Why doesn't self-validation pass?

Question

Yii

I tried to organize my own validation here is the model

class SearchForm extends Model
{
    public $ingredients;

    public function rules(){
        return[
            ['ingredients', function ($attribute, $params) {
                if (count($this->attribute)<2) {
                    $this->addError($attribute, 'Выберите больше ингредиентов.');
                }
                if (count($this->attribute)>5) {
                    $this->addError($attribute, 'Нельзя выбрать больше 5 ингредиентов.');
                }
            }]
        ];
    }
}

controller

public function actionIndexSite()
    {
        $model=new SearchForm();
        return $this->render('indexsite', [
            'model'         =>  $model
        ]);
    }

part of a species

<?php $form = ActiveForm::begin(); ?>
        <?php echo $form->field($model, 'ingredients')->widget(Select2::classname(), [
                'language' => 'en',
                'data' => $ingredients,
                'options' => ['multiple' => true, 'placeholder' => 'Select ingredients'],
            ]); ?>
        <div class="form-group">
            <div class="col-lg-offset-1 col-lg-11">
                <?= Html::submitButton('Search', ['class' => 'btn btn-primary']) ?>
            </div>
        </div>
        <?php ActiveForm::end(); ?>

this is the array i get

SearchForm 	[
    'ingredients' => [
        0 => '1'
    ]
]

validation passes and the page is reloaded, why don't you tell me and how to do it right.

Answer 1

validation passes and the page reloads

Where is it $model-load()? You not only do not start validation, in general the data is not loaded into the model.

Answer 2

Good evening.
First, try to inherit from the main model, Ingridients, if I understand correctly.

Answer 3

Because you need to write $this->$attribute in the validator. And your validation code, IMHO, in general, the exception should be thrown out, strange if not.