# What the validator checks and adding new properties

**URL:** <https://forum.openreferral.org/t/what-the-validator-checks-and-adding-new-properties/131>\
**Category:** Technical\
**Tags:** datastructure\
**Created:** [August 4, 2021, 9:12am UTC](https://forum.openreferral.org/t/what-the-validator-checks-and-adding-new-properties/131 "2021-08-04T09:12:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![MikeThacker-iStandUK](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.openreferral.org/mikethacker-istanduk/32/8_2.png) [@MikeThacker-iStandUK](https://forum.openreferral.org/u/MikeThacker-iStandUK)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2021, 9:12am UTC](https://forum.openreferral.org/t/what-the-validator-checks-and-adding-new-properties/131/1 "2021-08-04T09:12:29Z")

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The [Validator](https://validator.openreferraluk.org/) does fuller checks of API feeds than the checks run daily for the [Dashboard](https://openreferraluk.org/dashboard).

The Validator will:

- complain if an enum property has a value that is not in the enumeration
- not complain about missing properties unless a property is required by the standard. This is because JSON usually won’t include a property for a null value
- not complain about extensions with properties that are not defined in the standard unless these extensions try to re-use existing properties that would cause issues

This means that local implementations can extend the standard and can implement proposed new properties in advance of them being added in a future version of the standard.

I’d recommend posting here about proposed extensions so others get chance to comment before you’re committed to them.
