Form validation returning FALSE

You have just confirmed that "email" is set and not empty in the $_POST array, but $this->CI->input->method() !== 'post' in set_rules()? That does not make sense.

What does $_SERVER contain just before you explicitly set $_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD']='POST';?

Does it look the same once you are in set_rules()?

Care to share the relevant part of the form's view? Or, at least confirm that the form method="post".

If I look at $_SERVER before or after the form is submitted it reads $_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD']='GET';. At the point in the code after the form is submitted, when `if (isset($_POST['email']) && !empty($_POST['email']))` is TRUE, $_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD']='GET';.

The only point in my code a SuperGlobal variable is manipulated by my code is the band-aid solution of `$_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD']='POST'`.

$this->CI->input->method() !== 'post' in set_rules() does make sense if you look at the full context of 'public function set_rules' in core/Form_validation.php @ line 167 

PHP Code:

    public function set_rules($field, $label = '', $rules = array(), $errors = array())
    {
        // No reason to set rules if we have no POST data
        // or a validation array has not been specified
        if ($this->CI->input->method() !== 'post' && empty($this->validation_data))
        {
            return $this;
        } 
... 


if $this->CI->input->method() == 'get' it does not equal post.  The other half is true as well so the result is to not set validation rules for CI thinks there is nothing in $_POST.

The band-aid solution of $_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD']='POST'; satisfies $this->CI->input->method() in set_rules for it does equal 'post' and will go on to perform the rest of the function (symbolized by '...' in PHP code above.)