Globals Provider Laravel Package

Getting Started

Minimal Setup

1. Installation Add the package via Composer:

   composer require boson-php/globals-provider
   

   Register the service provider in config/app.php:

   'providers' => [
       // ...
       Boson\GlobalsProvider\GlobalsServiceProvider::class,
   ],
   

2. First Use Case Access global values via the Globals facade:

   use Boson\GlobalsProvider\Facades\Globals;
   
   // Set a global value
   Globals::set('app_name', 'MyApp');
   
   // Retrieve a global value
   $appName = Globals::get('app_name'); // Returns 'MyApp'
   

3. Configuration Publish the config file (if needed):

   php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Boson\GlobalsProvider\GlobalsServiceProvider" --tag="config"
   

   Default config is minimal; override in config/globals.php:

   return [
       'prefix' => 'globals_', // Optional prefix for keys
       'cache' => [
           'enabled' => true,
           'driver' => 'file', // Supports 'file', 'redis', 'array'
       ],
   ];
   

Implementation Patterns

Core Workflows

1. Centralized Configuration Use globals for app-wide settings (e.g., feature flags, API endpoints):

   // config/app.php
   Globals::set('api.base_url', env('API_BASE_URL', 'https://api.example.com'));
   
   // In a controller
   $url = Globals::get('api.base_url');
   

2. Dynamic Feature Toggles Toggle features without redeploying:

   if (Globals::get('features.new_ui', false)) {
       return view('new-ui');
   }
   

3. Environment-Specific Overrides Load environment-specific globals via service provider boot:

   public function boot()
   {
       if (app()->environment('local')) {
           Globals::set('debug.toolbar', true);
       }
   }
   

Integration Tips

• Cache Integration Enable caching in config/globals.php for performance:

  'cache' => [
      'enabled' => true,
      'driver' => env('GLOBALS_CACHE_DRIVER', 'file'),
  ],
  

  Clear cache manually or via events (e.g., Globals::clear()).

• Middleware for Contextual Globals Set request-scoped globals in middleware:

  public function handle($request, Closure $next)
  {
      Globals::set('user.id', auth()->id());
      return $next($request);
  }
  

• Validation Layer Add a trait to validate globals on retrieval:

  trait ValidatesGlobals {
      protected function getValidatedGlobal($key, $default = null, $validator = null)
      {
          $value = Globals::get($key, $default);
          return $validator ? $validator($value) : $value;
      }
  }
  

Gotchas and Tips

Pitfalls

1. Key Collisions

   • Without a prefix (e.g., globals_), keys may conflict with Laravel’s built-in storage (e.g., session, cache).
   • Fix: Always use a prefix in config/globals.php:

     'prefix' => 'app_globals_',
     

2. Cache Invalidation

   • Cached globals won’t update until Globals::clear() is called.
   • Tip: Bind a cache tag to globals and clear it via events or commands:

     Globals::clear('app_globals_*'); // Clear all prefixed globals
     

3. Thread Safety

   • Globals are not thread-safe. Avoid setting globals in queued jobs or parallel processes without synchronization.

4. Serialization Issues

   • Complex objects (e.g., Closures, Resources) cannot be stored. Use strings/arrays or serialize simple objects:

     Globals::set('user_data', json_encode($user));
     $data = json_decode(Globals::get('user_data'));
     

Debugging

• Inspect All Globals Use Tinker to dump all globals:

  php artisan tinker
  >>> \Boson\GlobalsProvider\Facades\Globals::all();
  

• Check Cache Driver If globals aren’t updating, verify the cache driver is configured correctly in .env:

  GLOBALS_CACHE_DRIVER=redis
  CACHE_DRIVER=redis
  

Extension Points

1. Custom Storage Backends Extend the GlobalsManager to support databases or external APIs:

   // app/Providers/GlobalsServiceProvider.php
   public function register()
   {
       $this->app->singleton('globals', function ($app) {
           return new \Boson\GlobalsProvider\GlobalsManager(
               new \App\Services\CustomGlobalsStore()
           );
       });
   }
   

2. Event Hooks Listen for global changes via events (if the package emits them). Example:

   // app/Providers/EventServiceProvider.php
   protected $listen = [
       'Boson\GlobalsProvider\Events\GlobalSet' => [
           \App\Listeners\LogGlobalChange::class,
       ],
   ];
   

3. Laravel Scout Integration Index globals for search:

   Globals::search('feature_*')->get(); // Hypothetical; requires custom implementation.