Date range validation

Taking the Answer BalusC like Base, and for me use in the future...

This can to set the Interval (Year, Month, Week), the Reference Comparation Initial, or Final.

@FacesValidator("dateRangeValidator")
public class DateRangeValidator implements Validator {

   @Override
   public void validate(FacesContext facesContext, UIComponent component,
           Object value) throws ValidatorException {

       UIInput dateIniComponent = (UIInput) component.getAttributes().get("dateIniComponent");
       UIInput dateFinComponent = (UIInput) component.getAttributes().get("dateFinComponent");
       String range = ((String) component.getAttributes().get("range")).toLowerCase();
       String reference = ((String) component.getAttributes().get("reference")).toLowerCase();

       if (value == null) {
           return;
       } else if (value instanceof Date) {
           Date dateIni = null;
           Date dateFin = null;
           if ((dateIniComponent == null) && (dateFinComponent != null)) {
               if (!dateFinComponent.isValid()) {
                   return; //No hay datos contra quien comparar
               }
               dateFin = (Date) dateFinComponent.getValue();
               dateIni = (Date) value;
           }

           if ((dateFinComponent == null) && (dateIniComponent != null)) {
               if (!dateIniComponent.isValid()) {
                   return; //No hay datos contra quien comparar
               }
               dateIni = (Date) dateIniComponent.getValue();
               dateFin = (Date) value;
           }

           if ((dateIni != null) && (dateFin != null)) {
               Calendar cal = Calendar.getInstance();

               cal.setTime(dateIni);
               Integer yearIni = cal.get(Calendar.YEAR);
               Integer monthIni = cal.get(Calendar.MONTH);
               Long daysMonthIni = (long) YearMonth.of(yearIni, monthIni + 1).lengthOfMonth();
               Long daysYearIni = (long) cal.getActualMaximum(Calendar.DAY_OF_YEAR);

               cal.setTime(dateFin);
               Integer yearFin = cal.get(Calendar.YEAR);
               Integer monthFin = cal.get(Calendar.MONTH);
               Long daysMonthFin = (long) YearMonth.of(yearFin, monthFin + 1).lengthOfMonth();
               Long daysYearFin = (long) cal.getActualMaximum(Calendar.DAY_OF_YEAR);

               Long daysAllowed =
                       ("year".equals(range) ? ("ini".equals(reference)?daysYearIni:("fin".equals(reference)?daysYearFin:null)) :
                       ("month".equals(range) ? ("ini".equals(reference)?daysMonthIni:("fin".equals(reference)?daysMonthFin:null)) : 
                       ("week".equals(range) ? 7 : null)));

               Long daysBetweenDates = TimeUnit.DAYS.convert(dateFin.getTime() - dateIni.getTime(), TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);

               if (daysAllowed == null) {
                   FacesMessage facesMessage
                           = new FacesMessage(
                                   FacesMessage.SEVERITY_ERROR,
                                   "Rango de fechas mal expresado en el facelet (vista) ",
                                   "Rango de fechas mal expresado en el facelet (vista) ");
                   throw new ValidatorException(facesMessage);
               }

               if (dateFin.before(dateIni)) {
                   FacesMessage facesMessage
                           = new FacesMessage(
                                   FacesMessage.SEVERITY_ERROR,
                                   "Fecha Final No es posterior a Fecha Inicial ",
                                   "La Fecha Final debe ser posterior a Fecha Inicial");
                   throw new ValidatorException(facesMessage);
               }

               if (daysBetweenDates > daysAllowed) {
                   FacesMessage facesMessage
                           = new FacesMessage(
                                   FacesMessage.SEVERITY_ERROR,
                                   "Se ha excedido los dias permitidos " + daysAllowed + " entre fechas seleccionadas, entre las fechas hay " + daysBetweenDates + " dias",
                                   "entre las fechas hay " + daysBetweenDates + " dias");
                   throw new ValidatorException(facesMessage);
               }
           }

       }
   }

}

Now in the view

    <p:outputLabel value="Date Initial:" for="itHeadDateInitial" />
    <p:calendar id="itHeadDateInitial"
                navigator="true" 
                binding="#{bindingDateIniComponent}" 
                value="#{theBean.DateIni}"
                pattern="dd-MM-yyyy" mask="true" >
        <f:validator validatorId="dateRangeValidator" />
        <f:attribute name="dateFinComponent" value="#{bindingDateFinComponent}" />
        <f:attribute name="range" value="year" />
        <f:attribute name="reference" value="ini" />
    </p:calendar>


