Filterable Laravel Package

Product Decisions This Supports

• Self-service analytics/data exploration: Enable non-technical users (e.g., sales, support) to filter datasets via URL parameters without backend changes.
• API-driven filtering: Standardize filtering logic across frontend frameworks (React, Vue, etc.) by exposing Eloquent queries via filtered API endpoints.
• Roadmap prioritization: Accelerate MVP development for search/filter-heavy features (e.g., e-commerce product grids, CRM lead pipelines).
• Build vs. buy: Avoid reinventing query parsing logic for common use cases (e.g., ?status=active&price__gt=100).
• Use cases:
  • Public-facing search (e.g., job boards, real estate listings).
  • Internal dashboards with URL-shareable views.
  • A/B testing variants (filter by experiment_group).
  • Compliance reporting (filter by created_at ranges).

When to Consider This Package

• Adopt if:

  • Your app uses Eloquent and needs dynamic URL-based filtering with minimal backend code.
  • You prioritize developer velocity over fine-grained control (e.g., custom SQL for complex joins).
  • Your filtering logic is predictable (e.g., simple =, >, <, in operations).
  • You’re okay with MIT license and open-source dependencies.

• Look elsewhere if:

  • You need multi-table joins or aggregations (consider Laravel Scout or custom scopes).
  • Your filters require full-text search (use Laravel Scout + Algolia/Meilisearch).
  • You’re using raw SQL queries or non-Eloquent models.
  • You need real-time filtering (e.g., WebSockets; this is for HTTP requests).
  • Your team lacks PHP/Laravel expertise (steepness of Eloquent + package integration).

How to Pitch It (Stakeholders)

For Executives: "This package lets us ship search/filter features 10x faster by automatically parsing URL parameters (e.g., ?status=active&price__lt=500) into database queries—no backend changes needed. It’s like giving our users a ‘Google for our data’ without custom dev work. Ideal for MVPs, public APIs, or internal tools where URL-shareable views add value. MIT-licensed and battle-tested since 2014."

For Engineers: *"Filterable turns ?category=electronics&in_stock=true into a clean Eloquent query with zero manual where() clauses. Key benefits:

• Traits/Wrapper: Plugs into models or wraps queries dynamically.
• Operators: Supports =, >, <, in, like, etc., out of the box.
• Validation: Auto-sanitizes inputs (prevents SQL injection via Eloquent).
• Extensible: Override defaults for custom logic. Tradeoff: Best for simple filters; complex use cases may need custom scopes. Example:*

// Model: Product.php
use Heroicpixels\Filterable\FilterableTrait;
class Product extends Model {
    use FilterableTrait;
    protected $filterable = ['category', 'price', 'in_stock'];
}

Now /products?category=books&price__gt=20 works automatically."