Structures Graph Laravel Package

Getting Started

This is a minimal, standalone library for basic graph manipulation (nodes, edges, adjacency lists). Given its low star count and archived status, assume it's stable but no longer actively developed. Start by examining Pear\Structures_Graph class methods: addNode(), addEdge(), getNeighbors(), hasNode(), and dfs()/bfs() traversals. First use case: modeling simple directed/undirected relationships (e.g., dependency trees, category hierarchies) where heavy graph libraries like webmozart/graph would be overkill.

Implementation Patterns

• Use Pear\Structures_Graph::setNodeType() and setEdgeType() to define node/edge metadata (e.g., 'type' => 'category').
• Leverage adjacency-based traversal (getNeighbors()) for custom path logic instead of built-in dfs()/bfs(), as they return only node IDs and lack early-exit hooks.
• Serialize graph state via toArray() for caching or export; reconstruct with Pear\Structures_Graph::loadFromArray().
• For tree-like structures, enforce acyclic property manually—this library does not prevent cycles or validate DAG constraints.

Gotchas and Tips

• No PSR compliance: Namespaces use Pear\Structures_Graph, not Pear_Structures_Graph (notice underscore vs backslash). Autoloading must match the PSR-0 legacy structure.
• Arcane defaults: Edges are undirected by default. Use setDirected(true) to enforce directionality—forgot this and your adjacency lists will surprise you.
• No weighted edges: Attempts to store weight in edge data require manual handling during traversal.
• Debugging tip: Call printGraph() (not a PHP method—use var_dump() on the internal nodes array) since the class lacks a pretty-printer.
• Extension point: Extend the class to add methods like findLongestPath() or topologicalSort()—the minimal core makes subclassing straightforward.