diff --git a/app/src/Model/Table/ApiUsersTable.php b/app/src/Model/Table/ApiUsersTable.php
index 8a91c86f5..44d7f3f5a 100644
--- a/app/src/Model/Table/ApiUsersTable.php
+++ b/app/src/Model/Table/ApiUsersTable.php
@@ -188,14 +188,14 @@ public function validationDefault(Validator $validator) {
       'content',
       [ 'rule' => 'isInteger' ]
     );
-    $validator->allowEmptyFor('matchgrid_id', Validator::EMPTY_NULL);
+    $validator->allowEmpty('matchgrid_id');
     
     $validator->add(
       'system_of_record_id',
       'content',
       [ 'rule' => 'isInteger' ]
     );
-    $validator->allowEmptyFor('system_of_record_id', Validator::EMPTY_NULL);
+    $validator->allowEmpty('system_of_record_id');
     
     return $validator; 
   }
diff --git a/app/src/Model/Table/AttributeGroupsTable.php b/app/src/Model/Table/AttributeGroupsTable.php
index 27b31fae6..f54bd1ed1 100644
--- a/app/src/Model/Table/AttributeGroupsTable.php
+++ b/app/src/Model/Table/AttributeGroupsTable.php
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ public function validationDefault(Validator $validator) {
       'content',
       [ 'rule' => 'isInteger' ]
     );
-    $validator->notEmptyFor('matchgrid_id', Validator::EMPTY_NULL);
+    $validator->notBlank('matchgrid_id');
     
     return $validator; 
   }
diff --git a/app/src/Model/Table/AttributeMappingsTable.php b/app/src/Model/Table/AttributeMappingsTable.php
index 33b560c6b..7c2a81173 100644
--- a/app/src/Model/Table/AttributeMappingsTable.php
+++ b/app/src/Model/Table/AttributeMappingsTable.php
@@ -144,14 +144,14 @@ public function validationDefault(Validator $validator) {
       [ 'rule' => [ 'maxLength', 80 ],
         'message' => __('match.er.val.length', [80]) ]
     );
-    $validator->notEmptyrString('description');
+    $validator->notEmptyString('description');
     
     $validator->add(
       'attribute_map_id',
       'content',
       [ 'rule' => 'isInteger' ]
     );
-    $validator->notEmptyFor('attribute_map_id', Validator::EMPTY_NULL);
+    $validator->notBlank('attribute_map_id');
     
     return $validator; 
   }
diff --git a/app/src/Model/Table/AttributeMapsTable.php b/app/src/Model/Table/AttributeMapsTable.php
index 3df136888..1b7aca330 100644
--- a/app/src/Model/Table/AttributeMapsTable.php
+++ b/app/src/Model/Table/AttributeMapsTable.php
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ public function validationDefault(Validator $validator) {
       'content',
       [ 'rule' => 'isInteger' ]
     );
-    $validator->notEmptyFor('matchgrid_id', Validator::EMPTY_NULL);
+    $validator->notBlank('matchgrid_id');
     
     return $validator; 
   }
diff --git a/app/src/Model/Table/AttributesTable.php b/app/src/Model/Table/AttributesTable.php
index 96b1e4b01..15d0d4b24 100644
--- a/app/src/Model/Table/AttributesTable.php
+++ b/app/src/Model/Table/AttributesTable.php
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ public function validationDefault(Validator $validator) {
       'content',
       [ 'rule' => 'isInteger' ]
     );
-    $validator->notEmptyFor('matchgrid_id', Validator::EMPTY_NULL);
+    $validator->notBlank('matchgrid_id');
     
     $validator->add(
       'description',
@@ -129,42 +129,42 @@ public function validationDefault(Validator $validator) {
       'toggle',
       [ 'rule' => [ 'boolean' ] ]
     );
-    $validator->notEmptyFor('index_display', Validator::EMPTY_NULL);
+    $validator->notBlank('index_display');
     
     $validator->add(
       'attribute_group_id',
       'content',
       [ 'rule' => 'isInteger' ]
     );
-    $validator->allowEmptyFor('attribute_group_id', Validator::EMPTY_NULL);
+    $validator->allowEmpty('attribute_group_id');
     
     $validator->add(
       'alphanumeric',
       'toggle',
       [ 'rule' => [ 'boolean' ] ]
     );
-    $validator->notEmptyFor('alphanumeric', Validator::EMPTY_NULL);
+    $validator->notBlank('alphanumeric');
 
     $validator->add(
       'case_sensitive',
       'toggle',
       [ 'rule' => [ 'boolean' ] ]
     );
-    $validator->notEmptyFor('case_sensitive', Validator::EMPTY_NULL);
+    $validator->notBlank('case_sensitive');
 
     $validator->add(
       'invalidates',
       'toggle',
       [ 'rule' => [ 'boolean' ] ]
     );
-    $validator->notEmptyFor('invalidates', Validator::EMPTY_NULL);
+    $validator->notBlank('invalidates');
 
     $validator->add(
       'null_equivalents',
       'toggle',
       [ 'rule' => [ 'boolean' ] ]
     );
-    $validator->notEmptyFor('null_equivalents', Validator::EMPTY_NULL);
+    $validator->notBlank('null_equivalents');
     
