Validating User Input

Since the EFC calculation requires a significant number of input values from the user, a utility class is provided to handle the validation of raw user input:

// Collect user input
RawDependentEfcCalculatorArguments rawArgs = new RawDependentEfcCalculatorArguments();

rawArgs.OldestParentAge = inputOldestParentAge.Text;
rawArgs.MaritalStatus = inputMaritalStatus.SelectedValue;
rawArgs.StateOfResidency = inputStateOfResidency.SelectedValue;

rawArgs.IsFirstParentWorking = inputFirstParentWorking.SelectedValue;
rawArgs.FirstParentWorkIncome = inputFirstParentWorkIncome.Text;
rawArgs.IsSecondParentWorking = inputSecondParentWorking.SelectedValue;
rawArgs.SecondParentWorkIncome = inputSecondParentWorkIncome.Text;
rawArgs.IsStudentWorking = inputIsStudentWorking.SelectedValue;
rawArgs.StudentWorkIncome = inputStudentWorkIncome.Text;

rawArgs.ParentAgi = inputParentAgi.Text;
rawArgs.AreParentsTaxFilers = inputAreParentsTaxFilers.SelectedValue;
rawArgs.ParentIncomeTax = inputParentIncomeTax.Text;
rawArgs.ParentUntaxedIncomeAndBenefits = inputParentUntaxedIncomeAndBenefits.Text;
rawArgs.ParentAdditionalFinancialInfo = inputParentAdditionalFinancialInfo.Text;

rawArgs.StudentAgi = inputStudentAgi.Text;
rawArgs.IsStudentTaxFiler = inputIsStudentTaxFiler.SelectedValue;
rawArgs.StudentIncomeTax = inputStudentIncomeTax.Text;
rawArgs.StudentUntaxedIncomeAndBenefits = inputStudentUntaxedIncomeAndBenefits.Text;
rawArgs.StudentAdditionalFinancialInfo = inputStudentAdditionalFinancialInfo.Text;

rawArgs.ParentCashSavingsChecking = inputParentCashSavingsChecking.Text;
rawArgs.ParentInvestmentNetWorth = inputParentInvestmentNetWorth.Text;
rawArgs.ParentBusinessFarmNetWorth = inputParentBusinessFarmNetWorth.Text;

rawArgs.StudentCashSavingsChecking = inputStudentCashSavingsChecking.Text;
rawArgs.StudentInvestmentNetWorth = inputStudentInvestmentNetWorth.Text;
rawArgs.StudentBusinessFarmNetWorth = inputStudentBusinessFarmNetWorth.Text;

rawArgs.NumberInHousehold = inputNumberInHousehold.Text;
rawArgs.NumberInCollege = inputNumberInCollege.Text;

rawArgs.MonthsOfEnrollment = "9";
rawArgs.IsQualifiedForSimplified = "true";

// Validate user input
AidEstimationValidator validator = new AidEstimationValidator();
DependentEfcCalculatorArguments args = validator.ValidateDependentEfcCalculatorArguments(rawArgs);

// If validation fails, display errors
if (validator.Errors.Any())
{
    errorList.DataSource = validator.Errors;
    errorList.DataBind();
    return;
}

// Calculate
EfcCalculator calculator = EfcCalculatorConfigurationManager.GetEfcCalculator("1718");
EfcProfile profile = calculator.GetDependentEfcProfile(args);

In this example, the raw, text input from the user is assigned to corresponding properties on a RawDependentEfcCalculatorArguments object. This object is fed to the ValidateDependentEfcCalculatorArguments method on the AidEstimationValidator object, which parses the raw user values into a DependentEfcCalculatorArguments object that can be passed to the EfcCalculator.

If errors occur during the parsing/validation process, they are assigned to the Errors property of the the AidEstimationValidator object.

Possible validation errors include providing letters where numbers are expected, negative numbers where only positive values are allowed, or a higher number of household members in college than in the household.

Full Example

A full example is provided in the sample web application.