Helper Laravel Package

Getting Started

Minimal Steps

1. Installation

   composer require-dev fibers/helper
   

   • Use require-dev as the package is designed for development-time introspection.

2. First Facade Import

   use Fibers\Helper\Facades\ModelHelper;
   

3. Basic Usage

   $modelInfo = ModelHelper::fromClass('App\Models\User')->collect('attributes');
   

   • Outputs an array of column names for the User model.

4. Key Files to Review

   • config/fibers-helper.php (if present, though minimal)
   • vendor/fibers/helper/src/Facades/ (facade definitions)
   • vendor/fibers/helper/src/Helpers/ (core helper logic)

Implementation Patterns

Common Workflows

1. Model Introspection

   // Collect all attributes + relationships
   $modelData = ModelHelper::fromClass('App\Models\Post')
       ->collect('attributes', 'relationships');
   
   // Filter by specific columns
   $columns = ModelHelper::fromClass('App\Models\Post')
       ->collect('attributes', ['id', 'title']);
   

2. Controller/Route Inspection

   use Fibers\Helper\Facades\ControllerHelper;
   
   // Get all routes for a controller
   $routes = ControllerHelper::fromClass('App\Http\Controllers\AdminController')
       ->collect('routes');
   
   // Get route actions with middleware
   $actions = ControllerHelper::fromClass('App\Http\Controllers\AdminController')
       ->collect('actions', ['middleware']);
   

3. Service Provider Analysis

   use Fibers\Helper\Facades\ProviderHelper;
   
   // List all bindings in a provider
   $bindings = ProviderHelper::fromClass('App\Providers\AppServiceProvider')
       ->collect('bindings');
   

4. Integration with Testing

   // Dynamic test data generation
   $testData = ModelHelper::fromClass('App\Models\User')
       ->collect('attributes')
       ->mapWithKeys(fn($col) => [$col => fake()->$col]);
   

Integration Tips

• Leverage in bootstrap/app.php Use for runtime application analysis (e.g., debugging misconfigurations):

  $modelSchema = ModelHelper::fromClass('App\Models\Order')->collect('attributes');
  

• Dynamic Form Generation

  $fields = ModelHelper::fromClass('App\Models\Product')
      ->collect('attributes')
      ->map(fn($attr) => view('components.form.input', ['name' => $attr]));
  

• API Documentation Tools Combine with ControllerHelper to auto-generate OpenAPI specs:

  $endpoints = ControllerHelper::scan('App\Http\Controllers')
      ->collect('routes')
      ->map(fn($route) => [
          'path' => $route['uri'],
          'methods' => $route['methods'],
      ]);
  

• Migration Validation

  $expectedColumns = ModelHelper::fromClass('App\Models\Post')->collect('attributes');
  $actualColumns = DB::select("PRAGMA table_info(posts)");
  assert($expectedColumns === array_column($actualColumns, 'name'));
  

Gotchas and Tips

Pitfalls

1. Performance Overhead

   • Avoid using in production or high-frequency loops. Helpers perform runtime reflection (e.g., collect('relationships') queries the DB).
   • Mitigation: Cache results in app/Helpers/ or use ModelHelper::cache() (if available).

2. Outdated Laravel Compatibility

   • Last release (2019) may lack support for Laravel 10+ features (e.g., enums, new query builder methods).
   • Workaround: Extend helpers via traits or create a wrapper:

     class ExtendedModelHelper extends \Fibers\Helper\Helpers\ModelHelper {
         public function collectEnums(string $modelClass) { ... }
     }
     

3. Facade vs. Direct Usage

   • Facades add slight overhead. For heavy usage, inject the helper class directly:

     $helper = app(\Fibers\Helper\Helpers\ModelHelper::class);
     

4. Namespace Collisions

   • If using Fibers\Helper alongside other Fibers packages, ensure consistent aliasing in config/app.php:

     'aliases' => [
         'ModelHelper' => \Fibers\Helper\Facades\ModelHelper::class,
     ],
     

5. Relationship Collection Quirks

   • collect('relationships') may miss lazy-loaded or dynamic relationships.
   • Tip: Combine with ModelHelper::with() to preload:

     ModelHelper::fromClass('App\Models\Order')
         ->with(['user', 'items'])
         ->collect('relationships');
     

Debugging Tips

1. Inspect Raw Data Use dd() to debug helper outputs:

   dd(ModelHelper::fromClass('App\Models\User')->collect('attributes', 'relationships'));
   

2. Check for Deprecated Methods Wrap calls in a try-catch for graceful degradation:

   try {
       $data = ModelHelper::fromClass('App\Models\Post')->collect('old_method');
   } catch (\BadMethodCallException $e) {
       $data = ModelHelper::fromClass('App\Models\Post')->collect('attributes');
   }
   

3. Verify Model Existence Helpers may throw exceptions for non-existent models. Validate first:

   if (!class_exists('App\Models\InvalidModel')) {
       throw new \RuntimeException('Model not found');
   }
   

Extension Points

1. Custom Helpers Extend the base Helper class to add domain-specific logic:

   namespace App\Helpers;
   
   use Fibers\Helper\Helpers\BaseHelper;
   
   class MyCustomHelper extends BaseHelper {
       public function collectCustomData(string $modelClass) {
           return $this->getModel($modelClass)->getCustomAttribute();
       }
   }
   

2. Override Facades Publish and modify the facade bindings:

   php artisan vendor:publish --tag=fibers-helper-facades
   

   Then update config/fibers-helper.php to point to your extended helpers.

3. Add New Collection Types Implement the Collectable interface to support custom data sources:

   class CacheHelper extends BaseHelper implements Collectable {
       public function collect(string $type, $options = null) {
           return Cache::get($this->getTarget());
       }
   }
   

4. Integration with Laravel Debugbar Add helper data to the debug toolbar:

   Debugbar::addCollector(new class extends \Debugbar\DataCollector\DataCollector {
       public function collect() {
           return [
               'model_attributes' => ModelHelper::fromClass('App\Models\User')->collect('attributes'),
           ];
       }
   });
   

5. Testing Helpers Mock helpers in tests using partial mocks:

   $helper = $this->partialMock(ModelHelper::class, ['collect']);
   $helper->method('collect')->willReturn(['id', 'name']);