Laravel: patch for adding generic validtor.

laravel-issue378.patch

diff --git a/laravel/validator.php b/laravel/validator.php
index 0c84e8e..1a09bff 100644
--- a/laravel/validator.php
+++ b/laravel/validator.php
@@ -584,7 +584,7 @@ class Validator {
 	 */
 	protected function validate_alpha($attribute, $value)
 	{
-		return preg_match('/^([a-z])+$/i', $value);
+		return $this->validate_match($attribute, $value, 'a-z');
 	}

 	/**
@@ -596,7 +596,7 @@ class Validator {
 	 */
 	protected function validate_alpha_num($attribute, $value)
 	{
-		return preg_match('/^([a-z0-9])+$/i', $value);
+		return $this->validate_match($attribute, $value, 'a-z0-9');
 	}

 	/**
@@ -608,7 +608,28 @@ class Validator {
 	 */
 	protected function validate_alpha_dash($attribute, $value)
 	{
-		return preg_match('/^([-a-z0-9_-])+$/i', $value);
+		return $this->validate_match($attribute, $value, '-a-z0-9_-');
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Validate that an attribute contains only the characters specified in $match
+	 *
+	 * @param  string  $attribute
+	 * @param  mixed   $value
+	 * @param  string  $match
+	 * @param  string  $flags
+	 * @return bool
+	 */
+	protected function validate_match($attribute, $value, $pattern) {
+		// this allows for escaped commas in the pattern array
+		while (substr($pattern[0], -1, 1) == '\\') {
+			$pattern[0] = $pattern[0] . $pattern[1];
+			$pattern = array_merge(array($pattern[0]), array_slice($pattern, 2));
+		}
+
+		$match = $pattern[0];
+		$flags = isset($pattern[1]) ? $pattern[1] : 'i';
+		return preg_match('/^([' . $match .'])+$/' . $flags, $value);
 	}

 	/**