1 files changed, 17 insertions, 1 deletions
diff --git a/app/models/info_request.rb b/app/models/info_request.rb
index 095a1b1af..2f1270a95 100644
--- a/app/models/info_request.rb
+++ b/app/models/info_request.rb
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ class InfoRequest < ActiveRecord::Base
     validates_format_of :title, :with => /[a-zA-Z]/, :message => N_("Please write a summary with some text in it"), :if => Proc.new { |info_request| !info_request.title.nil? && !info_request.title.empty? }
 
     belongs_to :user
-    #validates_presence_of :user_id # breaks during construction of new ones :(
+    validate :must_be_internal_or_external
 
     belongs_to :public_body
     validates_presence_of :public_body_id
@@ -104,6 +104,22 @@ class InfoRequest < ActiveRecord::Base
         errors.add(:described_state, "is not a valid state") if
             !InfoRequest.enumerate_states.include? described_state
     end
+    
+    # The request must either be internal, in which case it has
+    # a foreign key reference to a User object and no external_url or external_user_name,
+    # or else be external in which case it has no user_id but does have an external_url,
+    # and may optionally also have an external_user_name.
+    #
+    # External requests are requests that have been added using the API, whereas internal
+    # requests are requests made using the site.
+    def must_be_internal_or_external
+        if user_id.nil?
+            errors.add(:external_url, "must be provided for an external request") if external_url.nil?
+        else
+            errors.add(:external_user_name, "must be null for an internal request") if !external_user_name.nil?
+            errors.add(:external_url, "must be null for an internal request") if !external_url.nil?
+        end
+    end
 
     @@custom_states_loaded = false
     begin