Nova Relationship Selector Laravel Package

Getting Started

This package targets Laravel Nova and provides a fluent way to place a field inside a tabbed layout, integrating with eminiarts/nova-tabs.

1. Require both packages: composer require <this-package> eminiarts/nova-tabs.
2. Register the Nova tabs package per its README (publish/register the tab group resolver).
3. In your Nova resource, define the field and chain ->inTabs():

use Eminiarts\Tabs\Tabs;

public function fields(Request $request)
{
    return [
        Tabs::make('Details', [
            ID::make()->sortable(),
            Text::make('Name')->inTabs('Main'),
        ]),
    ];
}

First thing to check after install: run a resource with a single tab and confirm the field renders inside it (not duplicated in the default/untabbed area). That single render is the fastest proof the wiring and the inTabs() helper agree.

Implementation Patterns

• Tab-scoped fields: Chain ->inTabs('Tab Label') on any fields that should land in a specific tab instead of the default group. Keep the tab label consistent with the Tab::make(...) / Tabs::make(...) key used in the same resource.
• Mixed tabbed/untabbed layouts: Fields without ->inTabs() remain in the default panel — useful for identity fields (ID, timestamps) that should stay outside the tabbed area.
• Fluent composition: The call returns the field, so it composes cleanly with the rest of the Nova field chain (->rules(...), ->sortable(), ->hideFromIndex(), etc.). Apply inTabs() last for readability.
• Reusable field factories: If you build fields in helper methods (e.g. $this->statusField()), pass the tab name in as an argument so the same field can be reused across resources with different tab layouts.
• Testing: In Nova field unit tests, assert on the resolved meta rather than on rendered HTML — the tab assignment surfaces as meta on the field, which is cheap to check.

Gotchas and Tips

• Label mismatch is silent: If the inTabs() string doesn't exactly match a tab key/label, the field can end up in the default area with no error. Verify labels character-for-character.
• Ordering: Tab membership and field ordering interact; Nova's field ordering is driven by the array order in fields(), so group fields by tab in the array for predictable rendering.
• Index/detail parity: inTabs() only affects form/detail layout. Index columns are unaffected — don't expect the tabs to change the index table.
• Nova version sensitivity: nova-tabs pins to specific Nova majors. Confirm the compatibility matrix of both packages before upgrading Nova.
• Debugging a missing field: Temporarily remove ->inTabs() — if the field reappears, the tab label is wrong or the tabs group isn't resolving. If it's missing in both cases, the issue is upstream in the tabs package.
• Extension point: The fluent return means you can wrap it in your own field macro (Field::macro('inDetailsTab', fn() => $this->inTabs('Details'))) to centralise tab names and avoid string drift across resources.