- How do I install laravel-how-it-works in a Laravel project?
- Install it with composer require jeffersongoncalves/laravel-how-it-works, then publish the package config and views if you want to customize them. Laravel package auto-discovery registers the service provider, so no manual wiring is usually needed. Work on a feature branch first and confirm the package PHP and Laravel constraints match your application before committing.
- How do I define and order the steps shown in the How It Works section?
- Steps are defined in the package config file as an ordered list of items, each with a title, description, optional icon, and position. Because the config is publishable you can edit the array in config/how-it-works.php and commit it with your application code. The Blade component loops over that list, so adding or reordering a step is a config change rather than a markup change.
- Can I customize the Blade views and styling of the timeline?
- Yes. The package ships publishable views and config, so you can run the vendor:publish command with the package tags and then edit the Blade files in your resources/views directory. That lets you change wrapper markup, classes, icons, and Tailwind or Bootstrap styling while keeping the step data untouched. If upstream views change in a later release, review your overrides during upgrades.
- Does the package support localization for step content?
- Step titles and descriptions support localization, so you can serve multilingual How It Works content from the same step definitions. Make sure your application locale and fallback locale are configured correctly, since missing translations are the most common day-one problem with translated content. Test every supported locale in staging before deploying.
- Which Laravel and PHP versions are supported by laravel-how-it-works?
- Check the composer.json constraints and release notes before installing, because this is a new 1.0.0 package without a long support history. Confirm the required PHP version, Laravel major version, and database driver support against your host application. If your app runs an older Laravel LTS release, verify compatibility on a branch instead of assuming it works.
- Does the package include an admin UI or API to manage steps?
- No. The package focuses on defining steps in config or code and rendering a ready-made timeline, not on editorial tooling. If content editors need to manage steps, you will need to build your own admin screen or API around the step model or config. Some technical evaluations also note that richer model and migration workflows may pull in a translation dependency, so audit dependencies first.
- How do I render the How It Works block in a Blade template?
- Render the provided Blade component or view wherever you want the section to appear, for example inside a landing page or onboarding layout. Because it is a normal Blade view, it inherits your layout, CSS framework, and responsive breakpoints. You can also wrap it in your own section element to control spacing, background, and anchor links.
- Is laravel-how-it-works production-ready given it is a 1.0.0 release?
- Treat 1.0.0 as semantically stable but operationally young: the scope is small, which limits blast radius, but there is no adoption history yet. Before relying on it, check for a test suite and CI, pin the version in composer.json, and assign an internal owner for upgrades. Keep a simple fallback rendering path so a package issue cannot take down a critical marketing page.
- How does the package handle ordering, caching, and multi-tenancy?
- Data volume is tiny and read patterns are simple, so scaling risk is low. The main concerns are N+1 queries if steps are loaded from a database with translations, and ordering collisions if several people edit the same list at once. Cache the rendered step list for high-traffic pages, and add tenant scoping yourself if your application is multi-tenant.
- What are the alternatives if I need a full CMS-driven onboarding flow?
- For simple, developer-defined steps, a config array plus a Blade partial is a reasonable no-dependency alternative, and a CMS such as Statamic or Filament is better if editors need drafts, approvals, and scheduling. Choose this package when you want a consistent timeline component without rebuilding markup, and avoid it for headless-only stacks or complex editorial workflows. Also verify how translation fallback and migration rollback behave before making it critical.