Menu Bundle Laravel Package

Getting Started

Minimal Setup

1. Installation:

   composer require baconmanager/menu-bundle
   

   Register bundles in config/bundles.php (Symfony 4+) or AppKernel.php (Symfony <4):

   Knp\Bundle\MenuBundle\KnpMenuBundle::class => ['all' => true],
   Bacon\Bundle\MenuBundle\BaconMenuBundle::class => ['all' => true],
   

2. Configure config/packages/knp_menu.yaml:

   knp_menu:
       twig:
           template: BaconCoreBundle:partial:menu.html.twig
       templating: false
       default_renderer: twig
   

3. First Use Case: Create a menu builder class (e.g., src/Menu/Builder.php):

   namespace App\Menu;
   
   use Knp\Menu\FactoryInterface;
   use Symfony\Component\DependencyInjection\ContainerAwareInterface;
   use Symfony\Component\DependencyInjection\ContainerAwareTrait;
   
   class Builder implements ContainerAwareInterface
   {
       use ContainerAwareTrait;
   
       public function addMenu(FactoryInterface $factory, array $options)
       {
           $menu = $factory->createItem('root');
           $menu->addChild('Home', ['route' => 'home']);
           return $menu;
       }
   }
   

4. Render the menu in Twig:

   {{ bacon_menu_full_render() }}
   

Implementation Patterns

Menu Builder Workflow

1. Organize Builders: Group builders by feature (e.g., AdminBuilder, FrontendBuilder) in src/Menu/ with clear naming conventions (e.g., AdminMenuBuilder).

2. Dependency Injection: Use ContainerAwareTrait (Symfony ≥2.8) or ContainerAware (Symfony ≤2.7) to access services like translator, security, or router:

   $translator = $this->container->get('translator');
   $routeGenerator = $this->container->get('router')->getContext()->getParameter('router.request_context');
   

3. Dynamic Menus: Fetch menu items from the database or API:

   $items = $this->container->get('doctrine')->getRepository(Item::class)->findAll();
   foreach ($items as $item) {
       $menu->addChild($item->getName(), ['route' => 'item_show', 'id' => $item->getId()]);
   }
   

4. Conditional Rendering: Use Symfony’s security component to show/hide items based on roles:

   if ($this->container->get('security.authorization_checker')->isGranted('ROLE_ADMIN')) {
       $menu->addChild('Admin', ['route' => 'admin_dashboard']);
   }
   

5. Reusable Components: Extract common menu logic into base classes or traits:

   trait MenuBuilderTrait {
       protected function addRouteItem(MenuItemInterface $menu, string $label, string $route, array $options = []): MenuItemInterface {
           return $menu->addChild($label, ['route' => $route] + $options);
       }
   }
   

6. Menu Registration: Register builders in config/services.yaml (Symfony 4+) or services.yml:

   services:
       App\Menu\AdminMenuBuilder:
           tags: ['knp_menu.menu_builder', { alias: 'admin' }]
   

Twig Integration

• Use bacon_menu_full_render() for full menus or bacon_menu_render('menu_name') for specific menus.
• Customize the template (BaconCoreBundle:partial:menu.html.twig) by extending it in your theme:

  {% extends 'BaconCoreBundle:partial:menu.html.twig' %}
  {% block menu_item %}{{ item.label }} <span class="badge">{{ item.attributes.badge }}</span>{% endblock %}
  

Gotchas and Tips

Pitfalls

1. Bundle Order: Ensure KnpMenuBundle is registered before BaconMenuBundle in bundles.php/AppKernel.php. Otherwise, the bundle may fail to override templates.

2. Template Overrides: If bacon_menu_full_render() doesn’t work, verify:

   • The Twig template (BaconCoreBundle:partial:menu.html.twig) exists in the bundle’s Resources/views/partial/menu.html.twig.
   • Your theme’s Twig loader is configured to override it (e.g., via twig.paths in config/packages/twig.yaml).

3. Symfony Version Mismatch:

   • For Symfony ≥2.8, use ContainerAwareTrait and ContainerAwareInterface.
   • For Symfony ≤2.7, use ContainerAware (deprecated in newer Symfony versions).

4. Caching Issues: Clear the cache after adding new builders or templates:

   php bin/console cache:clear
   

5. Menu Builder Aliases: If using knp_menu.menu_builder tags, ensure the alias matches the menu name used in Twig (e.g., {{ bacon_menu_render('admin') }} requires alias: 'admin' in the service tag).

Debugging

• Dump Menu Structure: Add this to your builder to debug:

  $menu->setChildrenAttribute('data-debug', true);
  

  Then inspect the rendered HTML for a data-debug attribute.

• Check Registered Builders: Run:

  php bin/console debug:container | grep menu_builder
  

  To verify builders are correctly registered.

Tips

1. Icons and Attributes: Use setAttribute() for custom data (e.g., icons, badges):

   $menu->addChild('Items', ['route' => 'items'])
        ->setAttribute('icon', '<i class="fas fa-list"></i>')
        ->setAttribute('badge', $this->container->get('item.repository')->count());
   

2. Localization: Always use the translator for labels:

   $menu->addChild($this->container->get('translator')->trans('menu.home'));
   

3. Performance: For large menus, lazy-load items or use setChildrenAttribute('cache', true) to cache submenus.

4. Extending the Bundle: Override the default template by copying BaconCoreBundle:partial:menu.html.twig to your theme’s templates/partials/ and extending it.

5. Symfony 5+: If using Symfony Flex, ensure knp-menu-bundle and baconmenu-bundle are auto-loaded. Run:

   composer require knplabs/knp-menu-bundle
   composer require baconmanager/menu-bundle
   

6. Menu Events: Listen to knp_menu.menu_event to dynamically modify menus:

   // config/services.yaml
   App\EventListener\MenuListener:
       tags:
           - { name: 'kernel.event_listener', event: 'knp_menu.menu_event', method: 'onMenuEvent' }