are used to define and structure that data. Each Stannum::Entity contains a specific set of attributes, and each attribute has a type definition that is a Class or Module or the name of a Class or Module.

Entities are defined by creating a new class and including Stannum::Entity:

require 'stannum'

class Gadget
  include Stannum::Entity

  attribute :name,        String
  attribute :description, String,  optional: true
  attribute :quantity,    Integer, default:  0
end

gadget = Gadget.new(name: 'Self-Sealing Stem Bolt')
gadget.name
#=> 'Self-Sealing Stem Bolt'
gadget.description
#=> nil
gadget.attributes
#=> {
#     name:        'Self-Sealing Stem Bolt',
#     description: nil,
#     quantity:    0
#   }

gadget.quantity = 10
gadget.quantity
#=> 10

gadget[:description] = 'No one is sure what a self-sealing stem bolt is.'
gadget[:description]
#=> 'No one is sure what a self-sealing stem bolt is.'

Our Gadget class has three attributes: #name, #description, and #quantity, which we are defining using the .attribute class method.

We can initialize a gadget with values by passing the desired attributes to .new. We can read or write the attributes using either dot . notation or #[] notation. Finally, we can access all of a entity's attributes and values using the #attributes method.

Stannum::Entity defines a number of helper methods for interacting with a entity's attributes:

• #[](attribute): Returns the value of the given attribute.
• #[]=(attribute, value): Writes the given value to the given attribute.
• #assign_attributes(values): Updates the entity's attributes using the given values. If an attribute is not given, that value is unchanged.
• #attributes: Returns a hash containing the attribute keys and values.
• #attributes=(values): Sets the entity's attributes to the given values. If an attribute is not given, that attribute is set to nil.

For all of the above methods, if a given attribute is invalid or the attribute is not defined on the entity, an ArgumentError will be raised.

A entity's attributes are defined using the .attribute class method, and can be accessed and enumerated using the .attributes class method on the entity class or via the ::Attributes constant. Internally, each attribute is represented by a Stannum::Attribute instance, which stores the attribute's :name, :type, and :attributes.

Gadget::Attributes
#=> an instance of Stannum::Schema
Gadget.attributes
#=> an instance of Stannum::Schema
Gadget.attributes.count
#=> 3
Gadget.attributes.keys
#=> [:name, :description, :quantity]
Gadget.attributes[:name]
#=> an instance of Stannum::Attribute
Gadget.attributes[:quantity].options
#=> { default: 0, required: true }

Entities can define default values for attributes by passing a :default value to the .attribute call.

class LightsCounter
  include Stannum::Entity

  attribute :count, Integer, default: 4
end

LightsCounter.new.count
#=> 4

Defaults can also be defined as a Proc. If the default block takes no arguments, then the block will be called with no parameters. If the default block takes an argument, then the block will be called with the current entity. This allows you to define default values that depend on other attributes.

class Employee
  include Stannum::Entity

  AccessCard = Struct.new(:employee_id, :full_name)

  attribute :employee_id, String, default: -> { SecureRandom.uuid }
  attribute :full_name,   String, default: lambda { |employee|
    "#{employee.first_name} #{employee.last_name}"
  }
  attribute :first_name,  String, default: 'Jane'
  attribute :last_name,   String, default: 'Doe'
  attribute :access_card, AccessCard, default: lambda { |employee|
    AccessCard.new(employee.employee_id, employee.full_name)
  }
end

Employee.new.access_card.full_name
#=> 'Jane Doe'

Attribute defaults are always applied in the following order:

1. Attribute values defined by the user or already set on the entity.
2. Default attributes that are not Procs.
3. Default attribute blocks, in the order they are defined.

In the example above, the employee_id, first_name and last_name are generated first. Then, the full_name attribute is generated, using the values of #first_name and #last_name. Finally, the #access_card is generated, using the values of #employee_id and #full_name.

