Choice
This constraint is used to ensure that the given value is one of a given set of valid choices. It can also be used to validate that each item in an array of items is one of those valid choices.
Applies to | property or method |
Class | Choice |
Validator | ChoiceValidator |
Basic Usage
The basic idea of this constraint is that you supply it with an array of valid values (this can be done in several ways) and it validates that the value of the given property exists in that array.
If your valid choice list is simple, you can pass them in directly via the choices option:
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// src/Entity/Author.php
namespace App\Entity;
use Symfony\Component\Validator\Constraints as Assert;
class Author
{
public const GENRES = ['fiction', 'non-fiction'];
#[Assert\Choice(['New York', 'Berlin', 'Tokyo'])]
protected string $city;
#[Assert\Choice(choices: Author::GENRES, message: 'Choose a valid genre.')]
protected string $genre;
}
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# config/validator/validation.yaml
App\Entity\Author:
properties:
city:
- Choice: [New York, Berlin, Tokyo]
genre:
- Choice:
choices: [fiction, non-fiction]
message: Choose a valid genre.
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<!-- config/validator/validation.xml -->
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<constraint-mapping xmlns="http://symfony.com/schema/dic/constraint-mapping"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:schemaLocation="http://symfony.com/schema/dic/constraint-mapping https://symfony.com/schema/dic/constraint-mapping/constraint-mapping-1.0.xsd">
<class name="App\Entity\Author">
<property name="city">
<constraint name="Choice">
<value>New York</value>
<value>Berlin</value>
<value>Tokyo</value>
</constraint>
</property>
<property name="genre">
<constraint name="Choice">
<option name="choices">
<value>fiction</value>
<value>non-fiction</value>
</option>
<option name="message">Choose a valid genre.</option>
</constraint>
</property>
</class>
</constraint-mapping>
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// src/EntityAuthor.php
namespace App\Entity;
use Symfony\Component\Validator\Constraints as Assert;
use Symfony\Component\Validator\Mapping\ClassMetadata;
class Author
{
// ...
public static function loadValidatorMetadata(ClassMetadata $metadata): void
{
$metadata->addPropertyConstraint(
'city',
new Assert\Choice(['New York', 'Berlin', 'Tokyo'])
);
$metadata->addPropertyConstraint('genre', new Assert\Choice([
'choices' => ['fiction', 'non-fiction'],
'message' => 'Choose a valid genre.',
]));
}
}
Supplying the Choices with a Callback Function
You can also use a callback function to specify your options. This is useful if you want to keep your choices in some central location so that, for example, you can access those choices for validation or for building a select form element:
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// src/Entity/Author.php
namespace App\Entity;
class Author
{
public static function getGenres(): array
{
return ['fiction', 'non-fiction'];
}
}
You can pass the name of this method to the callback option of the Choice
constraint.
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// src/Entity/Author.php
namespace App\Entity;
use Symfony\Component\Validator\Constraints as Assert;
class Author
{
#[Assert\Choice(callback: 'getGenres')]
protected string $genre;
}
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# config/validator/validation.yaml
App\Entity\Author:
properties:
genre:
- Choice: { callback: getGenres }
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<!-- config/validator/validation.xml -->
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<constraint-mapping xmlns="http://symfony.com/schema/dic/constraint-mapping"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:schemaLocation="http://symfony.com/schema/dic/constraint-mapping https://symfony.com/schema/dic/constraint-mapping/constraint-mapping-1.0.xsd">
<class name="App\Entity\Author">
<property name="genre">
<constraint name="Choice">
<option name="callback">getGenres</option>
</constraint>
</property>
</class>
</constraint-mapping>
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// src/EntityAuthor.php
namespace App\Entity;
use Symfony\Component\Validator\Constraints as Assert;
use Symfony\Component\Validator\Mapping\ClassMetadata;
class Author
{
// ...
public static function loadValidatorMetadata(ClassMetadata $metadata): void
{
$metadata->addPropertyConstraint('genre', new Assert\Choice([
'callback' => 'getGenres',
]));
}
}
If the callback is defined in a different class and is static, for example App\Entity\Genre
,
you can pass the class name and the method as an array.
