Laravel Template Laravel Package

Getting Started

• Install the release that matches your framework: composer require lukeraymonddowning/laravel-template:^2.0. v2.0.0 targets Laravel 10, so confirm php -v (8.1+) and composer show laravel/framework before upgrading an existing app.
• Read the package README and, just as importantly, its tests/ directory first — for a small utility package the test suite is the most accurate documentation of the supported API surface and naming conventions.
• Check for a publishable config or stub set: php artisan vendor:publish --provider="LukeRaymondDowning\Template\TemplateServiceProvider" (verify the exact provider/config tag in the README). Publishing early avoids surprises where defaults change between minor releases.
• First use case: take one repetitive Blade partial in your app — a card, an alert, a table row — and re-implement it as a single template class. Compare the call site in a real controller/view before rolling it out further; that diff is the fastest way to judge whether the abstraction pays for itself in your codebase.

Implementation Patterns

• One class per template, rendered from views and controllers alike. Keep the template class as a thin presentation object: constructor/data() for inputs, a single render path for output. Controllers should not build markup; they pass a template instance (or the data to construct one) to the view.
• Slots and composition over inheritance. For wrapper-style templates (panels, modals, layout shells), pass nested templates as slot content rather than adding boolean flags like $showFooter. Composition keeps each class small and testable.
• Treat templates like Blade components in your conventions. If you already use anonymous/class-based Blade components, pick one approach per feature area — mixing both in the same view is where readability collapses.
• Factory/helper methods for variants. Provide static constructors (Alert::danger($message)) that wrap the constructor so call sites stay declarative and variant names live in one place.
• Testing. Assert on rendered output with Laravel's HTTP/views assertions (assertSee, assertSeeInOrder) rather than asserting on internal properties. For templates with conditional branches, write one test per branch — that's where regressions hide.
• Wrapping third-party markup. Good fit for isolating vendor HTML (payment widgets, map embeds, cookie banners) so that vendor-specific markup and attributes live behind a stable PHP API in your app.
• Incremental adoption. Introduce it in one module/domain namespace rather than app-wide; the payoff shows up where the same markup is repeated three or more times.

Gotchas and Tips

• v2.0.0 is a major bump for a dependency change, not a feature change. The headline is Laravel 10 support; the major version implies Laravel 9 and below are no longer supported. Expect no new API to adopt, but budget for the upgrade.
• Upgrade path: run composer why-not lukeraymonddowning/laravel-template ^2.0 to find the conflicting constraint (often laravel/framework, PHP, or a test tool), update composer.json, then composer update --with-all-dependencies. Run the full test suite plus php artisan view:clear afterwards — stale compiled views are a classic false-negative after dependency bumps.
• Pin the constraint sensibly. Use ^2.0 rather than 2.0.*; do not use * on a package that is small enough to change shape between majors.
• Config caching. php artisan config:cache will silently ignore runtime config() mutations; if template behaviour is configurable, set it in config/*.php or .env, then re-cache.
• Autoload issues. After adding a new namespace of templates, run composer dump-autoload before debugging why a class "doesn't exist" — classmap/PSR-4 staleness is the most common false alarm.
• Debugging output. Dump the raw rendered string (e.g. dd($template->render()) in a tinker session) rather than inspecting through the view layer; escaping, whitespace, and attribute-order issues are invisible in the browser.
• Extension points to prefer: published config, published stubs, and subclassing the base template class. Avoid monkey-patching internals or overriding vendor views — those break silently on minor releases, and this package's release cadence (mostly dependency chores) means upstream is unlikely to flag breakage loudly.
• Keep the wrapper thin. If you find yourself adding business logic, caching, or query building inside a template class, that logic belongs in a view model or presenter; the template should only format and render.
• Stability signal. A repo whose recent releases are dependency chores with no README/docs churn is stable but lightly maintained — acceptable for a presentation-layer helper, not for anything load-bearing. Keep the abstraction narrow enough that you could swap it for plain Blade components in an afternoon.