     $validator->add(
       'search_distance',
@@ -179,7 +179,7 @@ public function validationDefault(Validator $validator) {
       'toggle',
       [ 'rule' => [ 'boolean' ] ]
     );
-    $validator->notEmptyFor('search_exact', Validator::EMPTY_NULL);
+    $validator->notBlank('search_exact');
 
     $validator->add(
       'search_substr_from',
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ public function validationDefault(Validator $validator) {
       'content',
       [ 'rule' => 'isInteger' ]
     );
-    $validator->allowEmptyFor('attribute_map_id', Validator::EMPTY_NULL);
+    $validator->allowEmpty('attribute_map_id');
     
     return $validator; 
   }
diff --git a/app/src/Model/Table/MatchgridSettingsTable.php b/app/src/Model/Table/MatchgridSettingsTable.php
index a3f3f93d8..b3c8e87b1 100644
--- a/app/src/Model/Table/MatchgridSettingsTable.php
+++ b/app/src/Model/Table/MatchgridSettingsTable.php
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ public function validationDefault(Validator $validator) {
       'content',
       [ 'rule' => 'isInteger' ]
     );
-    $validator->notEmptyFor('matchgrid_id', Validator::EMPTY_NULL);
+    $validator->notBlank('matchgrid_id');
     
     $validator->add(
       'referenceid_method',
@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ public function validationDefault(Validator $validator) {
       'content',
       [ 'rule' => [ 'range', 1, null ] ]
     );
-    $validator->allowEmptyFor('referenceid_start', Validator::EMPTY_NULL);
+    $validator->allowEmpty('referenceid_start');
     
     $validator->add(
       'referenceid_prefix',
diff --git a/app/src/Model/Table/PermissionsTable.php b/app/src/Model/Table/PermissionsTable.php
index ef972f243..0132d35f3 100644
--- a/app/src/Model/Table/PermissionsTable.php
+++ b/app/src/Model/Table/PermissionsTable.php
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ public function validationDefault(Validator $validator) {
       'content',
       [ 'rule' => 'isInteger' ]
     );
-    $validator->allowEmptyFor('matchgrid_id', Validator::EMPTY_NULL);
+    $validator->allowEmpty('matchgrid_id');
     
     $validator->add(
       'permission',
diff --git a/app/src/Model/Table/RuleAttributesTable.php b/app/src/Model/Table/RuleAttributesTable.php
index 11e977a52..3bf702c0f 100644
--- a/app/src/Model/Table/RuleAttributesTable.php
+++ b/app/src/Model/Table/RuleAttributesTable.php
@@ -98,21 +98,21 @@ public function validationDefault(Validator $validator) {
       'content',
       [ 'rule' => 'isInteger' ]
     );
-    $validator->notEmptyFor('rule_id', Validator::EMPTY_NULL);
+    $validator->notBlank('rule_id');
     
     $validator->add(
       'attribute_id',
       'content',
       [ 'rule' => 'isInteger' ]
     );
-    $validator->notEmptyFor('attribute_id', Validator::EMPTY_NULL);
+    $validator->notBlank('attribute_id');
     
     $validator->add(
       'crosscheck_attribute_id',
       'content',
       [ 'rule' => 'isInteger' ]
     );
-    $validator->allowEmptyFor('crosscheck_attribute_id', Validator::EMPTY_NULL);
+    $validator->allowEmpty('crosscheck_attribute_id');
     
     $validator->add(
       'search_type',
@@ -132,14 +132,14 @@ public function validationDefault(Validator $validator) {
       'toggle',
       [ 'rule' => [ 'boolean' ] ]
     );
-    $validator->allowEmptyFor('required', Validator::EMPTY_NULL);
+    $validator->allowEmpty('required');
     
     $validator->add(
       'match_empty',
       'toggle',
       [ 'rule' => [ 'boolean' ] ]
     );
-    $validator->allowEmptyFor('match_empty', Validator::EMPTY_NULL);
+    $validator->allowEmpty('match_empty');
 
     return $validator; 
   }
diff --git a/app/src/Model/Table/RulesTable.php b/app/src/Model/Table/RulesTable.php
index f1c0fff6d..9d34caaba 100644
--- a/app/src/Model/Table/RulesTable.php
+++ b/app/src/Model/Table/RulesTable.php
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ public function validationDefault(Validator $validator) {
       'content',
       [ 'rule' => 'isInteger' ]
     );
-    $validator->notEmptyFor('matchgrid_id', Validator::EMPTY_NULL);
+    $validator->notBlank('matchgrid_id');
     
     $validator->add(
       'description',
diff --git a/app/src/Model/Table/SystemsOfRecordTable.php b/app/src/Model/Table/SystemsOfRecordTable.php
index 9d63f80b5..864c8658f 100644
--- a/app/src/Model/Table/SystemsOfRecordTable.php
+++ b/app/src/Model/Table/SystemsOfRecordTable.php
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ public function validationDefault(Validator $validator) {
       'content',
       [ 'rule' => 'isInteger' ]
     );
-    $validator->notEmptyFor('matchgrid_id', Validator::EMPTY_NULL);
+    $validator->notBlank('matchgrid_id');
     
     $validator->add(
       'resolution_mode',