Extended laravel validator to support validating each item in an array. Used http://stackoverflow.com/a/26537606 for the most of this.

ExtendedValidator.php

<?php namespace Validators\ExtendedValidator;

use Illuminate\Validation\Validator;

/**
 * Extending Laravels validator to support some extra validation rules.
 * 
 * http://stackoverflow.com/a/26537606
 *
 * @author Martin Dilling-Hansen <[email protected]>
 * @date   2014-10-24
 */
class ExtendedValidator extends Validator
{
	/**
	 * Validate that each item in the array validates with the given validator.
	 *
	 * @param  string $attribute
	 * @param  mixed  $value
	 * @param  array  $parameters
	 *
	 * @return bool
	 */
	public function validateEach($attribute, $value, $parameters)
	{
		// Transform the each rule
		// For example, `each:exists,users,name` becomes `exists:users,name`
		$ruleName = array_shift($parameters);
		$rule     = $ruleName . (count($parameters) > 0 ? ':' . implode(',', $parameters) : '');

		foreach ($value as $arrayKey => $arrayValue) {
			$this->validate($attribute . '.' . $arrayKey, $rule);
		}

		// Always return true, since the errors occur for individual elements.
		return true;
	}

	/**
	 * Get the displayable name of the attribute.
	 *
	 * @param  string $attribute
	 *
	 * @return string
	 */
	protected function getAttribute($attribute)
	{
		// `group.names.0` becomes `group[name][0]`
		if (str_contains($attribute, '.')) {
			$attribute = $this->dotToArrayString($attribute);
		}

		return parent::getAttribute($attribute);
	}

	/**
	 * Add an error message to the validator's collection of messages.
	 *
	 * @param  string $attribute
	 * @param  string $rule
	 * @param  array  $parameters
	 *
	 * @return void
	 */
	protected function addError($attribute, $rule, $parameters)
	{
		// `group.names.0` becomes `group[name][0]`
		if (str_contains($attribute, '.')) {
			$attribute = $this->dotToArrayString($attribute);
		}

		return parent::addError($attribute, $rule, $parameters);
	}

	/**
	 * Convert dot notation array to an array string used by html form inputs.
	 *
	 * fx: `group.names.0` becomes `group[name][0]`
	 *
	 * @param $attribute
	 *
	 * @return string
	 */
	protected function dotToArrayString($attribute)
	{
		$segments = explode('.', $attribute);

		$first = array_shift($segments);

		$segments = array_map(
			function ($segment) {
				return '[' . $segment . ']';
			},
			$segments
		);

		return $first . implode('', $segments);
	}
}