Default values that are defined as Procs are always executed when generating the default value. If you need to define a default value that is itself a Proc or lambda, you can do so by defining the Proc and wrapping it another Proc.

Entity classes can also mark attributes as optional. When an entity is validated (see Validation, below), optional attributes will pass with a value of nil.

class WhereWeAreGoing
  include Stannum::Entity

  attribute :roads, Object, optional: true
end

Stannum supports both :optional and :required as keys. Passing either optional: true or required: false will mark the attribute as optional. Attributes are required by default.

An entity can define a primary key attribute using the define_primary_key class method. This takes the same name and format parameters and options as defining any other attribute.

class Record
  include Stannum::Entity

  define_primary_key :id, Integer
end

class Document
  include Stannum::Entity

  define_primary_key :uuid, String

  constraint :uuid, Stannum::Constraints::Uuid.new
end

The primary key attribute can be accessed from the entity class.

attribute = Record.primary_key
attribute.class        #=> Stannum::Attribute
attribute.primary_key? #=> true
attribute.name         #=> 'id'
attribute.type         #=> Integer

Record.primary_key?     #=> true
Record.primary_key_name #=> 'id'
Record.primary_key_type #=> Integer

In addition to the attribute reader and writer, the entity also defines several helper methods for primary keys.

record = Record.new
record.id                #=> nil
record.primary_key?      #=> false
record.primary_key_name  #=> 'id'
record.primary_key_type  #=> Integer
record.primary_key_value #=> nil

record = Record.new(id: 0)
record.id                #=> 0
record.primary_key?      #=> true
record.primary_key_value #=> 0

Each Stannum::Entity automatically generates a contract that can be used to validate instances of the entity class. The contract can be accessed using the .contract class method or via the ::Contract constant.

class Gadget
  include Stannum::Entity

  attribute :name,        String
  attribute :description, String,  optional: true
  attribute :quantity,    Integer, default:  0
end

Gadget::Contract
#=> an instance of Stannum::Contract
Gadget.contract
#=> an instance of Stannum::Contract

gadget = Gadget.new
Gadget.contract.matches?(gadget)
#=> false
Gadget.contract.errors_for(gadget)
#=> [
#     {
#       data:    { type: String },
#       message: nil,
#       path:    [:name],
#       type:    'stannum.constraints.is_not_type'
#     }
#   ]

gadget = Gadget.new(name: 'Self-Sealing Stem Bolt')
Gadget.contract.matches?(gadget)
#=> true

You can also define additional constraints using the .constraint class method.

class Gadget
  constraint :name, Stannum::Constraints::Presence.new

  constraint :quantity do |qty|
    qty >= 0
  end
end

gadget = Gadget.new(name: '')
Gadget.contract.matches?(gadget)
#=> false
Gadget.contract.errors_for(gadget)
#=> [
#     {
#       data:    {},
#       message: nil,
#       path:    [:name],
#       type:    'stannum.constraints.absent'
#     }
#   ]

The .constraint class method takes either an instance of Stannum::Constraint or a block. If given an attribute name, the constraint will be matched against the value of that attribute; otherwise, the constraint will be matched against the object itself.

Stannum defines a set of built-in constraints that can be used in any project.

Absence Constraint

The inverse of a Presence constraint. Matches nil, and objects that both respond to #empty? and for whom #empty? returns true, such as empty Strings, Arrays and Hashes.

constraint = Stannum::Constraints::Absence.new

constraint.matches?(nil)
#=> true
constraint.matches?('')
#=> true
constraint.matches?('Greetings, programs!')
#=> false
constraint.matches?(Object.new)
#=> false

Anything Constraint

Matches any object, even nil.

constraint = Stannum::Constraints::Anything.new

constraint.matches?(nil)
#=> true
constraint.matches?(Object.new)
#=> true
constraint.matches?('Hello, world')
#=> true

Boolean Constraint

Matches true and false.

