new array helper: array_flatten_with_dots

system/Helpers/array_helper.php

@@ -133,13 +133,11 @@ function array_deep_search($key, array $array)
 	 * Both arrays of objects and arrays of array can be sorted.
 	 *
 	 * Example:
-	 * 	array_sort_by_multiple_keys($players,
-	 * 		[
-	 * 			'team.hierarchy' => SORT_ASC,
-	 * 			'position'       => SORT_ASC,
-	 * 			'name'           => SORT_STRING,
-	 * 		]
-	 * 	);
+	 *     array_sort_by_multiple_keys($players, [
+	 *         'team.hierarchy' => SORT_ASC,
+	 *         'position'       => SORT_ASC,
+	 *         'name'           => SORT_STRING,
+	 *     ]);
 	 *
 	 * The '.' dot operator in the column name indicates a deeper array or
 	 * object level. In principle, any number of sublevels could be used,
@@ -180,7 +178,7 @@ function array_sort_by_multiple_keys(array &$array, array $sortColumns): bool
 					{
 						$carry[$index] = $object->$keySegment;
 					}
-					
+
 					continue;
 				}
 
@@ -200,3 +198,35 @@ function array_sort_by_multiple_keys(array &$array, array $sortColumns): bool
 		return array_multisort(...$tempArray);
 	}
 }
+
+if (! function_exists('array_flatten_with_dots'))
+{
+	/**
+	 * Flatten a multidimensional array using dots as separators.
+	 *
+	 * @param iterable $array The multi-dimensional array
+	 * @param string   $id    Something to initially prepend to the flattened keys
+	 *
+	 * @return array The flattened array
+	 */
+	function array_flatten_with_dots(iterable $array, string $id = ''): array
+	{
+		$flattened = [];
+
+		foreach ($array as $key => $value)
+		{
+			$newKey = $id . $key;
+
+			if (is_array($value))
+			{
+				$flattened = array_merge($flattened, array_flatten_with_dots($value, $newKey . '.'));
+			}
+			else
+			{
+				$flattened[$newKey] = $value;
+			}
+		}
+
+		return $flattened;
+	}
+}

system/Validation/Validation.php

@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ public function check($value, string $rule, array $errors = []): bool
 	 * @param string|null  $label
 	 * @param string|array $value Value to be validated, can be a string or an array
 	 * @param array|null   $rules
-	 * @param array        $data  // All of the fields to check.
+	 * @param array        $data  All of the fields to check.
 	 *
 	 * @return boolean
 	 */
@@ -213,15 +213,16 @@ protected function processRules(string $field, string $label = null, $value, $ru
 			throw new InvalidArgumentException('You must supply the parameter: data.');
 		}
 
-		// If the if_exist rule is defined...
 		if (in_array('if_exist', $rules, true))
 		{
-			// and the current field does not exists in the input data
-			// we can return true. Ignoring all other rules to this field.
-			if (! array_key_exists($field, $data))
+			// If the if_exist rule is defined
+			// and the current field does not exist in the input data
+			// we can return true, ignoring all other rules to this field.
+			if (! array_key_exists($field, array_flatten_with_dots($data)))
 			{
 				return true;
 			}
+
 			// Otherwise remove the if_exist rule and continue the process
 			$rules = array_diff($rules, ['if_exist']);
 		}

tests/system/Helpers/ArrayHelperTest.php

@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
-<?php namespace CodeIgniter\Helpers;
+<?php
 
-class ArrayHelperTest extends \CodeIgniter\Test\CIUnitTestCase
+namespace CodeIgniter\Helpers;
+
+use CodeIgniter\Test\CIUnitTestCase;
+
+class ArrayHelperTest extends CIUnitTestCase
 {
 	protected function setUp(): void
 	{
@@ -182,7 +186,8 @@ public function testArraySortByMultipleKeysWithArray($data, $sortColumns, $expec
 	public function testArraySortByMultipleKeysWithObjects($data, $sortColumns, $expected)
 	{
 		// Morph to objects
-		foreach($data as $index => $dataSet){
+		foreach ($data as $index => $dataSet)
+		{
 			$data[$index] = (object) $dataSet;
 		}
 
@@ -228,19 +233,17 @@ public function testArraySortByMultipleKeysFailsInconsistentArraySizes($data)
 		{
 			$this->expectException('ValueError');
 		}
-		
+
 		$this->expectExceptionMessage('Array sizes are inconsistent');
 
 		$sortColumns = [
 			'team.orders' => SORT_ASC,
 			'positions'   => SORT_ASC,
 		];
 
-		$success = array_sort_by_multiple_keys($data, $sortColumns);
+		array_sort_by_multiple_keys($data, $sortColumns);
 	}
 
