Tree Helper Laravel Package

Getting Started

Minimal steps:

1. Install: composer require pbergman/tree-helper (the package name and repository name differ — tree-helper on Packagist maps to the pbergman/tree-printer repo).
2. Read the source first. This is a tiny package (one or two classes in src/), so the fastest way to learn the exact API is to open the main class rather than rely on stale README examples.
3. First use case: turn a nested PHP array into a readable ASCII tree for debugging configuration, permissions, or nested payloads.

use Pbergman\TreePrinter\TreePrinter; // verify namespace/method names against src/

$data = [
    'app' => [
        'config' => ['database.php', 'queue.php'],
        'routes' => ['web.php', 'api.php'],
    ],
    'public' => ['index.php', 'assets'],
];

echo (new TreePrinter())->render($data);

If the class exposes static helpers (common for "dump"-style utilities), the call may look like TreePrinter::print($data) — check the source for the actual entry point before wiring it into your code.

Implementation Patterns

Debugging nested arrays and config. The primary value is turning a deep array into something a human can scan in a log or terminal. Wrap it in a tiny dev-only helper so you can drop dumpTree($array) anywhere without leaking it into production output paths.

if (app()->environment('local')) {
    logger()->debug((new TreePrinter())->render($payload));
}

Adjacency lists from the database. Most Laravel tree data is stored flat (id, parent_id) — this package renders a nested array, so normalize first. A small recursive builder is usually enough:

function buildTree(Collection $rows, $parentId = null): array
{
    $branch = [];
    foreach ($rows->where('parent_id', $parentId) as $row) {
        $children = buildTree($rows, $row->id);
        $branch[$row->name] = $children ?: null;
    }
    return $branch;
}

echo (new TreePrinter())->render(buildTree(Category::all()));

Custom node formatting. Where the package accepts a callback/closures formatter, use it to attach counts, IDs, or status markers to labels. Keep the formatter pure (return a string) — side effects make the output order-dependent and hard to test.

Artisan command for inspection. A dev-only command is the natural home: php artisan app:tree or php artisan config:tree that prints the tree of a config subtree or a file-system directory. Cache the compiled output so it doesn't rebuild on every keystroke if you add a watch mode.

Directory trees. If you're using it for files, combine with RecursiveDirectoryIterator → nested array, then render. This is the "poor-man's tree command" use case and is a common reason to reach for this package.

Symfony Console / CI logs. The output is just a string, so pipe it through $this->line() or OutputInterface::write(). Consider wrapping in a SymfonyStyle block for a titled section.

Gotchas and Tips

• UTF-8 branch characters. ├──, └──, and │ render as garbage in some Windows consoles, older CI log viewers, and locales without UTF-8. If output is captured into logs you inspect on multiple platforms, be prepared to post-process to ASCII (+--, `--) or configure an ASCII mode if the package offers one.
• Multi-line node labels break alignment. If your formatter returns strings containing \n, the tree indentation will look wrong on continuation lines. Pre-collapse newlines to a space or ↳ before returning.
• Cyclic or self-referencing structures hang. Deep or accidentally circular references (an object pointing back to its parent) will recurse until memory exhaustion. Guard your array builder with a visited-set; the renderer can't protect you from input you already built.
• Numeric keys are ambiguous. Arrays keyed by IDs render the IDs as labels — that's usually fine, but mixed key types produce inconsistent alignment. Normalize labels to strings in your formatter.
• No built-in sorting. Sibling order is your input order. Sort the nested array (or the flat collection) before rendering if you want deterministic output for snapshots/tests.
• Old package, newer PHP. Last release is early 2022, so verify it runs on PHP 8.2/8.3 in CI before depending on it in a dev dependency you share with a team. If it's only used in local debug helpers, pin it under require-dev.
• Zero dependents is a signal. Not many others are exercising edge cases, so treat it as a small utility you own rather than a well-trodden library — keep the call sites behind your own tiny wrapper so you can swap the renderer later without touching every command.
• Extension point. If labels need per-node styling (colors, icons), prefer injecting a formatter closure over subclassing the printer — the class is small enough that forking/subclassing becomes a maintenance burden on upgrade.