Laravel Backend Component Laravel Package

Getting Started

1. Install with Composer and let Laravel's package auto-discovery register the service provider:

   composer require juaniquillo/laravel-backend-component
   

   The package is on 0.x, so pin a version ("^0.9") until a 1.0 lands.

2. Publish the config (and stubs, if the package ships them) before you write any code:

   php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Juaniquillo\BackendComponent\BackendComponentServiceProvider"
   

   Confirm the exact provider/tag names from the README — this is the single most common source of "command not found" confusion on first install.

3. Where to look first, in this order:

   • The README's quick-start, then config/backend-component.php (namespaces, paths, defaults).
   • src/Console/ — the generator commands are the package's real public surface.
   • The docs and AI skill added in v0.9.1 (PR #26). If you use an AI assistant for scaffolding, hand it that skill file so generated components follow the package's conventions instead of generic Laravel patterns.

4. First use case: scaffold one trivial backend component for a small model (e.g. Post) end to end, then read every generated file before writing a second one. You want to see the controller → service → repository/resource layering the package assumes before you commit to it as your house style.

Implementation Patterns

• Scaffold once, then own the code. Treat the generator as a starting-point factory, not a live abstraction. Commit the generated files, then hand-edit them; regenerating over an existing component will overwrite your changes. If you need repeated customization, publish and edit the stubs instead of editing generated output.
• Keep the package's layering intact. The generated structure typically routes Controller → FormRequest → Service/Action → Model (and a Resource for the response). Resist collapsing layers "just this once" — the value of the package is consistency across dozens of components, and mixed styles destroy that.
• Generate in a feature branch, review the diff. Generated output is boilerplate you're about to be responsible for. A quick read-through catches namespace/path mismatches from misconfigured package settings.
• Use it as an onboarding tool. For new team members, a generated component is a working, conventional example of the codebase's patterns — more reliable than a wiki page.
• AI-assisted workflow (new in v0.9.1): the shipped skill/documentation lets an assistant produce components that match the package's conventions. Load the skill file as context in your agent tooling, and diff the assistant's output against a freshly generated component — the generator remains the source of truth.
• Test at the HTTP boundary. Feature tests against the generated routes give you coverage without coupling tests to internal service/repository class names, which will change as you customize.

Gotchas and Tips

• 0.x semver: minor releases (0.9 → 0.10) may contain breaking changes. Pin the exact version, read the changelog, and upgrade deliberately. v0.9.1 itself is documentation-only — no runtime changes — so it is safe to take.
• config:cache will bite you. If you run php artisan config:cache (or optimize) in a pipeline, edits to the published config file are invisible until you re-run it. Symptom: your config changes have no effect locally but work in tinker.
• Class-not-found right after install usually means the package cache is stale — run composer dump-autoload and php artisan package:discover.
• Publish before customizing. Stubs and config that live inside vendor/ vanish on composer update. Publish them to your app, then edit.
• When generated code looks wrong, read the stub, not the output. The stub reveals the intended shape; the output shows what your config produced.
• Extension points to prefer: config-driven namespaces/paths, your own published stubs, and container bindings for any contracts the package exposes — rather than editing vendor files or subclassing generated classes.
• Docs-only releases still deserve a read. v0.9.1 added an AI skill and documentation; the conventions may now be described more precisely than the code makes obvious, so re-check the docs against your existing components — you may find you've been drifting from the intended pattern.