Related
Is there a way to ignore get-only properties using the Json.NET serializer but without using JsonIgnore attributes?
For example, I have a class with these get properties:
public Keys Hotkey { get; set; }
public Keys KeyCode
{
get
{
return Hotkey & Keys.KeyCode;
}
}
public Keys ModifiersKeys
{
get
{
return Hotkey & Keys.Modifiers;
}
}
public bool Control
{
get
{
return (Hotkey & Keys.Control) == Keys.Control;
}
}
public bool Shift
{
get
{
return (Hotkey & Keys.Shift) == Keys.Shift;
}
}
public bool Alt
{
get
{
return (Hotkey & Keys.Alt) == Keys.Alt;
}
}
public Modifiers ModifiersEnum
{
get
{
Modifiers modifiers = Modifiers.None;
if (Alt) modifiers |= Modifiers.Alt;
if (Control) modifiers |= Modifiers.Control;
if (Shift) modifiers |= Modifiers.Shift;
return modifiers;
}
}
public bool IsOnlyModifiers
{
get
{
return KeyCode == Keys.ControlKey || KeyCode == Keys.ShiftKey || KeyCode == Keys.Menu;
}
}
public bool IsValidKey
{
get
{
return KeyCode != Keys.None && !IsOnlyModifiers;
}
}
Do I need to add [JsonIgnore] to all of them (I also have many other classes), or there is better way to ignore all get-only properties?
You can do this by implementing a custom IContractResolver and using that during serialization. If you subclass the DefaultContractResolver, this becomes very easy to do:
class WritablePropertiesOnlyResolver : DefaultContractResolver
{
protected override IList<JsonProperty> CreateProperties(Type type, MemberSerialization memberSerialization)
{
IList<JsonProperty> props = base.CreateProperties(type, memberSerialization);
return props.Where(p => p.Writable).ToList();
}
}
Here is a test program demonstrating how to use it:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using Newtonsoft.Json;
using Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization;
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
Widget w = new Widget { Id = 2, Name = "Joe Schmoe" };
JsonSerializerSettings settings = new JsonSerializerSettings
{
ContractResolver = new WritablePropertiesOnlyResolver()
};
string json = JsonConvert.SerializeObject(w, settings);
Console.WriteLine(json);
}
}
class Widget
{
public int Id { get; set; }
public string Name { get; set; }
public string LowerCaseName
{
get { return (Name != null ? Name.ToLower() : null); }
}
}
Here is the output of the above. Notice that the read-only property LowerCaseName is not included in the output.
{"Id":2,"Name":"Joe Schmoe"}
Use the OptIn mode of JSON.net and you'll only need to decorate the properties you want to serialize. This isn't as good as automatically opting out all read only properties, but it can save you some work.
[JsonObject(MemberSerialization.OptIn)]
public class MyClass
{
[JsonProperty]
public string serializedProp { get; set; }
public string nonSerializedProp { get; set; }
}
Udate: Added another possibility using reflection
If the above solution still isn't quite what you're looking for, you could use reflection to make dictionary objects which would then be serialized. Of course the example below will only work for simple classes, so you would need to add recursion if your classes contain other classes. This should at least point you in the right direction.
The subroutine to put the filtered result into a dictionary:
private Dictionary<String, object> ConvertToDictionary(object classToSerialize)
{
Dictionary<String, object> resultDictionary = new Dictionary<string, object>();
foreach (var propertyInfo in classToSerialize.GetType().GetProperties(BindingFlags.Public | BindingFlags.Instance))
{
if (propertyInfo.CanWrite) resultDictionary.Add(propertyInfo.Name, propertyInfo.GetValue(classToSerialize, null));
}
return resultDictionary;
}
A snippet showing its use:
SampleClass sampleClass = new SampleClass();
sampleClass.Hotkey = Keys.A;
var toSerialize = ConvertToDictionary(sampleClass);
String resultText = JsonConvert.SerializeObject(toSerialize);
You can use a contract resolver like this:
public class ExcludeCalculatedResolver : DefaultContractResolver
{
protected override JsonProperty CreateProperty(MemberInfo member, MemberSerialization memberSerialization)
{
var property = base.CreateProperty(member, memberSerialization);
property.ShouldSerialize = _ => ShouldSerialize(member);
return property;
}
internal static bool ShouldSerialize(MemberInfo memberInfo)
{
var propertyInfo = memberInfo as PropertyInfo;
if (propertyInfo == null)
{
return false;
}
if (propertyInfo.SetMethod != null)
{
return true;
}
var getMethod = propertyInfo.GetMethod;
return Attribute.GetCustomAttribute(getMethod, typeof(CompilerGeneratedAttribute)) != null;
}
}
It will exclude calculated properties but include C#6 get only properties and all properties with a set method.
Json.net does have the ability to conditionally serialize properties without an attribute or contract resolver. This is especially useful if you don't want your project to have a dependency on Json.net.
As per the Json.net documentation
To conditionally serialize a property, add a method that returns boolean with
the same name as the property and then prefix the method name with
ShouldSerialize. The result of the method determines whether the
property is serialized. If the method returns true then the property
will be serialized, if it returns false then the property will be
skipped.
I am currently working with MVC4 data annotations to handle validation. I am working on a site that will be very much international and as such I keep all of my text in resource files.
I also want to keep regular expressions for validation in resource files so I can use the same code to check, for example, Post Codes (UK) and Zip Codes (US) just by using a different RegEx (and resources for the different names etc).
I have the below attribute which is already pulling the error message from a resource file. How can I have it get the regex from a resource file too?
