Console Table Laravel Package

Getting Started

Minimal Setup

1. Installation

   composer require phplucidframe/console-table
   

   No additional configuration is required—just autoload via Composer.

2. First Use Case Display a simple table of Eloquent model data in Tinker or a command:

   use PhpLucidFrame\ConsoleTable\ConsoleTable;
   use App\Models\User;
   
   $users = User::limit(10)->get(['id', 'name', 'email']);
   $table = new ConsoleTable($users);
   
   // Basic output
   $table->display();
   

3. Where to Look First

   • Documentation (if available; check README.md in the repo).
   • Source Code: Focus on src/ConsoleTable.php for core methods like display(), setHeaders(), and setRows().
   • Examples: Search for ConsoleTable usage in Laravel’s app/Console/Commands or tests.

Implementation Patterns

Common Workflows

1. Basic Table Rendering

$table = new ConsoleTable([
    ['ID', 'Name', 'Email'],
    [1, 'John Doe', 'john@example.com'],
    [2, 'Jane Smith', 'jane@example.com'],
]);
$table->display();

2. Dynamic Data from Eloquent

$table = new ConsoleTable();
$table->setHeaders(['ID', 'Name', 'Email']);
$table->setRows(User::all()->map(fn ($user) => [$user->id, $user->name, $user->email])->toArray());
$table->display();

3. Custom Styling

$table = new ConsoleTable($users);
$table->setStyle('border', true); // Add borders
$table->setStyle('padding', 1);   // Adjust padding
$table->setStyle('color', ['header' => 'green', 'row' => 'white']);
$table->display();

4. Integration with Artisan Commands

use Illuminate\Console\Command;

class UserListCommand extends Command
{
    protected $signature = 'users:list';
    public function handle()
    {
        $table = new ConsoleTable(User::all());
        $this->output->writeln($table->render());
    }
}

5. Pagination Support

$table = new ConsoleTable(User::paginate(10)->items());
$table->display();
// Manually add pagination info below the table
$this->info("Showing {$users->perPage()} of {$users->total()} entries.");

6. Exporting to CSV

$table = new ConsoleTable(User::all());
$csvData = $table->toCsv();
file_put_contents('users.csv', $csvData);

Integration Tips

1. Leverage Laravel’s Service Container Bind the table class for dependency injection:

   $this->app->bind(ConsoleTable::class, function () {
       return new ConsoleTable();
   });
   

2. Reusable Table Builders Create a helper method in a service class:

   class TableHelper
   {
       public static function buildUserTable(array $users, string $title = null)
       {
           $table = new ConsoleTable($users);
           if ($title) $table->setTitle($title);
           return $table;
       }
   }
   

3. Dynamic Column Selection Use Laravel’s select() to limit columns before passing to ConsoleTable:

   $table = new ConsoleTable(User::select('id', 'name', 'created_at')->get());
   

4. Localization Translate headers dynamically:

   $table->setHeaders([
       __('ID'),
       __('Name'),
       __('Email Address'),
   ]);
   

Gotchas and Tips

Pitfalls

1. Data Structure Assumptions

   • The package expects 2D arrays (headers + rows) or Eloquent collections with consistent keys.
   • Fix: Ensure data is flattened or use map() to normalize:

     $rows = User::get()->map(fn ($user) => [$user->id, $user->name])->toArray();
     

2. Styling Conflicts

   • Custom styles (e.g., colors) may clash with terminal themes or Laravel’s output formatting.
   • Fix: Test in your target environment or reset styles:

     $table->setStyle('reset', true);
     

3. Performance with Large Datasets

   • Rendering thousands of rows may lag or crash.
   • Fix: Use pagination or chunking:

     User::chunk(100, function ($users) {
         $table = new ConsoleTable($users);
         $table->display();
     });
     

4. Hidden Dependencies

   • Some methods (e.g., toCsv()) may require League\Csv or similar.
   • Fix: Check composer dependencies or implement a fallback.

Debugging Tips

1. Inspect Rows Before Rendering

   $rows = $table->getRows();
   dd($rows); // Debug data structure
   

2. Disable Styling for Debugging

   $table->setStyle('disable', true); // Output raw data
   

3. Check for Encoding Issues

   • Non-ASCII characters (e.g., UTF-8) may break rendering.
   • Fix: Ensure your terminal supports UTF-8 or strip special chars:

     $rows = array_map('utf8_encode', $rows); // If needed
     

Extension Points

1. Custom Renderers Extend the base class to add features:

   class ExtendedTable extends ConsoleTable
   {
       public function addFooter(array $data)
       {
           $this->footer = $data;
       }
   
       protected function renderFooter()
       {
           // Custom footer logic
       }
   }
   

2. Event Hooks Override methods like render() or display() to inject logic:

   $table = new ConsoleTable($users);
   $table->display = function () use ($table) {
       $this->info('Pre-render hook');
       $table->render();
       $this->comment('Post-render hook');
   };
   

3. Plugin System Use Laravel’s service providers to register table modifiers:

   $this->app->afterResolving(ConsoleTable::class, function ($table) {
       $table->setStyle('border', true);
   });
   

4. Integration with Laravel Debugbar Display tables in the debug toolbar:

   if (app()->bound('debugbar')) {
       \Debugbar::info($table->toArray());
   }