Nova Profile Tool Laravel Package

Getting Started

This release (1.1.3) is additive: it adds form validation support and a configurable sidebar label. No breaking changes are called out.

• Upgrade with composer require vendor/package:^1.1 or, if already installed, composer update vendor/package --with-dependencies.
• If this is a first install, publish package config/assets/migrations as documented, then clear caches:

php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Vendor\Package\PackageServiceProvider"
php artisan migrate
php artisan optimize:clear

• Look first at the package README, config/{package}.php, resources/lang/vendor/{package}, and the package service provider. For 1.1.3 specifically, search for validation, rules, sidebar, label, navigation, and menu.
• First use case: change one sidebar label and add server-side validation to one package form. Then cover both with a feature test so the upgrade path stays safe.

Implementation Patterns

• Prefer package config or translation files over editing vendor views when changing the sidebar label. The exact key varies by package, but look for a navigation/menu label entry:

// config/package.php
'navigation' => [
    'label' => 'Reports',
],

or a translation key:

// resources/lang/vendor/package/en/navigation.php
return ['reports' => 'Reports'];

• Keep form validation server-side. Use a FormRequest, Validator::make(), or the package’s validation hook, then pass only validated data into the package action/service:

public function store(StoreReportRequest $request)
{
    $data = $request->validated();

    // Pass $data to the package service/action.
}

• Use standard Laravel rules (required, email, unique, Rule::exists, Rule::in, after) and custom Rule classes for domain-specific checks. Avoid relying on package/client-side validation alone.
• If package forms submit via AJAX/JSON, return a standard 422 validation response so front-end error handling works consistently:

if ($validator->fails()) {
    return response()->json(['errors' => $validator->errors()], 422);
}

• For Livewire-backed package forms, use $this->validate() and $this->resetValidation() in the component. For Inertia, use useForm() and surface the errors prop.
• Add feature tests for both new features:

$response = $this->post(route('package.form.store'), []);
$response->assertSessionHasErrors(['name', 'email']);

$this->get('/admin')->assertSee('Reports');

• If the sidebar label varies by user/role, enforce permissions in policies/gates. Do not treat the visible label as authorization.

Gotchas and Tips

• Config cache is the most common trap. After changing a sidebar label or validation config, run php artisan optimize:clear or at least php artisan config:clear.
• Do not edit files under vendor/. Publish/override config, translations, or views. If you already published config, new 1.1.3 keys may not appear until you compare/republish or merge manually.
• If the package ships its own validation rules, centralize validation in a FormRequest/action so web, API, and package entry points do not drift.
• Validate ownership and tenant scope, not just format. Package forms often bypass your usual resource controller, so add rules like exists:projects,id,tenant_id,... where needed.
• If sidebar label changes do not appear, clear config/menu/route caches and check whether a package menu cache or published view override is taking precedence.
• Use translation keys for labels and validation messages. They handle locale changes and escaping more safely than hard-coded strings or raw HTML.
• No breaking changes are noted for 1.1.3, but still run the package test suite and smoke-test forms and sidebar rendering after upgrade. Pin with ^1.1 and review the composer.lock diff.
• Preferred extension points: package config, translations, custom Rule classes, service container bindings, published views/assets, and documented validation hooks. Avoid monkey-patching vendor code.