[RegularExpression(#"^[\w]{1,2}[0-9]{1,2}[\w]?\s?[0-9]{1,2}[\w]{1,2}$", ErrorMessageResourceType = typeof(Resources.ValidationMessages), ErrorMessageResourceName = "validPostcode")]
EDIT (AGAIN)
Where I am now
Following the answer below and some additional searching around, I have the following:
In Global.asax.cs I have added the below line to ensure client side validation is invoked
DataAnnotationsModelValidatorProvider.RegisterAdapter(typeof(LocalisedAttribute), typeof(RegularExpressionAttributeAdapter));
In my model, I have this call to the attribute extension
[Localised(typeof(Resources.FormValidation), "postcodeRegEx", "postcodeMsg")]
And finally, the attribute extension for localised regex validation
public class LocalisedAttribute : RegularExpressionAttribute
{
public LocalisedAttribute(Type resource, string regularExpression, string errorMessage)
: base(GetRegex(regularExpression))
{
ErrorMessageResourceType = resource;
ErrorMessageResourceName = errorMessage;
}
private static string GetRegex(string value)
{
return Resources.FormValidation.ResourceManager.GetString(value);
}
}
This works, but ONLY the first time I use it when starting the application.
I am going to open another question to get around that problem - it's not directly related to the original request, doesn't seem to be relevant to most peoples implementation and doesn't seem to be specific to data annotations.
I already have some extended kind of RegularExpressionAttribute implementation, that allows to use resources for regex pattern. It looks like:
public class RegularExpressionExAttribute : RegularExpressionAttribute, IClientValidatable
{
private Regex regex { get; set; }
private string pattern;
private string resourceName;
private Type resourceType;
/// <summary>
/// constructor, calls base with ".*" basic regex
/// </summary>
/// <param name="resName">resource key</param>
/// <param name="resType">resource type</param>
public RegularExpressionExAttribute(string resName, Type resType)
: base(".*")
{
resourceName = resName;
resourceType = resType;
}
/// <summary>
/// override RegularExpressionAttribute property
/// </summary>
public new string Pattern
{
get
{
SetupRegex();
return pattern;
}
}
/// <summary>
/// loads regex from resources
/// </summary>
private void SetupRegex()
{
ResourceAccessor ra = new ResourceAccessor(resourceName, resourceType);
pattern = ra.resourceValue;
regex = new Regex(pattern);
}
/// <summary>
/// override validation with our regex
/// </summary>
/// <param name="value">string for validation</param>
/// <returns></returns>
public override bool IsValid(object value)
{
SetupRegex();
string val = Convert.ToString(value);
if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(val))
return true;
var m = regex.Match(val);
return (m.Success && (m.Index == 0));
}
public IEnumerable<ModelClientValidationRule> GetClientValidationRules(ModelMetadata metaData, ControllerContext controllerContext)
{
yield return new ModelClientValidationRegexRule(base.ErrorMessageString, this.Pattern);
}
}
Also it's using ResourceAccessor class to get regex out of resources
public class ResourceAccessor
{
private string resourceName;
private Type resourceType;
private Func<string> accessor;
private string _resourceValue;
public ResourceAccessor(string resourceName, Type resourceType)
{
this.resourceName = resourceName;
this.resourceType = resourceType;
}
public string resourceValue
{
get
{
SetupAccessor();
return accessor();
}
}
private void SetupAccessor()
{
if (accessor != null) //already set
return;
string localValue = _resourceValue;
bool flag1 = !string.IsNullOrEmpty(resourceName);
bool flag2 = !string.IsNullOrEmpty(localValue);
bool flag3 = resourceType != (Type)null;
if (flag1 == flag2)
{
throw new InvalidOperationException("Can't set resource value");
}
if (flag3 != flag1)
{
throw new InvalidOperationException("Resource name and type required");
}
if (flag1)
PropertyLookup();
else
{
accessor = (Func<string>)(() => localValue);
}
}
private void PropertyLookup()
{
if (resourceType == (Type)null || string.IsNullOrEmpty(resourceName))
{
throw new InvalidOperationException("Resource name and type required");
}
PropertyInfo property = resourceType.GetProperty(resourceName, BindingFlags.Public | BindingFlags.NonPublic | BindingFlags.Static);
if (property != (PropertyInfo)null)
{
MethodInfo getMethod = property.GetGetMethod(true);
if (getMethod == (MethodInfo)null || !getMethod.IsAssembly && !getMethod.IsPublic)
property = (PropertyInfo)null;
}
if (property == (PropertyInfo)null)
{
throw new InvalidOperationException("Resource type doesn't have property");
}
else if (property.PropertyType != typeof(string))
{
throw new InvalidOperationException("Resource type must be string");
}
else
{
accessor = (Func<string>)(() => (string)property.GetValue((object)null, (object[])null));
}
}
}
And here is usage samples:
public class SignUpInput
{
[RegularExpressionEx("EmailValidationRegex", typeof(LocalizedResources), ErrorMessageResourceType = typeof(Messages), ErrorMessageResourceName = "invalidEmail")]
public string Email { get; set; }
}
I think yuo can extend RegularExpressionAttribute
public class PostCodeValidationAttribute : RegularExpressionAttribute
{
public PostCodeValidationAttribute()
: base(Resources.PostCodeValidationExpression)
{
}
}
UPDATE
Put culture info name in session for example accordingly with user choice. And use it in
ResourceManager.GetString(value, CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture(userCulture));
At first you can test it with hardcode value. Something like this
ResourceManager.GetString(value, CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture("en-GB"));
instead
ResourceManager.GetString(value, CultureInfo.CreateSpecificCulture(currentCulture));
or in base constructor
base(GetRegex(regularExpression, ""en-GB""))
When using Json.Net, I understand how to get the $type property into the rendered json, but is there a way to change that field name? I need to use "__type" instead of "$type".
http://json.codeplex.com/workitem/22429
"I would rather keep $type hard coded and consistent."
