Laravel Extended Laravel Package

Getting Started

1. Install the package:

   composer require onursimsek/laravel-extended
   

   Laravel's package auto-discovery should register the service provider — confirm in bootstrap/providers.php (Laravel 11+) or config/app.php if you're on an older skeleton and the provider isn't listed.

2. Read the package README first, then the test suite. For the 1.3.0 change specifically, PR #16 (Enum attributes can use as a function) is the authoritative source for the new call syntax — release notes are one line, so the tests are where the real contract lives.

3. First use case: annotate enum cases with a PHP attribute carrying display metadata (label, colour, icon, description) and read it without hand-rolled ReflectionEnum code:

   enum Status: string
   {
       #[Label('Draft')]
       case Draft = 'draft';
   
       #[Label('Published')]
       case Published = 'published';
   }
   

4. Before adopting the new callable form, run it against one enum in a scratch test to confirm the exact invocation shape in 1.3.0 — the release note does not pin down whether it's a method on the case, a static helper, or a trait-provided accessor.

Implementation Patterns

• Attribute class definition. Keep attribute classes small and typed (public function __construct(public string $label) {}). Mark them #[Attribute(Attribute::TARGET_CLASS_CONSTANT)] so they attach to enum cases rather than enum classes.

• Single accessor, not scattered reflection. Wrap the read in one place — a trait on the enum or a small resolver service — so the 1.3.0 callable syntax is isolated. If the API shifts in 1.4, you change one file instead of twenty.

• Eloquent casts. Combine with native enum casting so the attribute metadata travels with the model value:

  protected $casts = ['status' => Status::class];
  

  Then $model->status yields the case and the attribute lookup is a single call away — useful in Blade ({{ $model->status->label() }}) and API resources.

• Validation and form options. Derive <select> options and Rule::enum() friendly lists from the same attributes instead of a parallel config array. One definition, one source of truth.

• Filament / Nova / admin panels. This is the strongest day-to-day win: colour and label metadata per case, resolved through the attribute layer, keeps admin config declarative.

• Testing. Data-provider the enum cases and assert the attribute resolves for every case. A missing attribute on a newly added case is the most likely production bug; a test that iterates Status::cases() catches it at CI time.

• Fallbacks. Always code a default when an attribute is absent (e.g. ?? Str::headline($case->name)), so adding a case without metadata degrades rather than throws.

Gotchas and Tips

• Attribute arguments must be constant expressions. No __(), no config(), no service container access inside an attribute. If you need translations, store a translation key in the attribute and resolve it at read time.
• TARGET_CLASS_CONSTANT vs TARGET_CLASS. Getting the target wrong means the attribute silently never appears where you expect. If lookups return nothing, check the #[Attribute] flags before anything else.
• Repeatable attributes. If you want multiple attributes of the same class on one case, you must pass Attribute::IS_REPEATABLE; otherwise PHP throws at attribute-instantiation time, not at declaration time.
• Reflection cost. newInstance() on attributes is not free. If you resolve metadata in a loop over large collections, memoise per-case results in a static array or a small cache.
• Backward compatibility 1.2.1 → 1.3.0. This is a minor bump with an additive-sounding feature, so nothing should break — but "can use as a function" may have changed an accessor from a property/magic-get to a real method. If you were reading attributes through the previous API, grep your codebase for those call sites and re-run the suite.
• Method/attribute name collisions. If your attribute is named Label and your enum already has a label() method, the callable form can shadow or be shadowed depending on resolution order. Prefer distinct names (#[DisplayLabel]) or suffix the accessor.
• Static analysis and IDE support. PHPStan/Psalm understand enum cases but often not dynamic attribute resolution; expect to add @method annotations or a stub on the trait to keep autocompletion and level-8 analysis clean.
• Serialisation. Attributes are compile-time metadata, not state — they won't survive json_encode of an enum. Resolve to a plain array/scalar in your API resource layer rather than passing enum cases around.
• Pin the version and watch the changelog. The package is young (1.3.0) and the release notes are terse. Lock the minor version in composer.json and read the diff — not just the summary — before each upgrade.
• Debugging entry point. When an attribute lookup misbehaves, drop to (new ReflectionEnum(Status::class))->getCase('Draft')->getAttributes() and inspect raw reflection output; that immediately separates "attribute not attached" from "package resolver not finding it".