- How do I install cgdprojects/php-gedcom in a Laravel application?
- Install it with Composer using composer require cgdprojects/php-gedcom, then check the package's PHP constraints against your Laravel app's version. The library is not Laravel-native, so you will not get a service provider or config file; register your own wrapper binding or resolve the parser inside a service or queued job. Pin the version in composer.json because the last release was in November 2021.
- Does cgdprojects/php-gedcom support PHP 8 and recent Laravel versions?
- There is no published Laravel compatibility matrix, and the last release dates to November 2021, so PHP 8.1+ and Laravel 10 or 11 support is unverified. Run a time-boxed install on your target PHP version and check Composer constraints and any required extensions before committing. If you hit deprecations, fork the package under an internal namespace and patch it.
- How do I parse a GEDCOM file and access individuals and families with this library?
- Use the library's parser to read a GEDCOM file into object-oriented records, then traverse individuals, families, and other records through its API. In Laravel, wrap parsing in a service or queued job that returns your own DTOs rather than exposing package objects to controllers and models. Start with representative sample files and assert expected counts and relationships.
- Can cgdprojects/php-gedcom write or export GEDCOM files?
- The library is described as reading and writing GEDCOM files, so export is part of its scope. Round-trip fidelity is a known risk area, so validate written output against golden files before relying on it for archival or migration workflows. Isolate writing behind an application-owned GedcomExporter interface so the implementation can be replaced.
- Is cgdprojects/php-gedcom actively maintained and safe for production use?
- Maintenance signals are weak: 24 stars, an unknown repository, and a last release in November 2021 mean you should assume you own maintenance. Treat it as a tactical import and export utility rather than a strategic dependency, pin the version, and budget for PHP compatibility patches and GEDCOM edge cases. For untrusted uploads, add file-size limits, validation, and isolated storage.
- How should I integrate php-gedcom into Laravel without coupling my domain code?
- Wrap the package behind application-owned GedcomImporter and GedcomExporter interfaces, and keep calls out of controllers and Eloquent models. Bind the implementation in a service provider so it can be replaced or forked without domain churn. Map parsed records into your own DTOs before persisting them.
- What are the memory and performance limits when parsing large GEDCOM files?
- Parsing and writing are CPU and memory bound on large files, and the package has no built-in Laravel queue or chunking integration. Run imports in queued workers with timeouts, file-size caps, and isolated temporary storage on a storage disk. Measure time and peak memory against your largest expected tree during the proof of concept.
- How do I handle malformed GEDCOM files, encoding issues, and parse failures?
- Expect malformed GEDCOM, unsupported tags, encoding problems, and partial writes, so validate uploads and wrap parsing in try/catch with a clear failure path. Persist import summaries and checksums, and use dead-letter queues or rollback and cleanup for failed jobs. Never let a failed parse leave partially imported records behind.
- Are there better alternatives to cgdprojects/php-gedcom for GEDCOM parsing in PHP?
- Evaluate actively maintained GEDCOM parsers for PHP, or write a focused parser for the subset of tags you actually need. Because GEDCOM is a documented interchange format, a custom reader can be reasonable if the library's coverage and maintenance are insufficient. Compare candidates against your sample corpus before deciding.
- How do I test GEDCOM import and export in a Laravel application?
- Build a fixture corpus of representative GEDCOM files, including malformed and encoding-varied samples, and assert parsed counts, relationships, and export output as golden files. Test your adapter rather than the package internals so you can swap implementations later. Use Laravel's queue and storage fakes to exercise the import job end to end.