- What is jeroennoten/laravel-package-helper used for?
- It is a small utility package for developers who build their own Laravel packages. It wraps common boilerplate such as service provider registration, config and migration publishing, and asset, route, and translation loading behind concise helper methods. The goal is to let you spend time on package features instead of repetitive wiring. It is aimed at package authors, not at end-user application code.
- How do I install jeroennoten/laravel-package-helper with Composer?
- Install it as a normal Composer dependency with composer require jeroennoten/laravel-package-helper. Because it is a development aid for your own package, you will typically add it to the require section of the package you are building rather than to an application. Check the repository README for the exact command and any version constraint recommendations before committing.
- Which Laravel versions does laravel-package-helper support?
- The package includes Laravel-version-aware checks intended to make multi-version support smoother, so helpers behave correctly across different framework releases. The precise supported version range is declared in the package composer.json and is the authoritative source. Always confirm the constraint there, or in the README, before adding it to a package that targets a specific Laravel release.
- Does laravel-package-helper require Laravel, or can I use it standalone?
- It is built for Laravel packages and its helpers assume a Laravel application or package context, such as a service provider bootstrapping config, routes, and views. It is described as lightweight and dependency-free, meaning it does not pull in a large set of third-party libraries. It is not intended as a general-purpose PHP utility library outside Laravel.
- How do I publish config files from my package using these helpers?
- The package provides simplified wrappers around Laravel's publishing conventions for config, migrations, and views. Instead of writing the full publishes array and mergeConfigFrom calls by hand, you call the helper and point it at your package paths. The result is still standard Laravel publishing, so users run the usual vendor:publish command with your package tag.
- Can it help register service providers and container bindings?
- Yes, it includes helper methods for registering service providers and container bindings, which are two of the most common pieces of package boilerplate. These helpers keep your package service provider short and readable. Under the hood they still use Laravel's normal container and provider APIs, so behavior stays predictable and familiar.
- How do I load routes, translations, and assets from a package with it?
- The package offers convenience wrappers for loading routes, translations, and assets from your package directory. You pass the relevant paths and the helper registers them with the framework the same way you would manually in a service provider. This reduces copy-paste code across packages and keeps bootstrapping consistent.
- Is laravel-package-helper compatible with Laravel package auto-discovery?
- Auto-discovery works through the extra.laravel.providers entry in your package composer.json, which is independent of this helper library. You can still use the helpers inside the discovered service provider. Just make sure the provider you register for discovery is the one that calls the helper methods.
- How do I test a package that uses laravel-package-helper?
- Testing approach does not change: use a package test harness such as Orchestra Testbench to boot a Laravel container and load your service provider. The helpers then run in that test application exactly as they would in a real app. Typical assertions cover published config, registered bindings, and loaded routes or views.
- Is laravel-package-helper production-ready, and are there alternatives?
- It is a lightweight helper library, so the main risk is not runtime weight but maintenance: check the GitHub repository for recent releases, open issues, and compatibility with your Laravel version. A widely used alternative in the same space is spatie/laravel-package-tools, which offers a fluent package configuration API. Many teams also skip helpers entirely and write the boilerplate manually, which is a valid choice for very small packages.