Nova Locale Manager Laravel Package

Getting Started

1. Install into an existing Nova app: composer require outl1ne/nova-locale-manager. This is a Nova tool, so it assumes laravel/nova is already installed and working.
2. Publish and migrate. Check the package README / service provider for whether the locales migration is auto-loaded or needs php artisan vendor:publish --tag=... first. Run php artisan migrate and confirm the locales table exists.
3. Register the tool in app/Nova/NovaServiceProvider.php inside tools():

   public function tools()
   {
       return [
           new \Outl1ne\NovaLocaleManager\NovaLocaleManager(),
       ];
   }
   

4. Where to look first, in order:
   • vendor/outl1ne/nova-locale-manager/src/ — the tool class, the Locale model, and the Nova resource are the whole package; read them before assuming behavior.
   • vendor/outl1ne/nova-locale-manager/database/migrations/ — the actual schema (column names matter for everything downstream).
   • vendor/outl1ne/nova-locale-manager/config/ — if a config is published, it usually holds table name and model binding.
5. First use case: open the tool from the Nova sidebar, add your site's locales (e.g. en, de, fr) with a default flag, then in your app read them from the package's model for a language switcher, hreflang tags, or as options in a Nova Select on other resources.

Implementation Patterns

• Treat it as seeded reference data, not user content. Locale rows are effectively configuration. Seed them in a seeder or migration (Locale::create([...])) so every environment matches, and use the Nova UI only for ad-hoc edits.
• Language switcher middleware. Resolve the active locale from session/URL, validate it against the table (Locale::where('code', $code)->exists()), and fall back to the default row. Store the default in a cached lookup rather than querying every request.
• Wiring into translation workflows. If you use spatie/laravel-translatable or outl1ne/nova-translatable, the locale code column is your bridge — keep them in sync so form tabs / translated fields match the rows here.
• Options in other Nova resources. Use the model to populate selects dynamically so adding a locale in the tool immediately makes it selectable elsewhere:

  Select::make('Locale')->options(
      Locale::pluck('name', 'code')
  )
  

• Hreflang / sitemap generation. A scheduled command or view composer that reads all active locales and emits <link rel="alternate" hreflang="..."> per route is the cleanest integration.
• Caching layer. Because the table is tiny and read on nearly every request, wrap it: Cache::rememberForever('locales', fn () => Locale::all()) and Cache::forget('locales') from a model observer on save/delete.
• Don't couple domain logic to the Nova tool. Reference the underlying model (or a small repository around it), not the tool class, so your translation layer survives if you swap the admin UI.

Gotchas and Tips

• Age and Nova compatibility. Last release was July 2022, so it targets the Nova 3/4 era. Verify it boots on your Nova major version before committing; if the tool class fails to register, a one-line namespace or Nova::script mismatch is the usual culprit. Forking a package this small is often faster than waiting for a fix.
• Migration is the source of truth. Column names (code, name, is_default, enabled — verify in the file) are not stable across forks. Read the migration; don't guess ->where('default', true).
• Default-locale uniqueness is not enforced by the DB. Nothing stops two rows being flagged default. Guard it in a model observer or a saving hook, and decide explicitly what happens when the default locale is deleted or disabled.
• Deletion vs. disable. If you have translated content keyed by locale code, deleting a row orphans it. Prefer an enabled/active flag over hard deletes, or block deletion of locales present in translated tables.
• Publishing tags. Nova tool packages frequently require an explicit vendor:publish for both config and migrations. If the tool appears in the sidebar but the table is missing, this is the first thing to check.
• Extension points to reach for: the config's model binding (repoint to your own App\Models\Locale extending the package model), a model observer for cache invalidation, and the Nova resource for adding fields (e.g. flag icon, RTL boolean) rather than editing vendor files.
• Debugging registration issues: php artisan nova:check won't know about this tool; instead dump Nova::availableTools(request()) or check the compiled nova-components manifest if the sidebar entry 404s.
• Exit criteria. If all you need is a locales table plus one Nova resource, this package saves maybe 40 lines — weigh that against an unmaintained dependency. The migration + resource are trivial to hand-roll if compatibility becomes a problem.