Consistent with what I wonder?
http://json.codeplex.com/workitem/21989
I would rather not - I think this is too specific to me and I don't
want to go overboard with settings. At some point I will probably
implement this - http://json.codeplex.com/workitem/21856 - allowing
people to read/write there own meta properties in the JSON and you
could reimplement type name handling with a new property name. The
other option is just to modify the source code for yourself to have
that property name.
And more recently, Issue #36: Customizable $type property name feature:
I'd rather not
This is my solution...
json.Replace("\"$type\": \"", "\"type\": \"");
Looks like this is hardcoded as public const string TypePropertyName = "$type"; in Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonTypeReflector which is internal static class unfortunately.
I needed this myself, and the only thing I can think of is having custom modified version of json.net itself. Which is of course is a major pita.
when serializing, there is a nice way to override the property name:
public class CustomJsonWriter : JsonTextWriter
{
public CustomJsonWriter(TextWriter writer) : base(writer)
{
}
public override void WritePropertyName(string name, bool escape)
{
if (name == "$type") name = "__type";
base.WritePropertyName(name, escape);
}
}
var serializer = new JsonSerializer();
var writer = new StreamWriter(stream) { AutoFlush = true };
serializer.Serialize(new CustomJsonWriter(writer), objectToSerialize);
I haven't tried deserialization yet, but in worst case I could use:
json.Replace("\"__type": \"", "\"type\": \"$type\");
I had to do this for my UI REST API as Angular.js disregards fields names starting with a dollar sign ($).
So here's a solution that renames $type to __type for the whole Web API and works both for serialization and deserialization.
In order to be able to use a custom JsonWriter and a custom JsonReader (as proposed in the other answers to this question), we have to inherit the JsonMediaTypeFormatter and override the corresponding methods:
internal class CustomJsonNetFormatter : JsonMediaTypeFormatter
{
public override JsonReader CreateJsonReader(Type type, Stream readStream, Encoding effectiveEncoding)
{
return new CustomJsonReader(readStream, effectiveEncoding);
}
public override JsonWriter CreateJsonWriter(Type type, Stream writeStream, Encoding effectiveEncoding)
{
return new CustomJsonWriter(writeStream, effectiveEncoding);
}
private class CustomJsonWriter : JsonTextWriter
{
public CustomJsonWriter(Stream writeStream, Encoding effectiveEncoding)
: base(new StreamWriter(writeStream, effectiveEncoding))
{
}
public override void WritePropertyName(string name, bool escape)
{
if (name == "$type") name = "__type";
base.WritePropertyName(name, escape);
}
}
private class CustomJsonReader : JsonTextReader
{
public CustomJsonReader(Stream readStream, Encoding effectiveEncoding)
: base(new StreamReader(readStream, effectiveEncoding))
{
}
public override bool Read()
{
var hasToken = base.Read();
if (hasToken && TokenType == JsonToken.PropertyName && Value != null && Value.Equals("__type"))
{
SetToken(JsonToken.PropertyName, "$type");
}
return hasToken;
}
}
}
Of course you need to register the custom formatter in your WebApiConfig. So we replace the default Json.NET formatter with our custom one:
config.Formatters.Remove(config.Formatters.JsonFormatter);
config.Formatters.Add(new CustomJsonNetFormatter());
Done.
We had a need for this so I created a custom JsonReader. We're are using rest in our MS web services with complex data models and needed to replace the "__type" property with "$type."
class MSJsonReader : JsonTextReader
{
public MSJsonTextReader(TextReader reader) : base(reader) { }
public override bool Read()
{
var hasToken = base.Read();
if (hasToken && base.TokenType == JsonToken.PropertyName && base.Value != null && base.Value.Equals("__type"))
base.SetToken(JsonToken.PropertyName, "$type");
return hasToken;
}
}
Here is how we use it.
using(JsonReader jr = new MSJsonTextReader(sr))
{
JsonSerializer s = new JsonSerializer();
s.DateFormatHandling = DateFormatHandling.MicrosoftDateFormat;
s.NullValueHandling = NullValueHandling.Ignore;
s.TypeNameHandling = TypeNameHandling.Auto; // Important!
s.Binder = new MSRestToJsonDotNetSerializationBinder("Server.DataModelsNamespace", "Client.GeneratedModelsNamespace");
T deserialized = s.Deserialize<T>(jr);
return deserialized;
}
Here is our MSRestToJsonDotNetSerializationBinder that completes the compatibility between MS rest and Json.Net.
class MSRestToJsonDotNetSerializationBinder : System.Runtime.Serialization.SerializationBinder
{
public string ServiceNamespace { get; set; }
public string LocalNamespace { get; set; }
public MSRestToJsonDotNetSerializationBinder(string serviceNamespace, string localNamespace)
{
if (serviceNamespace.EndsWith("."))
serviceNamespace = serviceNamespace.Substring(0, -1);
if(localNamespace.EndsWith("."))
localNamespace = localNamespace.Substring(0, -1);
ServiceNamespace = serviceNamespace;
LocalNamespace = localNamespace;
}
public override void BindToName(Type serializedType, out string assemblyName, out string typeName)
{
assemblyName = null;
typeName = string.Format("{0}:#{1}", serializedType.Name, ServiceNamespace); // MS format
}
public override Type BindToType(string assemblyName, string typeName)
{
string jsonDotNetType = string.Format("{0}.{1}", LocalNamespace, typeName.Substring(0, typeName.IndexOf(":#")));
return Type.GetType(jsonDotNetType);
}
}
You could also do it this way:
[JsonConverter(typeof(JsonSubtypes), "ClassName")]
public class Annimal
{
public virtual string ClassName { get; }
public string Color { get; set; }
}
You will need the JsonSubtypes
converter that is not part of Newtonsoft.Json project.
There is another option that allows to serialize custom type property name in Json.NET. The idea is do not write default $type property, but introduce type name as property of class itself.
