Zend_Form not displaying error message with calling addError - zend-framework

Question

I am implementing an updatePasswordAction and its not displaying an error with an invalid current password. I could not implement this with a Zend_Validate class to use with a supplied record->password, so i just validated for now in my controller action and if failed then i add the error message to the form element. this is just before i run $form->isValid. In any case, its working. but when the validation fails, its not displaying the error message on this on the element. any help would be greatly appreciated.
FYI: When I submit a blank current password, it shows the validation
class Admin_Form_UserPassword extends Katana_Form
{
public function init()
{
$element = $this->createElement('hidden', 'id');
$this->addElement($element);
$element = $this->createElement('password','password');
$element->setLabel('Current Password:');
$element->setRequired(true);
$this->addElement($element);
$element = $this->createElement('password','new_password');
$element->setLabel('New Password:');
$element->addValidator('StringLength', false, array(6,24));
$element->setRequired(true);
$element->addValidator('NotEmpty');
$this->addElement($element);
$element = $this->createElement('password','new_password_confirm');
$element->setLabel('Confirm:');
$element->addValidator('StringLength', false, array(6,24));
$element->addValidator('IdenticalField', false, array('new_password', 'Confirm Password'));
$element->setRequired(true);
$this->addElement($element);
$this->addElement('submit', 'submit', array('label' => 'Submit'));
}
}
public function updatePasswordAction()
{
$resourceModel = new Core_Model_Resource_User();
$form = new Admin_Form_UserPassword();
$form->setMethod(Katana_Form::METHOD_POST);
$form->setAction($this->getActionUrl('update-password'));
if($this->getRequest()->isPost()){
$id = $this->getRequest()->getParam('id');
$record = $resourceModel->find($id)->current();
$currPassword = $record->password;
$typedPassword = md5($this->getRequest()->getParam('password'));
if($currPassword !== $typedPassword){
$form->getElement('password')->addError('Current password is incorrect.');
}
if($form->isValid($_POST)){
$data = $form->getValues();
$result = $resourceModel->updatePassword($id, $data['new_password']);
if($result){
$this->redirectSimple('list');
}
}
} else {
$id = $this->getRequest()->getParam('id');
$recordData = array(
'id' => $id
);
$form->populate($recordData);
}
$this->getView()->form = $form;
}

Answer 1

Adding an error to the element doesn't cause the form itself to then be invalid.
There are at least 2 methods I use to get around this:
if($currPassword !== $typedPassword){
$form->getElement('password')->addError('Current password is incorrect.');
$form->markAsError();
}
// or
if ($form->isValid($_POST) && 0 == sizeof($form->getMessages()) {
// form was valid, and no errors were set on elements
}
To clarify, when you add the error to the form ELEMENT, there is an error attached to that element, but Zend_Form::isValid only runs the validators and sets appropriate errors, it doesn't check to see if you had set an error on a particular element.
You can however call $form->getMessages() to get all the error messages attached to the form or its child elements. If this is 0 and you have validated your form, then it means there were no errors. If your form passed isValid but you added an error to an element, it will include the error message you added.

Answer 2

I made it work this way.
Controller:
if ($trial->getKind() != 'debt' && $_POST['kind'] == 'debt')
{
$editForm->getElement('kind')->markAsError();
}
if ($editForm->isValid($_POST)) { ... }
Form:
public function isValid($data)
{
$valid = parent::isValid($data);
if ($this->getElement('kind')->hasErrors()) {
$this->getElement('kind')->addError($this->_translate->translate('You can\'t change trial kind to debt.'));
$valid = false;
}
return $valid;
}
And this comment helped me.