---
title: ImageEditValidator
summary: API reference for ImageEditValidator (SAIF.Services.Groups.Imaging.Validators).
status: draft
owner: SAIF Doc Gen
last_reviewed: 2026-09-24
library: SAIF.Services
reference_type: package
---

# ImageEditValidator

A FluentValidation `AbstractValidator<ImageEdit>` used by `SAIF.Services.Groups.Imaging.ImageUpdater` to authorize and validate a group image edit before it is applied. It depends on `IGroupImageRepository` and `IGroupRepository` to confirm the image/group exist, `IImageCategoryCodeRepository` to confirm the document type is valid, and `IGroupImageSecurityProvider` to check edit authorization.

## Purpose
- Blocks the edit entirely if the current user is not authorized to edit images.
- Confirms the target image exists, has not been concurrently updated by another user, and (when found) validates description length, category/type codes, and target group existence.

## Context
- Namespace: `SAIF.Services.Groups.Imaging.Validators`
- Assembly/package: `SAIF.Services` (packaged inside the `SAIF.SAIFCode.Core` NuGet package)

## Public members
| Member | Signature | Purpose |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ImageEditValidator(...) | `public ImageEditValidator(IGroupImageRepository groupImageRepository, IGroupRepository groupRepository, IImageCategoryCodeRepository imageCategoryCodeRepository, IGroupImageSecurityProvider securityProvider)` | Stores the injected collaborators and registers the full rule chain described in Behavioral notes. |

## Behavioral notes
- `RuleFor(n => n.ImageGroupId).Must(UserCanEditImages)` fails immediately with "Error: User not authorized to edit images." when `securityProvider.CanUserEditImages()` is false, gating all subsequent rules via `When(UserCanEditImages, ...)`.
- Within the authorized branch, `groupImageRepository.ImageFound` must succeed ("Error: Image could not be found.") before the nested `When(ImageFound, ...)` rules run.
- Nested rules require: no intervening update (`UpdateDate` still matches the stored value — "Error: Image updated by another user."), description text no longer than `Image.MaxDescriptionLength`, a non-empty category code, a document-type code that both is non-empty and resolves via `imageCategoryCodeRepository.ImageDocumentTypeFound`, and a group ID that resolves via `groupRepository.GroupFound`.

## Sources
- Services/SAIF.Services/Groups/Imaging/Validators/ImageEditValidator.cs