Suppose we have a Location class:
public class Location
{
public double Latitude { get; set; }
public double Longitude { get; set; }
}
First, we need to introduce type property name and modify the class as demonstrated below:
public class Location
{
[JsonProperty("__type")]
public string EntityTypeName
{
get
{
var typeName = string.Format("{0}, {1}", GetType().FullName, GetType().Namespace);
return typeName;
}
}
public double Latitude { get; set; }
public double Longitude { get; set; }
}
Then, set JsonSerializerSettings.TypeNameHandling to TypeNameHandling.None in order the deserializer to skip the rendering of default $type attribute.
That's it.
Example
var point = new Location() { Latitude = 51.5033630, Longitude = -0.1276250 };
var jsonLocation = JsonConvert.SerializeObject(point, new JsonSerializerSettings
{
TypeNameHandling = TypeNameHandling.None, //do not write type property(!)
});
Console.WriteLine(jsonLocation);
Result
{"__type":"Namespace.Location, Namespace","Latitude":51.503363,"Longitude":-0.127625}
Using a custom converter should get the job done.
public CustomConverter : JsonConverter
{
public override bool CanWrite => true;
public override bool CanRead => true;
public override object ReadJson(JsonReader reader,
Type objectType,
object existingValue,
JsonSerializer serializer)
=> throw new NotImplementedException();
public override void WriteJson(JsonWriter writer,
object value,
JsonSerializer serializer)
{
var jOjbect = (JObject)JToken.FromObject(value);
jOjbect.Add(new JProperty("type", value.GetType().Name));
jOjbect.WriteTo(writer);
}
}
I'm currently trying to work through MVC validation, and am coming up against some problems where a field is required depending on the value of another field. An example is below (that I haven't figured out yet) - If the PaymentMethod == "Cheque", then the ChequeName should be required, otherwise it can be let through.
[Required(ErrorMessage = "Payment Method must be selected")]
public override string PaymentMethod
{ get; set; }
[Required(ErrorMessage = "ChequeName is required")]
public override string ChequeName
{ get; set; }
I'm using the System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations for the [Required], and have also extended a ValidationAttribute to try and get this working, but I can't pass a variable through to do the validation (extension below)
public class JEPaymentDetailRequired : ValidationAttribute
{
public string PaymentSelected { get; set; }
public string PaymentType { get; set; }
public override bool IsValid(object value)
{
if (PaymentSelected != PaymentType)
return true;
var stringDetail = (string) value;
if (stringDetail.Length == 0)
return false;
return true;
}
}
Implementation:
[JEPaymentDetailRequired(PaymentSelected = PaymentMethod, PaymentType = "Cheque", ErrorMessage = "Cheque name must be completed when payment type of cheque")]
Has anyone had experience with this sort of validation? Would it just be better to write it into the controller?
Thanks for your help.
If you want client side validation in addition to model validation on the server, I think the best way to go is a custom validation attribute (like Jaroslaw suggested). I'm including the source here of the one I use.
Custom attribute:
public class RequiredIfAttribute : DependentPropertyAttribute
{
private readonly RequiredAttribute innerAttribute = new RequiredAttribute();
public object TargetValue { get; set; }
public RequiredIfAttribute(string dependentProperty, object targetValue) : base(dependentProperty)
{
TargetValue = targetValue;
}
protected override ValidationResult IsValid(object value, ValidationContext validationContext)
{
// get a reference to the property this validation depends upon
var containerType = validationContext.ObjectInstance.GetType();
var field = containerType.GetProperty(DependentProperty);
if (field != null)
{
// get the value of the dependent property
var dependentvalue = field.GetValue(validationContext.ObjectInstance, null);
// compare the value against the target value
if ((dependentvalue == null && TargetValue == null) ||
(dependentvalue != null && dependentvalue.Equals(TargetValue)))
{
// match => means we should try validating this field
if (!innerAttribute.IsValid(value))
// validation failed - return an error
return new ValidationResult(ErrorMessage, new[] { validationContext.MemberName });
}
}
return ValidationResult.Success;
}
public override IEnumerable<ModelClientValidationRule> GetClientValidationRules(ModelMetadata metadata, ControllerContext context)
{
var rule = new ModelClientValidationRule
{
ErrorMessage = FormatErrorMessage(metadata.GetDisplayName()),
ValidationType = "requiredif"
};
var depProp = BuildDependentPropertyId(DependentProperty, metadata, context as ViewContext);
// find the value on the control we depend on;
// if it's a bool, format it javascript style
// (the default is True or False!)
var targetValue = (TargetValue ?? "").ToString();
if (TargetValue != null)
if (TargetValue is bool)
targetValue = targetValue.ToLower();
rule.ValidationParameters.Add("dependentproperty", depProp);
rule.ValidationParameters.Add("targetvalue", targetValue);
yield return rule;
}
}
Jquery validation extension:
$.validator.unobtrusive.adapters.add('requiredif', ['dependentproperty', 'targetvalue'], function (options) {
options.rules['requiredif'] = {
dependentproperty: options.params['dependentproperty'],
targetvalue: options.params['targetvalue']
};
options.messages['requiredif'] = options.message;
});
$.validator.addMethod('requiredif',
function (value, element, parameters) {
var id = '#' + parameters['dependentproperty'];
// get the target value (as a string,
// as that's what actual value will be)
var targetvalue = parameters['targetvalue'];
targetvalue = (targetvalue == null ? '' : targetvalue).toString();
// get the actual value of the target control
var actualvalue = getControlValue(id);
// if the condition is true, reuse the existing
// required field validator functionality
if (targetvalue === actualvalue) {
return $.validator.methods.required.call(this, value, element, parameters);
}
return true;
}
);
Decorating a property with the attribute:
[Required]
public bool IsEmailGiftCertificate { get; set; }
[RequiredIf("IsEmailGiftCertificate", true, ErrorMessage = "Please provide Your Email.")]
public string YourEmail { get; set; }
Just use the Foolproof validation library that is available on Codeplex:
https://foolproof.codeplex.com/
It supports the following "requiredif" validation attributes / decorations:
[RequiredIf]
[RequiredIfNot]
[RequiredIfTrue]
[RequiredIfFalse]
[RequiredIfEmpty]
[RequiredIfNotEmpty]
[RequiredIfRegExMatch]
[RequiredIfNotRegExMatch]
To get started is easy:
Download the package from the provided link
Add a reference to the included .dll file
Import the included javascript files
Ensure that your views references the included javascript files from within its HTML for unobtrusive javascript and jquery validation.
