---
title: CertificatePreferenceValidator
summary: API reference for CertificatePreferenceValidator.
status: draft
owner: SAIF Doc Gen
last_reviewed: 2026-09-24
library: SAIF.Services
reference_type: package
---

# CertificatePreferenceValidator

FluentValidation validator for `CertificatePreferenceEdit`, the model that captures how a policyholder wants certificate renewal notifications delivered (mail, email, or fax). It requires a delivery method, requires a renewal notification type whenever a delivery method other than `None` is selected, validates email address format and length, requires an email address when the delivery method is `Email`, requires a fax number when the delivery method is `Fax`, and independently validates fax number formatting via `BeAvalidFaxNumber`.

## Purpose
- Requires `DeliveryMethod` to be set on every submission.
- Requires a valid (non-`NotSet`) `RenewalNotificationType` whenever `DeliveryMethod` is not `None`.
- Enforces email address format/length rules and requires an email address when `DeliveryMethod` is `Email`.
- Requires a fax number when `DeliveryMethod` is `Fax`, and validates the fax number's format regardless of delivery method.

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

## Public members
| Member | Signature | Purpose |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CertificatePreferenceValidator (constructor) | `public CertificatePreferenceValidator()` | Registers all validation rules for `CertificatePreferenceEdit`: required delivery method, conditional renewal-notification requirement, email format/length rules, conditional email/fax requirements based on delivery method, and fax-format validation. |

## Behavioral notes
- The renewal-notification rule uses `Must` with a lambda that ignores the bound `testString` parameter and instead re-reads `n.RenewalNotificationType`, so the rule effectively re-validates the same property it is attached to (`DeliveryMethod`) via a side-channel check on `RenewalNotificationType`.*
- The email-required and fax-required rules are likewise implemented as `Must` predicates on the `DeliveryMethod` property that inspect `EmailAddress`/`Fax` rather than validating those properties directly, so validation failures surface against the `DeliveryMethod` field.*
- `BeAvalidFaxNumber` treats a null `fax` value or an empty formatted value as valid, and only rejects a fax whose `NumericValue` is positive but whose `FormattedValue` is empty, or accepts any formatted value that is exactly 12 characters long; any other non-empty formatted value falls through to `return true` as well, so the practical rejection case is narrow.*
- Several alternative/experimental rule blocks for delivery-method-conditioned messaging are commented out in source, indicating earlier iterations of this validator were replaced.*

## Constraints and usage notes
- Callers must populate `DeliveryMethod` before validation, since several rules key off its value to decide whether email or fax fields are mandatory.
- The email length rule caps `EmailAddress` at 60 characters to match backing storage.

> **Note:** Statements marked with * were inferred from code structure, naming conventions, or
> contextual evidence where direct confirmation was not available in source artifacts. Statements
> marked with ** could not be confirmed; treat as unknown until verified.

## Sources
- `Services/SAIF.Services/Policies/Certificates/Validators/CertificatePreferenceValidator.cs`