- How do I install nedwors/navigator in a Laravel application?
- Install it with Composer by running composer require nedwors/navigator. It follows the standard Laravel package convention, so the service provider is registered through auto-discovery and you normally do not need to add it to your providers list manually. Check the README for any publishable config file or additional setup steps, and confirm your app meets the version constraints before installing.
- Which Laravel and PHP versions does nedwors/navigator support?
- The 3.0.0 release adds Laravel 13 support and requires PHP 8.3 or higher, while support for Laravel 12 and PHP 8.2 was removed in the same release. Because the constraints are laravel/framework ^13.0 and php ^8.3, Composer will refuse to install 3.x on a Laravel 12 application. If you are still on Laravel 12, confirm whether a 2.x line remains maintained before depending on the package.
- What does headless mean for a Laravel navigation menu package?
- Headless means Navigator builds your navigation as PHP data structures instead of shipping Blade views or HTML markup. You define links and groups in code, then render them yourself in whatever template or component style your application already uses. That keeps markup, styling, and accessibility decisions inside your own codebase rather than in a vendor package.
- How does nedwors/navigator handle active menu states?
- The package is designed to manage active states so you do not have to hand-compare the current URL against every link in your menu. The exact matching behaviour depends on how you register links and routes, so check the documentation for patterns such as wildcards or nested paths. Active state is typically exposed as a flag you check when rendering each item.
- Can I create grouped or nested navigation links with nedwors/navigator?
- Yes. Navigator supports both individual links and groups of links, which is what you would use for nested menus, sidebar sections, or dropdown-style structures. Groups let you keep a logical hierarchy in PHP and iterate over it when rendering, rather than flattening everything into one list. Refer to the README for the exact API for nesting and ordering.
- Can I use nedwors/navigator 3.x with Laravel 12?
- No. Version 3.x requires laravel/framework ^13.0 and PHP 8.3 or higher, so Composer resolution fails outright on a Laravel 12 application. You would need to stay on the last 2.x release while it is still supported, or upgrade the framework first. Ask the maintainer whether a 2.x maintenance line is still receiving fixes and for how long.
- Will upgrading nedwors/navigator from v2 to v3 break my existing menus?
- The documented change in 3.0.0 is the support matrix: Laravel 13 added, Laravel 12 and PHP 8.2 removed. The release is a major version bump, which is the correct signal if any config keys, defaults, or internal APIs changed, but the published notes do not prove that v2 to v3 is a runtime no-op. Read the changelog and diff any published config before upgrading.
- How do I test navigation menus built with nedwors/navigator?
- Because the package produces plain PHP structures, you can assert against the menu in ordinary PHPUnit or Pest tests without rendering HTML. Build the navigation inside the test, then assert the labels, URLs, ordering, and active flags you expect. That is typically faster and less brittle than asserting on rendered markup.
- How do I render a nedwors/navigator menu in Blade?
- Pass the menu data to your Blade view and loop over the links and groups to output markup. Since the package is headless, you control the element names, CSS classes, and ARIA attributes, which makes it easy to match an existing design system. Keep that loop in a small partial or Blade component so every menu in the application stays consistent.
- What are the alternatives to nedwors/navigator for Laravel menus?
- Alternatives include established menu packages such as spatie/laravel-menu, or simply writing a small menu class or Blade component yourself if your navigation needs are simple. Navigator's value is its structured link and group API plus active-state handling without imposing markup on you. Compare candidates on Laravel version support and maintenance cadence, since Navigator currently tracks a single framework major.