I would write the validation logic in the model, not the controller. The controller should only handle interaction between the view and the model. Since it's the model that requires validation, I think it's widely regarded as the place for validation logic.
For validation that depends on the value of another property or field, I (unfortunately) don't see how to completely avoid writing some code for that in the model, such as shown in the Wrox ASP.NET MVC book, sort of like:
public bool IsValid
{
get
{
SetRuleViolations();
return (RuleViolations.Count == 0);
}
}
public void SetRuleViolations()
{
if (this.PaymentMethod == "Cheque" && String.IsNullOrEmpty(this.ChequeName))
{
RuleViolations.Add("Cheque name is required", "ChequeName");
}
}
Doing all validation declaratively would be great. I'm sure you could make a RequiredDependentAttribute, but that would only handle this one type of logic. Stuff that is even slightly more complex would require yet another pretty specific attribute, etc. which gets crazy quickly.
Your problem can be solved relatively simply by the usage of conditional validation attribute e.g.
[RequiredIf("PaymentMethod == 'Cheque'")]
public string ChequeName { get; set; }
I'm using ASP.NET MVC and I'd like all user entered string fields to be trimmed before they're inserted into the database. And since I have many data entry forms, I'm looking for an elegant way to trim all strings instead of explicitly trimming every user supplied string value. I'm interested to know how and when people are trimming strings.
I thought about perhaps creating a custom model binder and trimming any string values there...that way, all my trimming logic is contained in one place. Is this a good approach? Are there any code samples that do this?
public class TrimModelBinder : DefaultModelBinder
{
protected override void SetProperty(ControllerContext controllerContext,
ModelBindingContext bindingContext,
System.ComponentModel.PropertyDescriptor propertyDescriptor, object value)
{
if (propertyDescriptor.PropertyType == typeof(string))
{
var stringValue = (string)value;
if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(stringValue))
{
value = stringValue.Trim();
}
else
{
value = null;
}
}
base.SetProperty(controllerContext, bindingContext,
propertyDescriptor, value);
}
}
How about this code?
ModelBinders.Binders.DefaultBinder = new TrimModelBinder();
Set global.asax Application_Start event.
This is #takepara same resolution but as an IModelBinder instead of DefaultModelBinder so that adding the modelbinder in global.asax is through
ModelBinders.Binders.Add(typeof(string),new TrimModelBinder());
The class:
public class TrimModelBinder : IModelBinder
{
public object BindModel(ControllerContext controllerContext,
ModelBindingContext bindingContext)
{
ValueProviderResult valueResult = bindingContext.ValueProvider.GetValue(bindingContext.ModelName);
if (valueResult== null || valueResult.AttemptedValue==null)
return null;
else if (valueResult.AttemptedValue == string.Empty)
return string.Empty;
return valueResult.AttemptedValue.Trim();
}
}
based on #haacked post:
http://haacked.com/archive/2011/03/19/fixing-binding-to-decimals.aspx
One improvement to #takepara answer.
Somewere in project:
public class NoTrimAttribute : Attribute { }
In TrimModelBinder class change
if (propertyDescriptor.PropertyType == typeof(string))
to
if (propertyDescriptor.PropertyType == typeof(string) && !propertyDescriptor.Attributes.Cast<object>().Any(a => a.GetType() == typeof(NoTrimAttribute)))
and you can mark properties to be excluded from trimming with [NoTrim] attribute.
In ASP.Net Core 2 this worked for me. I'm using the [FromBody] attribute in my controllers and JSON input. To override the string handling in the JSON deserialization I registered my own JsonConverter:
services.AddMvcCore()
.AddJsonOptions(options =>
{
options.SerializerSettings.Converters.Insert(0, new TrimmingStringConverter());
})
And this is the converter:
public class TrimmingStringConverter : JsonConverter
{
public override bool CanRead => true;
public override bool CanWrite => false;
public override bool CanConvert(Type objectType) => objectType == typeof(string);
public override object ReadJson(JsonReader reader, Type objectType,
object existingValue, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
if (reader.Value is string value)
{
return value.Trim();
}
return reader.Value;
}
public override void WriteJson(JsonWriter writer, object value,
JsonSerializer serializer)
{
throw new NotImplementedException();
}
}
With improvements in C# 6, you can now write a very compact model binder that will trim all string inputs:
public class TrimStringModelBinder : IModelBinder
{
public object BindModel(ControllerContext controllerContext, ModelBindingContext bindingContext)
{
var value = bindingContext.ValueProvider.GetValue(bindingContext.ModelName);
var attemptedValue = value?.AttemptedValue;
return string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(attemptedValue) ? attemptedValue : attemptedValue.Trim();
}
}
You need to include this line somewhere in Application_Start() in your Global.asax.cs file to use the model binder when binding strings:
ModelBinders.Binders.Add(typeof(string), new TrimStringModelBinder());
I find it is better to use a model binder like this, rather than overriding the default model binder, because then it will be used whenever you are binding a string, whether that's directly as a method argument or as a property on a model class. However, if you override the default model binder as other answers here suggest, that will only work when binding properties on models, not when you have a string as an argument to an action method
Edit: a commenter asked about dealing with the situation when a field should not be validated. My original answer was reduced to deal just with the question the OP had posed, but for those who are interested, you can deal with validation by using the following extended model binder:
public class TrimStringModelBinder : IModelBinder
{
public object BindModel(ControllerContext controllerContext, ModelBindingContext bindingContext)
{
var shouldPerformRequestValidation = controllerContext.Controller.ValidateRequest && bindingContext.ModelMetadata.RequestValidationEnabled;
var unvalidatedValueProvider = bindingContext.ValueProvider as IUnvalidatedValueProvider;
var value = unvalidatedValueProvider == null ?