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// src/Entity/Author.php
namespace App\Entity;
use App\Entity\Genre;
use Symfony\Component\Validator\Constraints as Assert;
class Author
{
#[Assert\Choice(callback: [Genre::class, 'getGenres'])]
protected string $genre;
}
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# config/validator/validation.yaml
App\Entity\Author:
properties:
genre:
- Choice: { callback: [App\Entity\Genre, getGenres] }
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<!-- config/validator/validation.xml -->
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<constraint-mapping xmlns="http://symfony.com/schema/dic/constraint-mapping"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:schemaLocation="http://symfony.com/schema/dic/constraint-mapping https://symfony.com/schema/dic/constraint-mapping/constraint-mapping-1.0.xsd">
<class name="App\Entity\Author">
<property name="genre">
<constraint name="Choice">
<option name="callback">
<value>App\Entity\Genre</value>
<value>getGenres</value>
</option>
</constraint>
</property>
</class>
</constraint-mapping>
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// src/Entity/Author.php
namespace App\Entity;
use App\Entity\Genre;
use Symfony\Component\Validator\Constraints as Assert;
use Symfony\Component\Validator\Mapping\ClassMetadata;
class Author
{
// ...
public static function loadValidatorMetadata(ClassMetadata $metadata): void
{
$metadata->addPropertyConstraint('genre', new Assert\Choice([
'callback' => [Genre::class, 'getGenres'],
]));
}
}
Available Options
callback
type: callable|string|null
default: null
This is a callback method that can be used instead of the choices option to return the choices array. See Supplying the Choices with a Callback Function for details on its usage.
choices
type: array
[default option]
A required option (unless callback is specified) - this is the array of options that should be considered in the valid set. The input value will be matched against this array.
groups
type: array
| string
default: null
It defines the validation group or groups of this constraint. Read more about validation groups.
max
type: integer
If the multiple
option is true, then you can use the max
option
to force no more than XX number of values to be selected. For example, if
max
is 3, but the input array contains 4 valid items, the validation
will fail.
maxMessage
type: string
default: You must select at most {{ limit }} choices.
This is the validation error message that's displayed when the user chooses too many options per the max option.
You can use the following parameters in this message:
Parameter | Description |
---|---|
{{ choices }} |
A comma-separated list of available choices |
{{ value }} |
The current (invalid) value |
match
type: boolean
default: true
When this option is false
, the constraint checks that the given value is
not one of the values defined in the choices
option. In practice, it makes
the Choice
constraint behave like a NotChoice
constraint.
6.2
The match
option was introduced in Symfony 6.2.
message
type: string
default: The value you selected is not a valid choice.
This is the message that you will receive if the multiple
option is
set to false
and the underlying value is not in the valid array of
choices.
You can use the following parameters in this message:
Parameter | Description |
---|---|
{{ choices }} |
A comma-separated list of available choices |
{{ value }} |
The current (invalid) value |
min
type: integer
If the multiple
option is true, then you can use the min
option
to force at least XX number of values to be selected. For example, if
min
is 3, but the input array only contains 2 valid items, the validation
will fail.
minMessage
type: string
default: You must select at least {{ limit }} choices.
This is the validation error message that's displayed when the user chooses too few choices per the min option.
You can use the following parameters in this message:
Parameter | Description |
---|---|
{{ choices }} |
A comma-separated list of available choices |
{{ value }} |
The current (invalid) value |
multiple
type: boolean
default: false
If this option is true, the input value is expected to be an array instead of a single, scalar value. The constraint will check that each value of the input array can be found in the array of valid choices. If even one of the input values cannot be found, the validation will fail.
multipleMessage
type: string
default: One or more of the given values is invalid.
This is the message that you will receive if the multiple
option is
set to true
and one of the values on the underlying array being checked
is not in the array of valid choices.
You can use the following parameters in this message:
Parameter | Description |
---|---|
{{ value }} |
The current (invalid) value |
{{ label }} |
Corresponding form field label |
payload
type: mixed
default: null
This option can be used to attach arbitrary domain-specific data to a constraint. The configured payload is not used by the Validator component, but its processing is completely up to you.
For example, you may want to use several error levels to present failed constraints differently in the front-end depending on the severity of the error.