Getting Started

Minimal Setup

Installation:

composer require devrabiul/laravel-cookie-consent
php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Devrabiul\CookieConsent\CookieConsentServiceProvider"

Basic Blade Integration:

<!-- In <head> -->
{!! CookieConsent::styles() !!}

<!-- Before </body> -->
{!! CookieConsent::scripts() !!}

First Use Case:
- Enable GDPR compliance with a pre-configured banner.
- Test by visiting your site; the banner should appear for first-time visitors.

Key Configuration

Review config/cookie-consent.php for default settings (e.g., cookie lifetimes, categories).
Set environment variables (e.g., COOKIE_CONSENT_ANALYTICS=true) to enable/disable categories.

Implementation Patterns

Workflow: Adding Cookie Consent to a Project

Initial Setup:
- Publish config and assets.
- Configure cookie categories (e.g., necessary, analytics, marketing) in config/cookie-consent.php.
- Define JavaScript actions (e.g., loadGoogleAnalytics) in your assets file.

Dynamic Configuration:

Override settings per page by passing options to CookieConsent::scripts():

{!! CookieConsent::scripts([
    'cookie_lifetime' => 30,
    'theme' => 'trust-green',
    'disable_page_interaction' => false,
]) !!}

Integration with Analytics/Marketing:
- Use js_action in cookie categories to trigger scripts (e.g., Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel) only after consent:
```
'analytics' => [
    'js_action' => 'loadGoogleAnalytics',
    'enabled' => env('COOKIE_CONSENT_ANALYTICS', false),
],
```
- Implement the loadGoogleAnalytics() function in your JavaScript file.
Localization:
- Translate strings via Laravel’s localization system (e.g., CookieConsent::translate('Privacy Policy')).
- Use RTL support by adding dir="rtl" to <body> and setting rtl_enabled: true in config.
Dark Mode:
- Enable auto-detection by setting theme: 'dark' in config or adding theme="dark" to <body>.
Preferences Modal:
- Enable with 'preferences_modal_enabled': true in config.
- Customize layout (bar or box) and content (e.g., cookie_modal_intro).

Common Patterns

Conditional Loading: Use disable_page_interaction: true to block page interaction until consent is given.
Category-Specific Consent: Lock necessary cookies ('locked': true) while allowing users to toggle others.

Compliance Links: Add a "Change Preferences" link anywhere:

<a onclick="showHideToggleCookiePreferencesModal()">Cookie Settings</a>

Gotchas and Tips

Pitfalls

Asset Paths:
- If using a custom asset URL (e.g., CDN), ensure COOKIE_CONSENT_ASSET_URL is set correctly. Localhost may require null.
- Fix: Set COOKIE_CONSENT_ASSET_URL=null in .env for local development.
Cookie Conflicts:
- Existing cookies may interfere with the package’s functionality.
- Fix: Clear old cookies or adjust cookie_prefix in config (e.g., 'cookie_prefix': 'MyApp_').
JavaScript Actions:
- Forgetting to define js_action functions (e.g., loadGoogleAnalytics) will break script loading.
- Fix: Implement all js_action functions in your global JS file.
Caching Issues:
- Browser cache may retain old consent states.
- Fix: Use reject_lifetime: 0 to force re-prompting or clear cookies manually.
Dark Mode Conflicts:
- Custom CSS may override dark mode styles.
- Fix: Use !important sparingly or inspect the generated classes (e.g., .cookie-consent-dark).

Debugging Tips

Check Consent State: Inspect cookies (e.g., Laravel_App_consent) or use CookieConsent::getConsent() in Laravel.
Log Events: Enable COOKIE_CONSENT_LOG_EVENTS=true to debug consent changes via Laravel logs.
Test RTL/Localization: Use dir="rtl" and lang="ar" attributes to verify RTL and translation support.

Extension Points

Custom Themes:
- Override default styles by publishing the package’s assets:
```
php artisan vendor:publish --tag=cookie-consent-assets
```
- Modify resources/views/vendor/cookie-consent/ files.

Event Listeners:

Listen for consent events (e.g., CookieConsentAccepted, CookieConsentRejected) to log or trigger actions:

// In EventServiceProvider
protected $listen = [
    'Devrabiul\CookieConsent\Events\CookieConsentAccepted' => [
        'App\Listeners\LogConsentEvent',
    ],
];

API Integration:

Use CookieConsent::getConsent() to fetch consent data in API routes:

$consent = CookieConsent::getConsent();
return response()->json(['analytics_enabled' => $consent->analytics]);

Multi-Tenant Support:

Store consent per tenant by overriding the cookie handler:

// In CookieConsentServiceProvider
$this->app->singleton('cookie-consent.handler', function () {
    return new \App\Services\TenantCookieConsentHandler();
});

Pro Tips

Performance: Disable disable_page_interaction if you’re using a lightweight analytics script.
A/B Testing: Use different theme_preset values (e.g., modern-blue, trust-green) to test user engagement.
Compliance Audits: Enable COOKIE_CONSENT_LOG_EVENTS and review logs for granular consent tracking.
Localization: Pre-translate strings in resources/lang/ to avoid runtime translation delays.


```markdown
## Advanced: Dynamic Configuration via Middleware
Create middleware to dynamically adjust consent settings (e.g., disable analytics for admins):
```php
// app/Http/Middleware/CookieConsentMiddleware.php
public function handle($request, Closure $next) {
    if (auth()->check() && auth()->user()->isAdmin) {
        config(['laravel-cookie-consent.cookie_categories.analytics.enabled' => false]);
    }
    return $next($request);
}

protected $middleware = [
    \App\Http\Middleware\CookieConsentMiddleware::class,
];

Laravel Cookie Consent Laravel Package