    <p:outputLabel value="Date Final:" for="itHeadDateFinal" />
    <p:calendar id="itHeadDateFinal"
                navigator="true" 
                binding="#{bindingDateFinComponent}" 
                value="#{theBean.DateFin}"
                pattern="dd-MM-yyyy" mask="true" >
        <f:validator validatorId="dateRangeValidator" />
        <f:attribute name="dateIniComponent" value="#{bindingDateIniComponent}" />
        <f:attribute name="range" value="year" />
        <f:attribute name="reference" value="ini" />
    </p:calendar>

As BalusC solution works only if you have one date range to validate on the form, here is an improvement to allow multiple date range validations:

  • add another <f:attribute> to the endDate calendar component where you specify the binding attribute name to startDate component:

    <f:attribute name="bindingAttributeName" value="startDateComponent" />
    
  • then in the validator:

    String startDateBindingAttrName = (String) component.getAttributes().get("bindingAttributeName");
    UIInput startDateComponent = (UIInput) component.getAttributes().get(startDateBindingAttrName);
    

However this validation does not happen concurrently with the other form validations.

A backing bean action method is indeed not intented to perform input validation.


Anyone have a solution?

Use the right tool for the job; use a normal Validator.

@FacesValidator("dataRangeValidator")
public class DateRangeValidator implements Validator {
    // ...
}

Validating multiple input values with a single validator is in turn however indeed a story apart. Basically, you should be grabbing/passing the other component or its value along into the validate() method implementation. In its simplest form, you could use <f:attribute> for this. Assuming that you're using <p:calendar> to pick dates, here's a concrete kickoff example:

<p:calendar id="startDate" binding="#{startDateComponent}" value="#{bean.startDate}" pattern="MM/dd/yyyy" required="true" />
<p:calendar id="endDate" value="#{bean.endDate}" pattern="MM/dd/yyyy" required="true">
    <f:validator validatorId="dateRangeValidator" />
    <f:attribute name="startDateComponent" value="#{startDateComponent}" />
</p:calendar>

(note the binding attribute, it makes the component available in the EL scope on exactly the given variable name; also note that this example is as-is and that you should absolutely not bind it to a bean property!)

Where the dateRangeValidator look like this:

@FacesValidator("dateRangeValidator")
public class DateRangeValidator implements Validator {

    @Override
    public void validate(FacesContext context, UIComponent component, Object value) throws ValidatorException {
        if (value == null) {
            return; // Let required="true" handle.
        }

        UIInput startDateComponent = (UIInput) component.getAttributes().get("startDateComponent");

        if (!startDateComponent.isValid()) {
            return; // Already invalidated. Don't care about it then.
        }

        Date startDate = (Date) startDateComponent.getValue();

        if (startDate == null) {
            return; // Let required="true" handle.
        }

        Date endDate = (Date) value;

        if (startDate.after(endDate)) {
            startDateComponent.setValid(false);
            throw new ValidatorException(new FacesMessage(
                FacesMessage.SEVERITY_ERROR, "Start date may not be after end date.", null));
        }
    }

}

If you happen to use JSF utility library OmniFaces, then you could also just use its <o:validateOrder> component. The requirement can be achieved as follows without the need for a custom validator:

<p:calendar id="startDate" value="#{bean.startDate}" pattern="MM/dd/yyyy" required="true" />
<p:calendar id="endDate" value="#{bean.endDate}" pattern="MM/dd/yyyy" required="true" />
<o:validateOrder components="startDate endDate" />

See also:

  • JSF doesn't support cross-field validation, is there a workaround?

if you're using PrimeFaces which can limit a minimum and maximum dates. the user could not choose a greater range this is an example:

<p:calendar id="startDate" value="#{bean.startDate}" maxdate="#{bean.endDate}">
     <p:ajax event="dateSelect" update="endDate"/>
</p:calendar>
<p:calendar id="endDate" value="#{bean.endDate}" mindate="#{bean.startDate}" disabled="#{empty bean.startDate}">
      <p:ajax event="dateSelect" update="startDate"/>
 </p:calendar>