Laravel Geo Genius Laravel Package

Getting Started

Minimal Setup

1. Installation:

   composer require devrabiul/laravel-geo-genius
   php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Devrabiul\LaravelGeoGenius\LaravelGeoGeniusServiceProvider"
   

2. Run migrations (if using timezone storage):

   php artisan migrate
   

First Use Case: Detect User Location

// In a controller or middleware
$geoData = laravelGeoGenius()->geo()->locateVisitor();
dd($geoData); // Returns array with country, city, timezone, etc.

Quick Blade Integration

<!-- Auto-detect and display user's country -->
<p>You're visiting from {{ laravelGeoGenius()->geo()->getCountry() }}</p>

<!-- Phone input with country picker -->
{!! laravelGeoGenius()->initIntlPhoneInput() !!}
<input type="tel" name="phone" id="phone">

Implementation Patterns

Core Workflow: Geo-Aware Application

1. Middleware Integration (Recommended):

   // app/Http/Middleware/GeoDetection.php
   public function handle(Request $request, Closure $next) {
       laravelGeoGenius()->geo()->locateVisitor();
       return $next($request);
   }
   

   Register in app/Http/Kernel.php:

   protected $middlewareGroups = [
       'web' => [
           // ...
           \App\Http\Middleware\GeoDetection::class,
       ],
   ];
   

2. Livewire Component Integration:

   // app/Http/Livewire/GeoAwareComponent.php
   public function mount() {
       $this->geoData = laravelGeoGenius()->geo()->locateVisitor();
   }
   

3. Timezone Conversion:

   $localTime = laravelGeoGenius()->timezone()->convertToUserTimezone(now());
   

Phone Validation Pattern

// In your form submission handler
const phoneInput = document.querySelector('#phone');
const iti = window.intlTelInput(phoneInput, {
    initialCountry: document.querySelector('.system-default-country-code').dataset.value,
    // other options...
});

if (!iti.isValidNumber()) {
    return alert('Invalid phone number');
}

Translation System

// Auto-translate messages
echo geniusTrans('welcome_message');

// Number formatting (e.g., 12345 → "১২,৩৪৫" for Bengali)
echo geniusTranslateNumber(12345);

Country Restriction Pattern

// config/laravel-geo-genius.php
'phone_input' => [
    'only_countries_mode' => true,
    'only_countries_array' => ['us', 'ca', 'gb'],
],

Gotchas and Tips

Common Pitfalls

1. Session vs Cache Conflicts:

   • Geo data is cached per IP (7 days by default). Clear cache with:

     php artisan cache:clear
     

   • For testing, use laravelGeoGenius()->geo()->forceRefresh() to bypass cache.

2. Localhost Development:

   • Package automatically detects external IP for 127.0.0.1. For testing, set:

     // config/laravel-geo-genius.php
     'ip_detection' => [
         'force_ip' => '8.8.8.8', // Test with Google's IP
     ],
     

3. Livewire State Persistence:

   • Geo data persists across Livewire requests via session. For initial load:

     public function mount() {
         $this->geoData = laravelGeoGenius()->geo()->getCachedData();
     }
     

Debugging Tips

1. Inspect Raw Data:

   dd(laravelGeoGenius()->geo()->getRawLocationData());
   

2. Timezone Issues:

   • Verify timezone column exists in your users table:

     php artisan geo:add-timezone-column users
     

   • Check current timezone:

     dd(laravelGeoGenius()->timezone()->getUserTimezone());
     

3. Phone Input Not Loading:

   • Ensure initIntlPhoneInput() is called before the input field in Blade.
   • Verify intl-tel-input CSS/JS is loaded (package handles this automatically).

Extension Points

1. Custom IP Provider:

   // config/laravel-geo-genius.php
   'ip_providers' => [
       'ipwhois' => [
           'enabled' => true,
           'url' => 'https://ipwho.is/json/{ip}',
       ],
       'ipapi' => [
           'enabled' => false, // Disable default
       ],
   ],
   

2. Override Detection Logic:

   // app/Providers/AppServiceProvider.php
   public function boot() {
       laravelGeoGenius()->extend(function ($app) {
           $app->geo->setCustomDetection(function () {
               return ['country' => 'custom', 'timezone' => 'America/New_York'];
           });
       });
   }
   

3. Add Custom Countries:

   // config/laravel-geo-genius.php
   'countries' => [
       'custom' => [
           'name' => 'Custom Country',
           'dial_code' => '999',
           'flag' => '🇨🇺', // Custom flag emoji
       ],
   ],
   

Performance Optimization

1. Disable Auto-Detection (for non-geo features):

   laravelGeoGenius()->geo()->disableAutoDetection();
   

2. Increase Cache TTL (for stable regions):

   // config/laravel-geo-genius.php
   'cache' => [
       'ttl_minutes' => 1440, // 24 hours
   ],
   

3. Lazy Load Phone Input:

   @if(request()->wantsJson() || request()->ajax())
       {!! laravelGeoGenius()->initIntlPhoneInput() !!}
   @endif