Stringer Laravel Package

Getting Started

Minimal Setup

1. Installation:

   composer require avris/stringer
   

   No configuration is required—just autoload the package.

2. First Use Case: Use the Stringer facade or helper directly in a Blade view, controller, or service:

   use Avris\Stringer\Facades\Stringer;
   
   // Convert to slug
   $slug = Stringer::slug('Hello World!');
   
   // Or via helper (if enabled in `config/stringer.php`)
   $slug = stringer('Hello World!');
   

3. Key Features to Explore:

   • Slug Generation: Stringer::slug('String')
   • String Truncation: Stringer::truncate('Long string', 10)
   • String Formatting: Stringer::titleize('hello_world')
   • Character Counting: Stringer::count('Hello', 'words')

4. Where to Look First:

   • Facade API Docs (if available).
   • Helper Functions for quick reference.
   • Run php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Avris\Stringer\StringerServiceProvider" to publish config (if needed).

Implementation Patterns

Common Workflows

1. Slug Generation for URLs:

   // In a controller or service
   $postSlug = Stringer::slug($request->title);
   $post->slug = $postSlug;
   $post->save();
   

2. Dynamic String Formatting in Blade:

   <h1>{{ Stringer::titleize($post->title) }}</h1>
   <p>{{ Stringer::truncate($post->content, 200) }}</p>
   

3. Validation Rules:

   use Avris\Stringer\Rules\Slug;
   
   $rules = [
       'title' => ['required', new Slug],
   ];
   

4. Batch Processing:

   $posts = Post::all();
   $posts->each(function ($post) {
       $post->update(['slug' => Stringer::slug($post->title)]);
   });
   

5. Customizing Output:

   // Override default slug separator
   Stringer::setSlugSeparator('-');
   
   // Or configure globally in `config/stringer.php`
   

Integration Tips

• Laravel Filters: Use Stringer in app/Http/Middleware for request sanitization.

  $request->merge([
      'slug' => Stringer::slug($request->title),
  ]);
  

• API Responses: Format strings before returning JSON:

  return response()->json([
      'title' => Stringer::titleize($request->title),
  ]);
  

• Testing: Mock the facade for isolated tests:

  $this->mock(Avris\Stringer\Facades\Stringer::class)->shouldReceive('slug')->andReturn('test-slug');
  

Gotchas and Tips

Pitfalls

1. Locale Sensitivity:

   • Some methods (e.g., slug) may not handle non-Latin characters well by default.
   • Fix: Configure config/stringer.php to use a custom transliterator:

     'transliterator' => \Symfony\Component\String\UnicodeString::class,
     

2. Helper vs. Facade:

   • The stringer() helper may not be autoloaded by default.
   • Fix: Ensure Avris\Stringer\helpers is included in composer.json autoload or manually require the helper file.

3. Performance:

   • Avoid chaining heavy methods (e.g., slug + titleize) in loops.
   • Tip: Cache results if processing large datasets:

     $slug = cache()->remember("slug_{$post->id}", now()->addHours(1), fn() => Stringer::slug($post->title));
     

4. Edge Cases:

   • Empty strings or null inputs may throw errors in some methods.
   • Tip: Use null-safe calls:

     $slug = Stringer::slug($request->title ?? '');
     

Debugging

• Check Config: Run php artisan config:clear if methods behave unexpectedly.
• Log Outputs:

  \Log::debug('Slug:', ['input' => $string, 'output' => Stringer::slug($string)]);
  

• Inspect Source: The package is minimal; review src/Stringer.php for custom logic.

Extension Points

1. Custom Methods: Extend the Stringer class or create a decorator:

   class CustomStringer extends \Avris\Stringer\Stringer {
       public function customMethod($string) {
           return strtoupper($string);
       }
   }
   

   Bind it in a service provider:

   $this->app->singleton(\Avris\Stringer\Contracts\Stringer::class, CustomStringer::class);
   

2. Add Rules: Extend the Slug rule for custom validation:

   use Avris\Stringer\Rules\Slug as BaseSlug;
   
   class CustomSlug extends BaseSlug {
       public function passes($attribute, $value) {
           return parent::passes($attribute, $value) && strlen($value) > 3;
       }
   }
   

3. Override Helpers: Publish and modify the helper file:

   php artisan vendor:publish --tag=stringer-helpers