RegExp error:

Hi! This problem(in model):

validates :some_digits_collection, :presence => true, :format => { :with
=> /^\d*$/, :message => “Must contain only digits!” }

So, :some_digits_collection must match only digits. But when I puts
“123f”(for example) in my form, it matches too and there no errors! Why?

On Aug 14, 2011, at 2:29 PM, Misha O. wrote:

Hi! This problem(in model):

validates :some_digits_collection, :presence => true, :format =>
{ :with
=> /^\d*$/, :message => “Must contain only digits!” }

So, :some_digits_collection must match only digits. But when I puts
“123f”(for example) in my form, it matches too and there no errors!
Why?

That’s really curious. I tested your regexp at Rubular, and it really
does match and work the way you want it to. What gets stored in the
database after this passes? Perhaps the input value is being cast to
an integer for storage, and so the trailing letters are being stripped
out. IF the validation happens after the cast, that could explain it
– but only if the value that ends up being stored is actually free of
letters.

Walter

It matches because it’s true. The expressions states any number of
digits before the end of line. It does not state exclusively digits.

On Aug 14, 2011, at 4:42 PM, Rafael Ubaldo wrote:

It matches because it’s true. The expressions states any number of
digits before the end of line. It does not state exclusively digits.

That wasn’t what I got from it on Rubular. The ^ and $ surrounding the
\d* mean the entire line is considered, and if you type in the precise
regexp on rubular.com, and then type in 123f in the test string box,
you’ll see that it matches 1,12,123, and then reports “no match” the
moment you type the f.

Walter

Perhaps the input value is being cast to
an integer for storage, and so the trailing letters are being stripped
out.

This is one simple way to check this: puts “f123” to field.
“f123”.to_i => 0
“123f”.to_i => 123
But in Rails validation, “f123” is validates too.

Michael

But 0 passes this regex – it’s one digit. If you wanted to ensure
that you had n or more digits, you would use a regex like this:

^\d{2,}$

to match two or more digits.

Or, you could check to see if the first digit was larger than a 0 if
that first digit cannot ever be 0:

^[1-9]\d*$

That will match 1, but not 0, and also 10, 11, 12 …

Walter

Rafael Ubaldo wrote in post #1016660:

It matches because it’s true. The expressions states any number of
digits before the end of line. It does not state exclusively digits.

Wrong. The regex says:

  1. match start of line(or just after a newline)
  2. match a digit 0 or more times
  3. match just before a newline (or end of line)

You cannot match start of line, followed by zero or more digits,
followed by the end of line unless the string contains only digits or is
blank.

On Aug 14, 7:29pm, Misha O. [email protected] wrote:

Hi! This problem(in model):

validates :some_digits_collection, :presence => true, :format => { :with
=> /^\d*$/, :message => “Must contain only digits!” }

So, :some_digits_collection must match only digits. But when I puts
“123f”(for example) in my form, it matches too and there no errors! Why?

Is this column an integer column? If so, then I seem to recall that at
the point that validations run rails has already converted the
argument to an integer, i.e. it will have converted your 123f to 123
and so your validation passes.

Fred

^[1-9]\d*$
Walter, thanks for this.

Is this column an integer column? If so, then I seem to recall that at
the point that validations run rails has already converted the
argument to an integer, i.e. it will have converted your 123f to 123
and so your validation passes.
Fred, how I can fix it? For example, if user will put in field “12f3”
all valid.

Agreed.

@OP: You should try this instead:

http://edgeguides.rubyonrails.org/active_record_validations_callbacks.html#numericality

On Mon, Aug 15, 2011 at 2:41 PM, Frederick C. <

Dheeraj K., it works, thanks!