public function _validation_match_value($val, $compare, $strict = false)
	{
		// first try direct match
		if ($this->_empty($val) || $val === $compare || ( ! $strict && $val == $compare))
		{
			return true;
		}

		// allow multiple input for comparison
		if (is_array($compare))
		{
			foreach($compare as $c)
			{
				if ($val === $c || ( ! $strict && $val == $c))
				{
					return true;
				}
			}
		}

		// all is lost, return failure
		return false;
	}