Checkboxes Field Type Laravel Package

Getting Started

Install the addon via Composer and register it with the Streams Platform before it can be referenced by any stream:

composer require anomaly/checkboxes-field_type
php artisan addon:install anomaly.checkboxes_field_type

Places to look first:

• src/CheckboxesFieldType.php — the field type class itself; this is where getOptions(), the input view, and any accessor/mutator live.
• resources/config/config.php — declares the options configuration the admin UI exposes.
• resources/views/input.twig / output.twig — how the checkbox list is rendered and how stored values are displayed.
• resources/lang/en/addon.php / config.php — labels, instructions, and validation messages.

A first real use case is a "features" or "tags-like" field on an entries stream. Add it to a stream either through the control panel (Fields → Add Field → Checkboxes) or in a seeder/migration:

$stream->createField('features', [
    'type'    => 'anomaly.field_type.checkboxes',
    'config'  => [
        'options' => [
            'wifi'      => 'Wi-Fi',
            'parking'   => 'Parking',
            'breakfast' => 'Breakfast',
        ],
    ],
]);

The stored value is an array of the selected keys (['wifi', 'breakfast']), so the field type is intended for multi-select, not boolean toggles.

Implementation Patterns

Field definition. Declare the field type as anomaly.field_type.checkboxes and pass a flat associative options array (key => label). Keys are what get persisted; labels are display-only and can be changed later without migrating data.

Reading values. Because the addon uses the Streams Multiple trait, the value is exposed as a PHP array on the entry object:

$entry->features; // ['wifi', 'parking']

In Twig the same array is available directly, which is convenient for badge-style output:

{% for key, label in entry.fields.features.field_type.options %}
    {% if key in entry.features %}
        <span class="badge">{{ label }}</span>
    {% endif %}
{% endfor %}

Forms and validation. Treat the field as an array in Form Requests and validators. Useful rules:

'features'   => 'array',
'features.*' => 'in:wifi,parking,breakfast',

If you need "at least one" selection, add 'features' => 'required|array|min:1' — a plain required alone won't catch empty arrays in every Laravel version.

Querying entries. Since values are stored as JSON (or comma-separated text depending on the field's column type), query with the matching driver support. On Laravel/MySQL 5.7+:

EntryModel::whereJsonContains('features', 'wifi')->get();

On older MySQL or Postgres the safest portable approach is a where('features', 'like', '%"wifi"%') fallback, or denormalize a boolean index column if you query heavily.

Dynamic option sources. Rather than hard-coding the options array, implement Anomaly\Streams\Platform\FieldType\OptionsInterface on a class and point the field's source config at it. This is the cleanest way to drive checkboxes from a database table (e.g., available amenities that admins manage elsewhere) without editing field config on every change.

Reusable form partials. In admin forms, let the field type render itself via {{ form.fields.features }} rather than hand-rolling checkboxes — you inherit the configured labels, instructions, and error display automatically.

Gotchas and Tips

• The value is always an array, never a scalar. Treat unset/empty as [], not null. Guard code with (array) $entry->features when writing to APIs or views that expect a list.
• Options keys are persisted, not labels. Renaming a label is safe; changing a key silently orphans stored values. Add new keys rather than renaming, and migrate old rows explicitly if you must rename.
• Ordering is not guaranteed by default. Options render in the order defined in config; don't assume the DB preserves selection order. If order matters, sort in your presenter.
• The Multiple accessor/mutator stores JSON in most configurations. Confirm the underlying column type on the stream's migration — an integer or short string column will truncate and cause silent data loss.
• Empty arrays and required. Laravel's required rule passes for [] only in some versions/scenarios; pair it with array|min:1 if emptiness should fail validation.
• Validation messages. Override the addon's translation keys under resources/lang/{locale}/validation.php in your app if you want custom wording; editing the vendor files directly will be lost on composer update.
• View overrides. Override the input view by copying resources/views/input.twig into resources/views/vendor/anomaly/checkboxes-field_type/input.twig (or the project's addon override path) rather than patching vendor.
• Debugging rendering issues. Clear the compiled view cache (php artisan view:clear) after changing Twig views — Streams caches aggressively. Also check storage/framework/views for the compiled output when a change doesn't appear.
• Extension points. Implement OptionsInterface for dynamic sources, override getOptions() on a subclass for computed option sets, and use the Multiple trait's $accessor/$mutator hooks if you need a different storage format than the default.
• Package maturity. This is a low-traffic addon (0 stars, 0 dependents) tracking the Streams Platform API. Pin the version in composer.json and add an entry-integration test, because upstream Streams changes may land without a coordinated release here.