-	//--------------------------------------------------------------------
-
 	public static function deepSearchProvider()
 	{
 		return [
@@ -319,4 +322,98 @@ public static function sortByMultipleKeysProvider()
 			],
 		];
 	}
+
+	/**
+	 * @dataProvider arrayFlattenProvider
+	 *
+	 * @param iterable $input
+	 * @param iterable $expected
+	 *
+	 * @return void
+	 */
+	public function testArrayFlattening($input, $expected): void
+	{
+		$this->assertSame($expected, array_flatten_with_dots($input));
+	}
+
+	public function arrayFlattenProvider(): iterable
+	{
+		yield 'normal' => [
+				  [
+					  'id'   => '12',
+					  'user' => [
+						  'first_name' => 'john',
+						  'last_name'  => 'smith',
+						  'age'        => '26 years',
+					  ],
+				  ],
+				  [
+					  'id'              => '12',
+					  'user.first_name' => 'john',
+					  'user.last_name'  => 'smith',
+					  'user.age'        => '26 years',
+				  ],
+			  ];
+
+		yield 'many-levels' => [
+				  [
+					  'foo' => 1,
+					  'bar' => [
+						  'bax' => [
+							  'baz' => 2,
+							  'biz' => 3,
+						  ],
+					  ],
+					  'baz' => [
+						  'fizz' => 4,
+					  ],
+				  ],
+				  [
+					  'foo'         => 1,
+					  'bar.bax.baz' => 2,
+					  'bar.bax.biz' => 3,
+					  'baz.fizz'    => 4,
+				  ],
+			  ];
+
+		yield 'with-empty-arrays' => [
+				  [
+					  'foo' => 'bar',
+					  'baz' => [],
+					  'bar' => [
+						  'fizz' => 'buzz',
+						  'nope' => 'yeah',
+						  'why'  => [],
+					  ],
+				  ],
+				  [
+					  'foo'      => 'bar',
+					  'bar.fizz' => 'buzz',
+					  'bar.nope' => 'yeah',
+				  ],
+			  ];
+
+		yield 'with-mixed-empty' => [
+				  [
+					  'foo' => 1,
+					  ''    => [
+						  'bar' => 2,
+						  'baz' => 3,
+					  ],
+					  0     => [
+						  'fizz' => 4,
+					  ],
+					  1     => [
+						  'buzz' => 5,
+					  ],
+				  ],
+				  [
+					  'foo'    => 1,
+					  '.bar'   => 2,
+					  '.baz'   => 3,
+					  '0.fizz' => 4,
+					  '1.buzz' => 5,
+				  ],
+			  ];
+	}
 }

tests/system/Validation/RulesTest.php

@@ -179,6 +179,17 @@ public function ifExistProvider()
 				[],
 				true,
 			],
+			// Testing for multi-dimensional data
+			[
+				['foo.bar' => 'if_exist|required'],
+				['foo' => ['bar' => '']],
+				false,
+			],
+			[
+				['foo.bar' => 'if_exist|required'],
+				['foo' => []],
+				true,
+			],
 		];
 	}
 
@@ -1496,10 +1507,15 @@ public function inListProvider()
 	public function testRequiredWith($field, $check, $expected = false)
 	{
 		$data = [
-			'foo' => 'bar',
-			'bar' => 'something',
-			'baz' => null,
-			'array'  => ['nonEmptyField1'=>'value1','nonEmptyField2'=>'value2', 'emptyField1'=>null, 'emptyField2'=>null],
+			'foo'   => 'bar',
+			'bar'   => 'something',
+			'baz'   => null,
+			'array' => [
+				'nonEmptyField1' => 'value1',
+				'nonEmptyField2' => 'value2',
+				'emptyField1'    => null,
+				'emptyField2'    => null,
+			],
 		];
 
 		$this->validation->setRules([
@@ -1578,10 +1594,15 @@ public function requiredWithProvider()
 	public function testRequiredWithout($field, $check, $expected = false)
 	{
 		$data = [
-			'foo' => 'bar',
-			'bar' => 'something',
-			'baz' => null,
-			'array'  => ['nonEmptyField1'=>'value1','nonEmptyField2'=>'value2', 'emptyField1'=>null, 'emptyField2'=>null],
+			'foo'   => 'bar',
+			'bar'   => 'something',
+			'baz'   => null,
+			'array' => [
+				'nonEmptyField1' => 'value1',
+				'nonEmptyField2' => 'value2',
+				'emptyField1'    => null,
+				'emptyField2'    => null,
+			],
 		];
 
 		$this->validation->setRules([
@@ -1636,11 +1657,11 @@ public function requiredWithoutProvider()
 				'array.nonEmptyField2',
 				true,
 			],
-				[
+			[
 				'array.nonEmptyField1',
 				'array.nonEmptyField2',
 				true,
-			],			
+			],
 		];
 	}