public function add()
    {
        // Setup the form field names
        $form = array
        (
            'id'            => '',
            'firstname'     => '',
            'lastname'      => '',
            'phone'         => '',
            'email'         => '',
            'address'       => '',
            'city'          => '',
            'state'         => '',
            'zip'           => ''
        );

        // copy the form as errors, so the errors will be stored with
        // keys corresponding to the form field names
        $errors = $form;

        if($post = $_POST)
        {
            // Generate a new model object
            $contact = ORM::factory('contact');

            // If the form validates against the model show the new contact
            if($contact->validate($post))
            {
                url::redirect('contact/view/'.$contact->id);
            }
            // If not repopulate the form and show the errors
            else
            {
                // Repopulate the $form array
                $form = arr::overwrite($form, $post->as_array());

                // Pass the error message and populate the errors
                $errors = arr::overwrite($errors, $post->errors('form_error_messages'));
            }
        }

        // Pass our info to the template
        $this->template->content = new View('pages/contact_form');
        $this->template->content->form = $form;
        $this->template->content->errors = $errors;
    }

    public function edit($contact_id)
    {
        // Load the contact info into an ORM object
        $contact = ORM::factory('contact', $contact_id);

        // Setup the form field names and populate
        $form = array
        (
            'id'            => $contact->id,
            'firstname'     => $contact->firstname,
            'lastname'      => $contact->lastname,
            'phone'         => $contact->phone,
            'email'         => $contact->email,
            'address'       => $contact->address,
            'city'          => $contact->city,
            'state'         => $contact->state,
            'zip'           => $contact->zip
        );

        // copy the form as errors, so the errors will be stored with
        // keys corresponding to the form field names
        $errors = $form;

        if($post = $_POST)
        {
            // If the form validates against the model show the new contact
            if($contact->validate($post))
            {
                url::redirect('contact/view/'.$contact->id);
            }
            // If not repopulate the form and show the errors
            else
            {
                // Repopulate the $form array
                $form = arr::overwrite($form, $post->as_array());

                // Pass the error message and populate the errors
                $errors = arr::overwrite($errors, $post->errors('form_error_messages'));
            }
        }

        // Pass our info to the template
        $this->template->content = new View('pages/contact_form');
        $this->template->content->form = $form;
        $this->template->content->errors = $errors;
    }
}

// model

<?php defined('SYSPATH') or die('No direct script access.');

class Contact_Model extends ORM
{
    public function validate(array & $array, $save = TRUE)
    {

        $array = Validation::factory($array)
                            ->pre_filter('trim', TRUE)
                            ->pre_filter('ucfirst', 'firstname')
                            ->pre_filter('ucfirst', 'lastname')
                            ->add_rules('firstname','required')
                            ->add_rules('email','valid::email')
                            ->add_rules('state','length[2]')
                            ->add_rules('zip','length[5,10]');

        return parent::validate($array, $save);
    }
}