A Better ValidationSummary Control for Data Driven Applications

[ToolboxData("<{0}:MyValidationSummary runat="server"></{0}:MyValidationSummary>")]
    public class MyValidationSummary : ValidationSummary
    {
        /// <summary>
        /// Allows the caller to place custom text messages inside the ValidationSummary control.
        /// DummyValidator.ValidationGroup = this.ValidationGroup.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="message">The message you want to appear in the summary</param>
        public void AddErrorMessage(string message)
        {
            this.Page.Validators.Add(new DummyValidator(message, this.ValidationGroup));
        }
 
        /// <summary>Allows the caller to place custom text messages inside the ValidationSummary control.</summary>
        /// <param name="message">The message you want to appear in the summary</param>
        /// <param name="validationGroup">User defined validation group</param>
        public void AddErrorMessage(string message, string validationGroup)
        {
            this.Page.Validators.Add(new DummyValidator(message, validationGroup));
        }
 
        /// <summary>
        /// Allows the caller to place custom text messages inside the validationsummary control
        /// DummyValidator.ValidationGroup = this.ValidationGroup.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="messages">A list of messages you want to appear in the summary</param>
        public void AddErrorMessage(IEnumerable<string> messages)
        {
            new List<string>(messages).ForEach(delegate(string message) { this.Page.Validators.Add(new DummyValidator(message, this.ValidationGroup)); });
        }
 
        /// <summary>Allows the caller to place custom text messages inside the validationsummary control</summary>
        /// <param name="messages">A list of messages you want to appear in the summary</param>
        /// <param name="validationGroup">User defined validation group</param>
        public void AddErrorMessage(IEnumerable<string> messages, string validationGroup)
        {
            new List<string>(messages).ForEach(delegate(string message) { this.Page.Validators.Add(new DummyValidator(message, validationGroup)); });
        }
 
        /// <summary>Only exists for MyValidationSummary. Always invalid. Inherit CustomValidator to work with ValidationGroup</summary>
        private class DummyValidator : CustomValidator
        {
            /// <summary>Ctor.</summary>
            /// <param name="errorMessage">error message to display with ValidationSummary</param>
            /// <param name="validationGroup">always part of the ValidationSummary's ValidationGroup</param>
            public DummyValidator(string errorMessage, string validationGroup)
            {
                this.ErrorMessage = errorMessage;
                this.ValidationGroup = validationGroup;
                this.IsValid = string.IsNullOrEmpty(this.ErrorMessage);
            }
 
            /// <summary>Remove this validator when the page is unloaded.</summary>
            /// <param name="e">Not Used</param>
            protected override void OnUnload(EventArgs e)
            {
                if (this.Page != null)
                {
                    this.Page.Validators.Remove(this);
                }
                base.OnUnload(e);
            }
        }
    }

ValidationCustomSummary CustomSummary = new ValidationCustomSummary();
                    CustomSummary.AddErrorMessage(GetGlobalResourceObject("Globals", "passwordChanged").ToString(), "validateOK", this.Page);

using System;
using System.Web.UI;
using System.Web.UI.WebControls;
using System.Collections.Generic;
 
namespace myControls
{
 
    [ToolboxData("<{0}:MyValidationSummary  runat="server"></{0}:MyValidationSummary>")]
    public class ValidationCustomSummary : ValidationSummary
    {
        public void AddErrorMessage(string message, Page pageRef)
        {
            pageRef.Validators.Add(new DummyValidator(message, this.ValidationGroup));
        }
 
        public void AddErrorMessage(string message, string validationGroup, Page pageRef)
        {
            pageRef.Validators.Add(new DummyValidator(message, validationGroup));
        }
 
        public void AddErrorMessage(IEnumerable<string> messages, Page pageRef)
        {
            new List<string>(messages).ForEach(delegate(string message) { pageRef.Validators.Add(new DummyValidator(message, this.ValidationGroup)); });
        }
 
        public void AddErrorMessage(IEnumerable<string> messages, string validationGroup, Page pageRef)
        {
            new List<string>(messages).ForEach(delegate(string message) { pageRef.Validators.Add(new DummyValidator(message, validationGroup)); });
        }
 
            public DummyValidator(string errorMessage, string validationGroup)
            {
                this.ErrorMessage = errorMessage;
                this.ValidationGroup = validationGroup;
                this.IsValid = string.IsNullOrEmpty(this.ErrorMessage);
            }
 
            protected override void OnUnload(EventArgs e)
            {
                if (this.Page != null)
                {
                    this.Page.Validators.Remove(this);
                }
                base.OnUnload(e);
            }
        }
    }
}

I've altered the dummy validator class to solve this problem.
Instead of implementing the Ivalidator interface just inherit the basevalidator class. This way you can set the validation group property for the dummyvalidator. 
 
Usage:
 
<code>// Create new dummy validator
DummyValidator dv = new DummyValidator("Something went wrong");
 
// Set validationgroup
dv.ValidationGroup = "LeadValidators";
 
// Add validator to collection
Page.Validators.Add(dv);</code>
 
The class:
 
<code>public class DummyValidator : BaseValidator
{
    public DummyValidator(string msg)
    {
        ErrorMessage = msg;
        this.IsValid = false;
    }
 
    protected override bool EvaluateIsValid()
    {
       return false;
    }
} // End of class DummyValidator

stixoffire wrote:

Isn't the best practice to ensure the integrity of the data first before the trip to the server, and also before any erroneous data can possibly be entered ?

stixoffire wrote:

One might ask why would anyone store Numeric only data as char and not as integer - well b/c one might have data with leading zeroes and integer types remove the leading zeroes [01234] is not the same as [1234].