# Standard Validation Classes

Zend Framework comes with a standard set of validation classes, which are ready for you to use.

## Alnum

Returns `TRUE` if and only if `$value` contains only alphabetic and digit characters. This validator includes an option to also consider white space characters as valid.

The alphabetic characters mean characters that makes up words in each language. However, the English alphabet is treated as the alphabetic characters in following languages: Chinese, Japanese, Korean. The language is specified by `Zend_Locale`.

## Alpha

Returns `TRUE` if and only if `$value` contains only alphabetic characters. This validator includes an option to also consider white space characters as valid.

## Ccnum

The `Ccnum` validator has been deprecated in favor of the `CreditCard` validator. For security reasons you should use CreditCard instead of Ccnum.

## Date

Returns `TRUE` if `$value` is a valid date of the format 'YYYY-MM-DD'. If the optional locale option is set then the date will be validated according to the set locale. And if the optional format option is set this format is used for the validation. for details about the optional parameters see Zend_Date::isDate().

## Digits

Returns `TRUE` if and only if `$value` only contains digit characters.

## Float

Returns `TRUE` if and only if `$value` is a floating-point value. Since Zend Framework 1.8 this validator takes into account the actual locale from browser, environment or application wide set locale. You can of course use the get/setLocale accessors to change the used locale or give it while creating a instance of this validator.

## Iban

Returns `TRUE` if and only if `$value` contains a valid IBAN (International Bank Account Number). IBAN numbers are validated against the country where they are used and by a checksum.

There are two ways to validate IBAN numbers. As first way you can give a locale which represents a country. Any given IBAN number will then be validated against this country.

    $validator = new Zend_Validate_Iban('de_AT');
    $iban = 'AT611904300234573201';
    if ($validator->isValid($iban)) {
        // IBAN appears to be valid
    } else {
        // IBAN is invalid
        foreach ($validator->getMessages() as $message) {
            echo "$message\n";
        }
    }

This should be done when you want to validate IBAN numbers for a single countries. The simpler way of validation is not to give a locale like shown in the next example.

    $validator = new Zend_Validate_Iban();
    $iban = 'AT611904300234573201';
    if ($validator->isValid($iban)) {
        // IBAN appears to be valid
    } else {
        // IBAN is invalid
    }

But this shows one big problem: When you have to accept only IBAN numbers from one single country, for example france, then IBAN numbers from other countries would also be valid. Therefor just remember: When you have to validate a IBAN number against a defined country you should give the locale. And when you accept all IBAN numbers regardless of any country omit the locale for simplicity.

## Int

Returns `TRUE` if and only if `$value` is a valid integer. Since Zend Framework 1.8 this validator takes into account the actual locale from browser, environment or application wide set locale. You can of course use the get/setLocale accessors to change the used locale or give it while creating a instance of this validator.

## Regex

Returns `TRUE` if and only if `$value` matches against a regular expression pattern.

## StringLength

Returns `TRUE` if and only if the string length of `$value` is at least a minimum and no greater than a maximum (when the max option is not `NULL`). The `setMin()` method throws an exception if the minimum length is set to a value greater than the set maximum length, and the `setMax()` method throws an exception if the maximum length is set to a value less than the set minimum length. This class supports UTF-8 and other character encodings, based on the current value of iconv.internal_encoding. If you need a different encoding you can set it with the accessor methods getEncoding and setEncoding.