constraint = Stannum::Constraints::Boolean.new

constraint.matches?(nil)
#=> false
constraint.matches?(Object.new)
#=> false
constraint.matches?(false)
#=> true
constraint.matches?(true)
#=> true

Enum Constraint

Matches any the specified values.

constraint = Stannum::Constraints::Enum.new('red', 'blue', 'green')

constraint.matches?(nil)
#=> false
constraint.matches?('purple')
#=> false
constraint.matches?('red')
#=> true
constraint.matches?('green')
#=> true

Equality Constraint

Matches any object equal to the given object.

value      = 'Greetings, programs!'
constraint = Stannum::Constraints::Equality.new(value)

constraint.matches?(nil)
#=> false
constraint.matches?(value.dup)
#=> true
constraint.matches?(value)
#=> true

Format Constraint

Matches a string against the given substring or regular expression.

constraint = Stannum::Constraints::Format.new('Greetings')

constraint.matches?(nil)
#=> false
constraint.matches?('Hello, world')
#=> false
constraint.matches?('Greetings, programs!')
#=> true

constraint = Stannum::Constraints::Format.new(/\AGreetings/)

constraint.matches?(nil)
#=> false
constraint.matches?('Say "Greetings, programs!"')
#=> false
constraint.matches?('Greetings, programs!')
#=> true

Identity Constraint

Matches the given object.

value      = 'Greetings, starfighter!'
constraint = Stannum::Constraints::Identity.new(value)

constraint.matches?(nil)
#=> false
constraint.matches?(value.dup)
#=> false
constraint.matches?(value)
#=> true

Nothing Constraint

Does not match any objects.

constraint = Stannum::Constraints::Nothing.new

constraint.matches?(nil)
#=> false
constraint.matches?(Object.new)
#=> false
constraint.matches?('Hello, world')
#=> false

Presence Constraint

Matches objects that are not nil, and that either do not respond to #empty? or for whom #empty? returns false.

constraint = Stannum::Constraints::Presence.new

constraint.matches?(nil)
#=> false
constraint.matches?('')
#=> false
constraint.matches?('Greetings, programs!')
#=> true
constraint.matches?(Object.new)
#=> true

Signature Constraint

Matches if the object responds to all of the specified methods.

constraint = Stannum::Constraints::Signature.new(:[], :keys)

constraint.matches?(nil)
#=> false
constraint.matches?([])
#=> false
constraint.matches?({})
#=> true

Type Constraint

Matches if the specified type is an ancestor of the object.

constraint = Stannum::Constraints::Type.new(StandardError)

constraint.matches?(nil)
#=> false
constraint.matches?(Object.new)
#=> false
constraint.matches?(StandardError.new)
#=> true
constraint.matches?(ArgumentError.new)
#=> true

Type constraints can be optional by passing either optional: true or required: false to the constructor. An optional type constraint will also accept nil as a value.

constraint = Stannum::Constraints::Type.new(String, optional: true)

constraint.matches?(nil)
#=> true
constraint.matches?(Object.new)
#=> false
constraint.matches?('a String')
#=> true

Union Constraint

Matches if the object matches any of the given constraints.

constraint = Stannum::Constraints::Union.new(
  Stannum::Constraints::Type.new(String),
  Stannum::Constraints::Type.new(Symbol)
)

constraint.matches?(nil)
#=> false
constraint.matches?(Object.new)
#=> false
constraint.matches?('a String')
#=> true
constraint.matches?(:a_symbol)
#=> true

Uuid Constraint

Matches if the object is a valid UUID string.

constraint = Stannum::Constraints::Uuid.new

constraint.matches?(nil)
#=> false
constraint.matches?('Hello, world')
#=> false
constraint.matches?('01234567-89ab-cdef-0123-456789abcdef')
#=> true

Property constraints match against the properties of the object.

Do Not Match Property Constraint

Matches if none of the values of the given properties are equal to the value of the expected property.

