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Forked from sepehr/uk_postcode_validator.php
Created March 7, 2018 08:15
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PHP: UK Postcode Validation
/**
* Custom validation callback to validate UK postcodes.
*
* It also tries to format provided postcode in correct format.
*
* Note: It's only usable for "postcode" fields.
*/
public function check_postcode_uk($original_postcode)
{
// Set callback's custom error message (CI specific)
// $this->set_message('check_postcode_uk', 'Invalid UK postcode format.');
// Permitted letters depend upon their position in the postcode.
// Character 1
$alpha1 = "[abcdefghijklmnoprstuwyz]";
// Character 2
$alpha2 = "[abcdefghklmnopqrstuvwxy]";
// Character 3
$alpha3 = "[abcdefghjkpmnrstuvwxy]";
// Character 4
$alpha4 = "[abehmnprvwxy]";
// Character 5
$alpha5 = "[abdefghjlnpqrstuwxyz]";
// Expression for postcodes: AN NAA, ANN NAA, AAN NAA, and AANN NAA with a space
$pcexp[0] = '/^('.$alpha1.'{1}'.$alpha2.'{0,1}[0-9]{1,2})([[:space:]]{0,})([0-9]{1}'.$alpha5.'{2})$/';
// Expression for postcodes: ANA NAA
$pcexp[1] = '/^('.$alpha1.'{1}[0-9]{1}'.$alpha3.'{1})([[:space:]]{0,})([0-9]{1}'.$alpha5.'{2})$/';
// Expression for postcodes: AANA NAA
$pcexp[2] = '/^('.$alpha1.'{1}'.$alpha2.'{1}[0-9]{1}'.$alpha4.')([[:space:]]{0,})([0-9]{1}'.$alpha5.'{2})$/';
// Exception for the special postcode GIR 0AA
$pcexp[3] = '/^(gir)([[:space:]]{0,})(0aa)$/';
// Standard BFPO numbers
$pcexp[4] = '/^(bfpo)([[:space:]]{0,})([0-9]{1,4})$/';
// c/o BFPO numbers
$pcexp[5] = '/^(bfpo)([[:space:]]{0,})(c\/o([[:space:]]{0,})[0-9]{1,3})$/';
// Overseas Territories
$pcexp[6] = '/^([a-z]{4})([[:space:]]{0,})(1zz)$/';
// Anquilla
$pcexp[7] = '/^ai-2640$/';
// Load up the string to check, converting into lowercase
$postcode = strtolower($original_postcode);
// Assume we are not going to find a valid postcode
$valid = FALSE;
// Check the string against the six types of postcodes
foreach ($pcexp as $regexp)
{
if (preg_match($regexp, $postcode, $matches))
{
// Load new postcode back into the form element
$postcode = strtoupper ($matches[1] . ' ' . $matches [3]);
// Take account of the special BFPO c/o format
$postcode = preg_replace ('/C\/O([[:space:]]{0,})/', 'c/o ', $postcode);
// Take acount of special Anquilla postcode format (a pain, but that's the way it is)
preg_match($pcexp[7], strtolower($original_postcode), $matches) AND $postcode = 'AI-2640';
// Remember that we have found that the code is valid and break from loop
$valid = TRUE;
break;
}
}
// Return with the reformatted valid postcode in uppercase if the postcode was
return $valid ? $postcode : FALSE;
}
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