array

Validates the property to be an array. Further you can define the shape of the array elements using the array.members() method.

In the following example, the tags property accepts an array of numbers.

import { schema } from '@ioc:Adonis/Core/Validator'

{
  tags: schema.array().members(schema.number())
}

// Valid data: [1, 3, 8, 11, 22]

Following is an example of accepting an array of objects with username and the email properties.

{
  users: schema.array().members(
    schema.object().members({
      username: schema.string(),
      email: schema.string(),
    })
  ),
}

// Valid data: [{ username: 'virk', email: 'virk@adonisjs.com' }]

Mark as optional

You can mark the property to be optional by chaining the optional method. The undefined and the null values are considered optional and removed from the validated object.

{
  tags: schema.array
    .optional([// 👈
      rules.minLength(1)
    ])
    .members(schema.number())
}

Mark as nullable

You can mark the property to be nullable by chaining the nullable method. The nullable fields must exist in the payload but can contain null values.

{
  tags: schema.array
    .nullable([// 👈
      rules.minLength(1)
    ])
    .members(schema.number())
}

Mark as nullable and optional

Mark the property both as nullable and optional. If the field value is undefined, it will be removed from the validated object. Otherwise, the validated value (including null) is returned.

{
  tags: schema.array
    .nullableAndOptional([// 👈
      rules.minLength(1)
    ])
    .members(schema.number())
}

Validating array length

You can validate the array length by using the minLength and the maxLength rules. In the following example, we accept a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 5 tags.

{
  tags: schema
    .array([
      rules.minLength(1),
      rules.maxLength(5)
    ])
    .members(schema.number()),  
}

Accept any elements

You can also define an array that accepts any elements. The array elements are not further validated to have a specific type.

{
  themeOptions: schema.array().anyMembers()
}