UpdatePassword = Struct.new(:old_password, :new_password)
constraint    = Stannum::Constraints::Properties::DoNotMatchProperty.new(
  :old_password,
  :new_password
)

params = UpdatePassword.new('tronlives', 'ifightfortheusers')
constraint.matches?(params)
#=> true

params = UpdatePassword.new('tronlives', 'tronlives')
constraint.matches?(params)
#=> false
constraint.errors_for(params)
#=> [
  {
    path: [:confirmation],
    type: 'stannum.constraints.is_equal_to',
    data: { expected: '[FILTERED]', actual: '[FILTERED]' }
  }
]

Match Property Constraint

Matches if all the values of the given properties are equal to the value of the expected property.

ConfirmPassword = Struct.new(:password, :confirmation)
constraint    = Stannum::Constraints::Properties::MatchProperty.new(
  :password,
  :confirmation
)

params = ConfirmPassword.new('tronlives', 'ifightfortheusers')
constraint.matches?(params)
#=> false
constraint.errors_for(params)
#=> [
  {
    path: [:confirmation],
    type: 'stannum.constraints.is_not_equal_to',
    data: { expected: '[FILTERED]', actual: '[FILTERED]' }
  }
]

params = ConfirmPassword.new('tronlives', 'tronlives')
constraint.matches?(params)
#=> true

Stannum also defines a set of built-in type constraints. Unless otherwise noted, these are identical to a Type Constraint with the given Class.

constraint = Stannum::Constraints::Types::StringType.new

constraint.matches?(nil)
#=> false
constraint.matches?(Object.new)
#=> false
constraint.matches?('a String')
#=> true

The following type constraints are defined:

• ArrayType
• BigDecimalType
• DateTimeType
• DateType
• FloatType
• HashType
• IntegerType
• NilType
• ProcType
• StringType
• SymbolType
• TimeType

In addition, the following type constraints have additional options or behavior.

ArrayType Constraint

You can specify an item_type for an ArrayType constraint. An object will only match if the object is an Array and all of the array's items are of the specified type or match the given constraint.

constraint = Stannum::Constraints::Types::ArrayType.new(item_type: String)

constraint.matches?(nil)
#=> false
constraint.matches?([])
#=> true
constraint.matches?([1, 2, 3])
#=> false
constraint.matches?(['uno', 'dos', 'tres'])
#=> true

You can also specify whether the constraint allows an empty Array by setting the allow_empty: false keyword in the constructor. If false, the constraint will only match arrays with one or more items. The default value is true.

constraint = Stannum::Constraints::Types::ArrayType.new(allow_empty: false)

constraint.matches?(nil)
#=> false
constraint.matches?([])
#=> false
constraint.matches?([1, 2, 3])
#=> true

HashType Constraint

You can specify a key_type and/or a value_type for a HashType constraint. An object will only match if the object is a Hash, all of the hash's keys and/or values are of the specified type or match the given constraint.

constraint = Stannum::Constraints::Types::HashType.new(key_type: String, value_type: Integer)

constraint.matches?(nil)
#=> false
constraint.matches?({})
#=> true
constraint.matches?({ ichi: 1 })
#=> false
constraint.matches?({ 'ichi' => 'one' })
#=> false
constraint.matches?({ 'ichi' => 1 })

You can also specify whether the constraint allows an empty Hash by setting the allow_empty: false keyword in the constructor. If false, the constraint will only match hashes with one or more keys. The default value is true.

constraint = Stannum::Constraints::Types::HashType.new(allow_empty: false

constraint.matches?(nil)
#=> false
constraint.matches?({})
#=> false
constraint.matches?({ ichi: 1 })
#=> true

There are predefined constraints for matching Hashes with common key types:

• HashWithIndifferentKeys: Matches keys that are either Strings or Symbols and not empty.
• HashWithStringKeys: Matches keys that are Strings.
• HashWithSymbolKeys: Matches keys that are Symbols.

