Getting Started

Minimal Steps

Installation:
```
composer require devrabiul/laravel-cookie-consent
php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Devrabiul\CookieConsent\CookieConsentServiceProvider"
```
This publishes the default config, views, and assets to config/cookie-consent.php, resources/views/vendor/cookie-consent/, and public/vendor/cookie-consent/.

Basic Integration: Add the package's styles and scripts to your Blade template:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    {!! CookieConsent::styles() !!}
</head>
<body>
    <!-- Your content -->
    {!! CookieConsent::scripts() !!}
</body>
</html>

First Use Case: Enable cookie consent for analytics and marketing in .env:
```
COOKIE_CONSENT_ANALYTICS=true
COOKIE_CONSENT_MARKETING=true
```
This will automatically show the consent banner on page load, allowing users to accept/reject cookies.

Where to Look First

Config File: config/cookie-consent.php – Centralize all settings (cookie categories, lifetimes, themes, translations).
Blade Directives: CookieConsent::styles() and CookieConsent::scripts() – Minimal integration points.
Cookie Categories: Define granular consent controls (e.g., necessary, analytics, marketing) in the config.
Live Demo: rixetbd.com/docs?package=laravel-cookie-consent – Visualize layouts and behaviors.

Implementation Patterns

Core Workflows

Consent Management:
- Use CookieConsent::hasConsent('analytics') in your controllers to check if a user has consented to a category.
- Example:
```
if (CookieConsent::hasConsent('analytics')) {
    Analytics::trackPageView();
}
```
Dynamic Script Loading:
- Define JavaScript functions (e.g., loadGoogleAnalytics) in your assets file (e.g., public/js/cookie-consent.js).
- Map these functions to cookie categories in the config:
```
'cookie_categories' => [
    'analytics' => [
        'js_action' => 'loadGoogleAnalytics',
    ],
],
```
- The package will automatically execute these functions after consent is granted.
Multi-Language Support:
- Publish translations via php artisan vendor:publish --tag=cookie-consent-lang.
- Override translations in resources/lang/{locale}/cookie-consent.php:
```
return [
    'Privacy Policy' => 'Datenschutzrichtlinie',
];
```
Theme Customization:
- Choose a preset (basic, modern-blue, trust-green, etc.) in the config:
```
'theme_preset' => 'trust-green',
```
- Override CSS variables in public/css/cookie-consent.css for full control.
Dark Mode:
- Enable dark mode by adding theme="dark" to the <body> tag or setting:
```
'theme' => 'dark',
```
- The package auto-detects system preferences if theme="auto".

Integration Tips

Middleware for Protected Routes: Create middleware to block analytics scripts if consent is missing:

public function handle($request, Closure $next) {
    if (!$request->user() && !CookieConsent::hasConsent('analytics')) {
        abort(403, 'Analytics consent required.');
    }
    return $next($request);
}

Event Listeners: Dispatch custom events when consent changes:

CookieConsent::consentChanged(function ($category, $accepted) {
    event(new CookieConsentChanged($category, $accepted));
});

API Consent Checks: Pass consent status via API responses:

return response()->json([
    'data' => $data,
    'consent' => [
        'analytics' => CookieConsent::hasConsent('analytics'),
        'marketing' => CookieConsent::hasConsent('marketing'),
    ],
]);

Localization: Use the CookieConsent::translate() helper for dynamic text:
```
<p>{!! CookieConsent::translate('cookie_description') !!}</p>
```

Gotchas and Tips

Pitfalls

Asset Paths in Local Development:
- If using COOKIE_CONSENT_ASSET_URL, set it to null in .env during local testing to avoid CORS issues:
```
COOKIE_CONSENT_ASSET_URL=null
```
Cookie Prefix Conflicts:
- Ensure cookie_prefix in the config doesn’t clash with existing cookies (e.g., Laravel’s laravel_session):
```
'cookie_prefix' => 'app_',
```
JavaScript Execution Order:
- Scripts defined in js_action run after the consent modal is dismissed. Avoid relying on them for critical page functionality.
RTL Layout Quirks:
- Test RTL layouts thoroughly. Some layouts (e.g., bar-inline) may require manual adjustments for button alignment.
Caching Issues:
- Clear view and config caches after publishing updates:
```
php artisan view:clear
php artisan config:clear
```

Debugging

Check Consent Status: Inspect cookies in browser dev tools (look for {cookie_prefix}_consent). Use Tinker to debug:
```
php artisan tinker
>>> \Devrabiul\CookieConsent\Facades\CookieConsent::getConsent();
```
Log Consent Changes: Enable debug mode in the config:
```
'debug' => env('COOKIE_CONSENT_DEBUG', false),
```
This logs consent events to storage/logs/cookie-consent.log.
Verify Script Loading: Check the browser console for errors after dismissing the modal. Common issues:
- Missing js_action functions.
- Incorrect asset paths (e.g., COOKIE_CONSENT_ASSET_URL misconfigured).

Extension Points

Custom Modal Templates: Override the default Blade template in resources/views/vendor/cookie-consent/modal.blade.php:

@extends('vendor.cookie-consent::modal')
@section('custom_content')
    <p>Your custom content here.</p>
@endsection

Dynamic Cookie Categories: Fetch categories from a database:

'cookie_categories' => CookieCategory::all()->pluck('name')->map(function ($name) {
    return [
        'enabled' => true,
        'locked' => false,
        'title' => __("CookieConsent::{$name}_title"),
    ];
})->toArray(),

Event-Driven Extensions: Listen for consent changes to trigger custom logic:

CookieConsent::consentChanged(function ($category, $accepted) {
    if ($accepted && $category === 'analytics') {
        Analytics::flushEvents();
    }
});

Headless Mode: Disable the UI but keep consent logic:
```
'consent_modal_enabled' => false,
'consent_banner_enabled' => false,
```
Useful for APIs or non-interactive contexts.

Pro Tips

A/B Testing: Randomize the consent_modal_layout in the config to test different designs:
```
'consent_modal_layout' => ['box-wide', 'bar-inline'][rand(0, 1)],
```

Conditional Consent: Disable consent for specific routes:

Route::middleware(['cookie-consent:analytics'])->group(function () {
    // Routes requiring analytics consent
});

Localization Fallback: Ensure default translations are published:
```
php artisan vendor:publish --tag=cookie-consent-lang --force
```
Performance: Lazy-load scripts by setting disable_page_interaction: true to prevent resource-hogging until consent is granted.
Compliance Audits: Use the CookieConsent::getAuditLog() method to generate compliance reports:
```
$log = CookieConsent::getAuditLog();
// Export to CSV or database
```

Laravel Cookie Consent Laravel Package