bindingContext.ValueProvider.GetValue(bindingContext.ModelName) :
unvalidatedValueProvider.GetValue(bindingContext.ModelName, !shouldPerformRequestValidation);
var attemptedValue = value?.AttemptedValue;
return string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(attemptedValue) ? attemptedValue : attemptedValue.Trim();
}
}
Another variant of #takepara's answer but with a different twist:
1) I prefer the opt-in "StringTrim" attribute mechanism (rather than the opt-out "NoTrim" example of #Anton).
2) An additional call to SetModelValue is required to ensure the ModelState is populated correctly and the default validation/accept/reject pattern can be used as normal, i.e. TryUpdateModel(model) to apply and ModelState.Clear() to accept all changes.
Put this in your entity/shared library:
/// <summary>
/// Denotes a data field that should be trimmed during binding, removing any spaces.
/// </summary>
/// <remarks>
/// <para>
/// Support for trimming is implmented in the model binder, as currently
/// Data Annotations provides no mechanism to coerce the value.
/// </para>
/// <para>
/// This attribute does not imply that empty strings should be converted to null.
/// When that is required you must additionally use the <see cref="System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations.DisplayFormatAttribute.ConvertEmptyStringToNull"/>
/// option to control what happens to empty strings.
/// </para>
/// </remarks>
[AttributeUsage(AttributeTargets.Property | AttributeTargets.Field, AllowMultiple = false)]
public class StringTrimAttribute : Attribute
{
}
Then this in your MVC application/library:
/// <summary>
/// MVC model binder which trims string values decorated with the <see cref="StringTrimAttribute"/>.
/// </summary>
public class StringTrimModelBinder : IModelBinder
{
/// <summary>
/// Binds the model, applying trimming when required.
/// </summary>
public object BindModel(ControllerContext controllerContext, ModelBindingContext bindingContext)
{
// Get binding value (return null when not present)
var propertyName = bindingContext.ModelName;
var originalValueResult = bindingContext.ValueProvider.GetValue(propertyName);
if (originalValueResult == null)
return null;
var boundValue = originalValueResult.AttemptedValue;
// Trim when required
if (!String.IsNullOrEmpty(boundValue))
{
// Check for trim attribute
if (bindingContext.ModelMetadata.ContainerType != null)
{
var property = bindingContext.ModelMetadata.ContainerType.GetProperties()
.FirstOrDefault(propertyInfo => propertyInfo.Name == bindingContext.ModelMetadata.PropertyName);
if (property != null && property.GetCustomAttributes(true)
.OfType<StringTrimAttribute>().Any())
{
// Trim when attribute set
boundValue = boundValue.Trim();
}
}
}
// Register updated "attempted" value with the model state
bindingContext.ModelState.SetModelValue(propertyName, new ValueProviderResult(
originalValueResult.RawValue, boundValue, originalValueResult.Culture));
// Return bound value
return boundValue;
}
}
If you don't set the property value in the binder, even when you don't want to change anything, you will block that property from ModelState altogether! This is because you are registered as binding all string types, so it appears (in my testing) that the default binder will not do it for you then.
Extra info for anyone searching how to do this in ASP.NET Core 1.0. Logic has changed quite a lot.
I wrote a blog post about how to do it, it explains things in bit more detailed
So ASP.NET Core 1.0 solution:
Model binder to do the actual trimming
public class TrimmingModelBinder : ComplexTypeModelBinder
{
public TrimmingModelBinder(IDictionary propertyBinders) : base(propertyBinders)
{
}
protected override void SetProperty(ModelBindingContext bindingContext, string modelName, ModelMetadata propertyMetadata, ModelBindingResult result)
{
if(result.Model is string)
{
string resultStr = (result.Model as string).Trim();
result = ModelBindingResult.Success(resultStr);
}
base.SetProperty(bindingContext, modelName, propertyMetadata, result);
}
}
Also you need Model Binder Provider in the latest version, this tells that should this binder be used for this model
public class TrimmingModelBinderProvider : IModelBinderProvider
{
public IModelBinder GetBinder(ModelBinderProviderContext context)
{
if (context == null)
{
throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(context));
}
if (context.Metadata.IsComplexType && !context.Metadata.IsCollectionType)
{
var propertyBinders = new Dictionary();
foreach (var property in context.Metadata.Properties)
{
propertyBinders.Add(property, context.CreateBinder(property));
}
return new TrimmingModelBinder(propertyBinders);
}
return null;
}
}
Then it has to be registered in Startup.cs
services.AddMvc().AddMvcOptions(options => {
options.ModelBinderProviders.Insert(0, new TrimmingModelBinderProvider());
});
In case of MVC Core
Binder:
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.ModelBinding;
using System;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
public class TrimmingModelBinder
: IModelBinder
{
private readonly IModelBinder FallbackBinder;
public TrimmingModelBinder(IModelBinder fallbackBinder)
{
FallbackBinder = fallbackBinder ?? throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(fallbackBinder));
}
public Task BindModelAsync(ModelBindingContext bindingContext)
{
if (bindingContext == null)
{
throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(bindingContext));
}
var valueProviderResult = bindingContext.ValueProvider.GetValue(bindingContext.ModelName);
if (valueProviderResult != null &&
valueProviderResult.FirstValue is string str &&
!string.IsNullOrEmpty(str))
{
bindingContext.Result = ModelBindingResult.Success(str.Trim());
return Task.CompletedTask;
}
return FallbackBinder.BindModelAsync(bindingContext);
}
}
Provider:
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.ModelBinding;
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc.ModelBinding.Binders;
using System;
public class TrimmingModelBinderProvider
: IModelBinderProvider
{
public IModelBinder GetBinder(ModelBinderProviderContext context)
{
if (context == null)
{
throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(context));
}
if (!context.Metadata.IsComplexType && context.Metadata.ModelType == typeof(string))
{
return new TrimmingModelBinder(new SimpleTypeModelBinder(context.Metadata.ModelType));
}
return null;
}
}
Registration function:
public static void AddStringTrimmingProvider(this MvcOptions option)
{
var binderToFind = option.ModelBinderProviders
.FirstOrDefault(x => x.GetType() == typeof(SimpleTypeModelBinderProvider));
if (binderToFind == null)
{
return;
}
var index = option.ModelBinderProviders.IndexOf(binderToFind);
option.ModelBinderProviders.Insert(index, new TrimmingModelBinderProvider());
}
Register:
service.AddMvc(option => option.AddStringTrimmingProvider())
I created value providers to trim the query string parameter values and the form values. This was tested with ASP.NET Core 3 and works perfectly.