Stannum provides a small number of built-in signature constraints.

constraint = Stannum::Constraints::Signatures::Map.new

constraint.matches?(nil)
#=> false
constraint.matches?([])
#=> false
constraint.matches?({})
#=> true

• Map: Matches objects that behave like a Hash. Specifically, objects responding to #[], #each, and #keys.
• Tuple: Matches objects that behave like an Array. Specifically, objects responding to #[], #each, and #size.

Stannum defines some pre-defined contracts.

Array Contract

Matches an instance of Array and defines the .item class method to add constraints on the array items. See also Array Contracts, above.

class BaseballContract < Stannum::Contracts::ArrayContract
  def initialize
    super do
      item { |actual| actual == 'Who' }
      item { |actual| actual == 'What' }
      item { |actual| actual == "I Don't Know" }
    end
  end
end

Hash Contract

Matches an instance of Hash and defines the .key class method to add constraints on the hash keys and values. See also Hash Contracts, above.

class ResponseContract < Stannum::Contracts::HashContract
  def initialize
    super do
      key :status, Stannum::Constraints::Types::IntegerType.new

      key :json,
        Stannum::Contracts::HashContract.new(allow_extra_keys: true) do
          key :ok, Stannum::Constraints::Boolean.new
        end

      key :signature, Stannum::Constraints::Presence.new
    end
  end
end

Stannum also defines an IndifferentHashContract class, which will match against both string and symbol keys.

Map Contract

As a HashContract, but matches against any object which uses the #[] operator to access key-value data. See Map Constraint, above.

Parameters Contract

Matches the parameters of a method call.

class AuthorizationParameters < Stannum::Contracts::ParametersContract
  def initialize
    super do
      argument :action, Symbol

      argument :record_class, Class, default: true

      keyword :role, String, default: true

      keyword :user, Stannum::Constraints::Type.new(User)
    end
  end
end

contract   = AuthorizationParameters.new
parameters = {
  arguments: [:create, Article],
  keywords:  {},
  block:     nil
}
contract.matches?(parameters)
#=> false
errors = contract.errors_for(parameters)
errors[:arguments].empty?
#=> true
errors[:keywords].empty?
#=> false

Each ParametersContract defines .argument, .keyword, and .block class methods to define the expected method parameters.

• The .argument class method defines an expected argument. Like the .item class method in an ArrayContract (see Array Contracts, above), each call to .argument will reference the next positional argument.
• The .keyword class method defines an expected keyword.
• The .block class method can accept either a constraint, or true or false. If given a constraint, the block passed to the method will be matched against the constraint. If given true, then the contract will match against any block and will fail if the method is not called with a block; likewise, if given false, the contract will match if no block is given and fail if the method is called with a block.

Because of Ruby's semantics around arguments and keywords with default values, the :default keyword has a special meaning for parameters contracts. If .argument or .keyword is called with the :default keyword, it indicates that that parameter has a default value in the method definition. If that argument or keyword is omitted, the parameters will still match the contract. However, an explicit value of nil will still fail unless nil is a valid value for the relevant constraint.

ParametersContract also has support for variadic arguments and keywords.

class RecipeParameters < Stannum::Contracts::ParametersContract
  def initialize
    super do
      arguments :tools,       String
      keywords  :ingredients, Stannum::Contracts::TupleContract.new do
        item Stannum::Constraints::Type.new(String),
          property_name: :amount
        item Stannum::Constraints::Type.new(String, optional: true),
          property_name: :unit
      end
      block     true
    end
  end
end

The .arguments class method creates a constraint that matches against any arguments without an explicit .argument expectation. Likewise, the .keywords class method creates a constraint that matches against any keywords without an explicit .keyword expectation. The contract will automatically convert a Class into the corresponding Type constraint (see Type Constraint, above).

Tuple Contract

As an ArrayContract, but matches against any object which uses the #[] operator to access indexed data. See Tuple Constraint, above.