Getting Started

Minimal Setup

Installation

composer require devhelp/flow-control

Add the service provider to config/app.php:

'providers' => [
    // ...
    Devhelp\FlowControl\FlowControlServiceProvider::class,
],

Basic Usage Define a flow in a dedicated class (e.g., app/Flows/MyWorkflow.php):

namespace App\Flows;

use Devhelp\FlowControl\Flow;

class MyWorkflow extends Flow
{
    public function run()
    {
        $this->step('step1', function () {
            return "Step 1 executed";
        });

        $this->step('step2', function () {
            return "Step 2 executed";
        });

        $this->step('step3', function () {
            return "Step 3 executed";
        });
    }
}

First Execution Trigger the flow from a controller or command:

use App\Flows\MyWorkflow;

$workflow = new MyWorkflow();
$result = $workflow->execute();

Implementation Patterns

Workflow Design

Modular Steps: Break complex logic into reusable steps:

$this->step('validate', function () {
    if (!$this->validateRequest()) {
        throw new \RuntimeException("Validation failed");
    }
});

Conditional Flow:

$this->step('conditionalStep', function () {
    if ($this->shouldProceed()) {
        return $this->process();
    }
    return null;
});

Integration with Laravel

Service Container Binding:

$this->app->bind('workflow.my', function () {
    return new MyWorkflow();
});

Command Integration:

use Illuminate\Console\Command;
use App\Flows\MyWorkflow;

class RunWorkflowCommand extends Command
{
    protected $signature = 'workflow:run';
    public function handle(MyWorkflow $workflow)
    {
        $result = $workflow->execute();
        $this->info("Workflow completed: " . $result);
    }
}

Event-Driven Workflows:

$this->step('dispatchEvent', function () {
    event(new WorkflowStepEvent($this->getStepName()));
});

Data Flow

Passing Data Between Steps:

$this->step('fetchData', function () {
    $data = $this->getData();
    $this->setData('processed', $data);
});

$this->step('useData', function () {
    $processedData = $this->getData('processed');
    // Use $processedData
});

Gotchas and Tips

Pitfalls

Step Dependencies: Ensure steps are ordered correctly. Use before() and after() for dependencies:
```
$this->step('stepA')->before('stepB');
```

Error Handling: Uncaught exceptions in steps halt execution. Use try-catch or fail():

$this->step('riskyStep', function () {
    try {
        // Risky logic
    } catch (\Exception $e) {
        $this->fail("Step failed: " . $e->getMessage());
    }
});

State Management: Avoid modifying shared state outside steps. Use setData()/getData() for consistency.

Debugging

Logging: Enable debug mode in config/flow-control.php:
```
'debug' => env('FLOW_CONTROL_DEBUG', false),
```
Logs will appear in storage/logs/flow-control.log.
Step Inspection: Use getSteps() to inspect the flow:
```
$steps = $workflow->getSteps();
dd($steps);
```

Extension Points

Custom Step Types: Extend Devhelp\FlowControl\Step for specialized behavior:

class CustomStep extends Step
{
    public function execute()
    {
        // Custom logic
    }
}

Middleware: Add middleware to steps:

$this->step('authStep')->middleware(AuthMiddleware::class);

Configuration: Override defaults in config/flow-control.php:
```
'default_timeout' => 30, // seconds
'max_retries' => 3,
```

Flow Control Laravel Package