public class TrimmedFormValueProvider
: FormValueProvider
{
public TrimmedFormValueProvider(IFormCollection values)
: base(BindingSource.Form, values, CultureInfo.InvariantCulture)
{ }
public override ValueProviderResult GetValue(string key)
{
ValueProviderResult baseResult = base.GetValue(key);
string[] trimmedValues = baseResult.Values.Select(v => v?.Trim()).ToArray();
return new ValueProviderResult(new StringValues(trimmedValues));
}
}
public class TrimmedQueryStringValueProvider
: QueryStringValueProvider
{
public TrimmedQueryStringValueProvider(IQueryCollection values)
: base(BindingSource.Query, values, CultureInfo.InvariantCulture)
{ }
public override ValueProviderResult GetValue(string key)
{
ValueProviderResult baseResult = base.GetValue(key);
string[] trimmedValues = baseResult.Values.Select(v => v?.Trim()).ToArray();
return new ValueProviderResult(new StringValues(trimmedValues));
}
}
public class TrimmedFormValueProviderFactory
: IValueProviderFactory
{
public Task CreateValueProviderAsync(ValueProviderFactoryContext context)
{
if (context.ActionContext.HttpContext.Request.HasFormContentType)
context.ValueProviders.Add(new TrimmedFormValueProvider(context.ActionContext.HttpContext.Request.Form));
return Task.CompletedTask;
}
}
public class TrimmedQueryStringValueProviderFactory
: IValueProviderFactory
{
public Task CreateValueProviderAsync(ValueProviderFactoryContext context)
{
context.ValueProviders.Add(new TrimmedQueryStringValueProvider(context.ActionContext.HttpContext.Request.Query));
return Task.CompletedTask;
}
}
Then register the value provider factories in the ConfigureServices() function in Startup.cs
services.AddControllersWithViews(options =>
{
int formValueProviderFactoryIndex = options.ValueProviderFactories.IndexOf(options.ValueProviderFactories.OfType<FormValueProviderFactory>().Single());
options.ValueProviderFactories[formValueProviderFactoryIndex] = new TrimmedFormValueProviderFactory();
int queryStringValueProviderFactoryIndex = options.ValueProviderFactories.IndexOf(options.ValueProviderFactories.OfType<QueryStringValueProviderFactory>().Single());
options.ValueProviderFactories[queryStringValueProviderFactoryIndex] = new TrimmedQueryStringValueProviderFactory();
});
While reading through the excellent answers and comments above, and becoming increasingly confused, I suddenly thought, hey, I wonder if there's a jQuery solution. So for others who, like me, find ModelBinders a bit bewildering, I offer the following jQuery snippet that trims the input fields before the form gets submitted.
$('form').submit(function () {
$(this).find('input:text').each(function () {
$(this).val($.trim($(this).val()));
})
});
Late to the party, but the following is a summary of adjustments required for MVC 5.2.3 if you are to handle the skipValidation requirement of the build-in value providers.
public class TrimStringModelBinder : IModelBinder
{
public object BindModel(ControllerContext controllerContext, ModelBindingContext bindingContext)
{
// First check if request validation is required
var shouldPerformRequestValidation = controllerContext.Controller.ValidateRequest &&
bindingContext.ModelMetadata.RequestValidationEnabled;
// determine if the value provider is IUnvalidatedValueProvider, if it is, pass in the
// flag to perform request validation (e.g. [AllowHtml] is set on the property)
var unvalidatedProvider = bindingContext.ValueProvider as IUnvalidatedValueProvider;
var valueProviderResult = unvalidatedProvider?.GetValue(bindingContext.ModelName, !shouldPerformRequestValidation) ??
bindingContext.ValueProvider.GetValue(bindingContext.ModelName);
return valueProviderResult?.AttemptedValue?.Trim();
}
}
Global.asax
protected void Application_Start()
{
...
ModelBinders.Binders.Add(typeof(string), new TrimStringModelBinder());
...
}
Update: This answer is out of date for recent versions of ASP.NET Core. Use Bassem's answer instead.
For ASP.NET Core, replace the ComplexTypeModelBinderProvider with a provider that trims strings.
