Getting Started

Minimal Steps

Installation:

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

Basic Integration: Add to your Blade template's <head> and before </body>:

{!! CookieConsent::styles() !!}
<!-- Your content -->
{!! CookieConsent::scripts() !!}

First Use Case

Deploy a GDPR-compliant cookie banner with default settings. Test by:

Refreshing the page to see the banner.
Accepting/rejecting cookies to verify cookie storage.
Checking if the banner disappears after consent.

Implementation Patterns

Core Workflow

Configuration: Customize config/cookie-consent.php for:
- Cookie categories (e.g., necessary, analytics).
- Lifetimes, themes, and translations.
- Policy links (e.g., Privacy Policy URL).
Dynamic Loading: Use CookieConsent::scripts(options: [...]) to pass runtime overrides (e.g., disable page interaction):
```
{!! CookieConsent::scripts([
    'disable_page_interaction' => false,
    'theme' => 'trust-green'
]) !!}
```
Category-Based Consent: Define JavaScript actions per category (e.g., js_action: 'loadGoogleAnalytics' for analytics cookies). Implement these in your global JS:
```
function loadGoogleAnalytics() { /* GA script */ }
```
Multi-Language Support: Override translations in resources/lang/{locale}/cookie-consent.php:
```
return [
    'Privacy Policy' => 'Datenschutzrichtlinie',
];
```
Dark Mode/RTL: Add theme="dark" or dir="rtl" to <body> for automatic adaptation.

Integration Tips

Layout Flexibility: Choose from 6 banner styles (box, bar, cloud, etc.) via consent_modal_layout.
Preferences Modal: Enable with 'preferences_modal_enabled' => true for granular user control.

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

<a onclick="showHideToggleCookiePreferencesModal()">Update Preferences</a>

Asset Customization: Override default assets by publishing views:
```
php artisan vendor:publish --tag=cookie-consent-views
```

Gotchas and Tips

Pitfalls

Cookie Prefix Conflicts: Ensure cookie_prefix (e.g., Laravel_App) doesn’t clash with existing cookies. Default is Laravel_CookieConsent.
JavaScript Actions: Forgetting to implement js_action functions (e.g., loadGoogleAnalytics) will break dependent scripts. Test in console:
```
loadGoogleAnalytics(); // Should load GA script
```
Cached Assets: Clear view/compiled assets after theme/config changes:
```
php artisan view:clear
php artisan cache:clear
```
Localhost Asset Paths: Set COOKIE_CONSENT_ASSET_URL=null in .env for localhost to avoid CORS issues.
Dark Mode Detection: Auto-detection may fail if <body> lacks theme="dark". Fallback to manual override:
```
{!! CookieConsent::scripts(['theme' => 'dark']) !!}
```

Debugging

Check Consent Status: Inspect cookies (Laravel_CookieConsent_necessary, Laravel_CookieConsent_analytics) or use:
```
$consent = CookieConsent::getConsent();
dd($consent); // Returns array of user choices
```

Event Listeners: Listen for consent changes via events:

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

Extension Points

Custom Themes: Extend the theme_preset system by publishing assets:
```
php artisan vendor:publish --tag=cookie-consent-public
```
Then override resources/css/cookie-consent.css.
Additional Categories: Add new categories in cookie_categories config and implement corresponding JS actions.
API Integration: Fetch consent status via API:
```
route('cookie-consent.status'); // Add to routes/web.php
```
Return JSON response with current consent data.

Third-Party Scripts: Use the js_action system to load scripts conditionally:

function loadHotjar() { /* Hotjar script */ }

Then map it in config:

'hotjar' => ['js_action' => 'loadHotjar', ...],

Pro Tips

A/B Testing: Use consent_modal_layout to test different banner styles without code changes.
Environment-Specific Config: Leverage .env for toggling categories:
```
COOKIE_CONSENT_ANALYTICS=false # Disable in staging
```
Performance: Lazy-load scripts by setting disable_page_interaction: true until consent is given.
Accessibility: Ensure contrast ratios meet WCAG standards by customizing theme_preset colors.

Laravel Cookie Consent Laravel Package