In your startup code ConfigureServices method, add this:
services.AddMvc()
.AddMvcOptions(s => {
s.ModelBinderProviders[s.ModelBinderProviders.TakeWhile(p => !(p is ComplexTypeModelBinderProvider)).Count()] = new TrimmingModelBinderProvider();
})
Define TrimmingModelBinderProvider like this:
/// <summary>
/// Used in place of <see cref="ComplexTypeModelBinderProvider"/> to trim beginning and ending whitespace from user input.
/// </summary>
class TrimmingModelBinderProvider : IModelBinderProvider
{
class TrimmingModelBinder : ComplexTypeModelBinder
{
public TrimmingModelBinder(IDictionary<ModelMetadata, IModelBinder> propertyBinders) : base(propertyBinders) { }
protected override void SetProperty(ModelBindingContext bindingContext, string modelName, ModelMetadata propertyMetadata, ModelBindingResult result)
{
var value = result.Model as string;
if (value != null)
result = ModelBindingResult.Success(value.Trim());
base.SetProperty(bindingContext, modelName, propertyMetadata, result);
}
}
public IModelBinder GetBinder(ModelBinderProviderContext context)
{
if (context.Metadata.IsComplexType && !context.Metadata.IsCollectionType) {
var propertyBinders = new Dictionary<ModelMetadata, IModelBinder>();
for (var i = 0; i < context.Metadata.Properties.Count; i++) {
var property = context.Metadata.Properties[i];
propertyBinders.Add(property, context.CreateBinder(property));
}
return new TrimmingModelBinder(propertyBinders);
}
return null;
}
}
The ugly part of this is the copy and paste of the GetBinder logic from ComplexTypeModelBinderProvider, but there doesn't seem to be any hook to let you avoid this.
I disagree with the solution.
You should override GetPropertyValue because the data for SetProperty could also be filled by the ModelState.
To catch the raw data from the input elements write this:
public class CustomModelBinder : System.Web.Mvc.DefaultModelBinder
{
protected override object GetPropertyValue(System.Web.Mvc.ControllerContext controllerContext, System.Web.Mvc.ModelBindingContext bindingContext, System.ComponentModel.PropertyDescriptor propertyDescriptor, System.Web.Mvc.IModelBinder propertyBinder)
{
object value = base.GetPropertyValue(controllerContext, bindingContext, propertyDescriptor, propertyBinder);
string retval = value as string;
return string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(retval)
? value
: retval.Trim();
}
}
Filter by propertyDescriptor PropertyType if you are really only interested in string values but it should not matter because everything what comes in is basically a string.
There have been a lot of posts suggesting an attribute approach. Here is a package that already has a trim attribute and many others: Dado.ComponentModel.Mutations or NuGet
public partial class ApplicationUser
{
[Trim, ToLower]
public virtual string UserName { get; set; }
}
// Then to preform mutation
var user = new ApplicationUser() {
UserName = " M#X_speed.01! "
}
new MutationContext<ApplicationUser>(user).Mutate();
After the call to Mutate(), user.UserName will be mutated to m#x_speed.01!.
This example will trim whitespace and case the string to lowercase. It doesn't introduce validation, but the System.ComponentModel.Annotations can be used alongside Dado.ComponentModel.Mutations.
I posted this in another thread. In asp.net core 2, I went in a different direction. I used an action filter instead. In this case the developer can either set it globally or use as an attribute for the actions he/she wants to apply the string trimming. This code runs after the model binding has taken place, and it can update the values in the model object.
Here is my code, first create an action filter:
public class TrimInputStringsAttribute : ActionFilterAttribute
{
public override void OnActionExecuting(ActionExecutingContext context)
{
foreach (var arg in context.ActionArguments)
{
if (arg.Value is string)
{
string val = arg.Value as string;
if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(val))
{
context.ActionArguments[arg.Key] = val.Trim();
}
continue;
}
Type argType = arg.Value.GetType();
if (!argType.IsClass)
{
continue;
}
TrimAllStringsInObject(arg.Value, argType);
}
}
private void TrimAllStringsInObject(object arg, Type argType)
{
var stringProperties = argType.GetProperties()
.Where(p => p.PropertyType == typeof(string));
foreach (var stringProperty in stringProperties)
{
string currentValue = stringProperty.GetValue(arg, null) as string;
if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(currentValue))
{
stringProperty.SetValue(arg, currentValue.Trim(), null);
}
}
}
}
To use it, either register as global filter or decorate your actions with the TrimInputStrings attribute.
[TrimInputStrings]
public IActionResult Register(RegisterViewModel registerModel)
{
// Some business logic...
return Ok();
}
OK, I have this thing and it kinda works:
class TrimmingModelBinder : IModelBinder
{
public Task BindModelAsync (ModelBindingContext ctx)
{
if
(
ctx .ModelName is string name
&& ctx .ValueProvider .GetValue (name) .FirstValue is string v)
ctx .ModelState .SetModelValue
(
name,
new ValueProviderResult
((ctx .Result = ModelBindingResult .Success (v .Trim ())) .Model as string));
return Task .CompletedTask; }}
class AutoTrimAttribute : ModelBinderAttribute
{
public AutoTrimAttribute ()
{ this .BinderType = typeof (TrimmingModelBinder); }}
It is a shame that there is no standard feature for this though.
I adapted #Kai G's answer for System.Text.Json:
using System;
using System.Text.Json;
using System.Text.Json.Serialization;
public class TrimmedStringConverter : JsonConverter<string>
{
public override bool CanConvert(Type typeToConvert) => typeToConvert == typeof(string);
public override string Read(ref Utf8JsonReader reader, Type typeToConvert, JsonSerializerOptions options)
{
return reader.GetString() is string value ? value.Trim() : null;
}
public override void Write(Utf8JsonWriter writer, string value, JsonSerializerOptions options)
{
writer.WriteStringValue(value);
}
}