Simple Qrcode Laravel Package

Getting Started

Install the package via Composer:

composer require simplesoftwareio/simple-qrcode

In Laravel (≥5.5), service provider and facade auto-discovery are enabled by default. Use the QrCode facade immediately in controllers or Blade views:

use SimpleSoftwareIO\QrCode\Facades\QrCode;

// In a controller or route closure
return QrCode::size(200)->generate('https://example.com');

For Blade: output as raw HTML to render SVG inline:

{!! QrCode::generate('Hello World') !!}

First use case: embed a simple QR code on a product page or ticket — just pass the URL or text to encode.

Implementation Patterns

• Inline SVG in Views: Default output is SVG, ideal for styling with CSS (e.g., color(), backgroundColor()) or animating.
• Downloadable Images: Use generate($data, $path) to save PNG/SVG/EGF files (e.g., generate and store ticket QRs in storage/app/qrcodes).
• Email Embedding: Use embedData() with Mail facade or Mailable to embed QRs inline in emails:

  ->embedData(QrCode::size(150)->generate($token), 'token_qr.png', 'image/png')
  

• Print-Friendly Watermarks: Use conditional printing classes and Blade:

  <div class="visible-print">
    {!! QrCode::size(80)->generate(request()->url()) !!}
    <small>Scan to return</small>
  </div>
  

• Dynamic Styling: Chain methods for per-request customization (size, color, style, eyes, gradient, margin, error correction, encoding):

  QrCode::format('png')
        ->size(300)
        ->color(0, 51, 102)
        ->backgroundColor(255, 255, 204)
        ->style('round')
        ->eye('circle')
        ->generate($data, $path);
  

Gotchas and Tips

• PNG requires imagick: If saving PNGs fails, ensure the PHP imagick extension is installed and enabled.
• Laravel Blade must use {!! !!}: Avoid escaping ({{ }}) — QR output is an HtmlString and escaping breaks SVG/HTML rendering.
• Return type changed in v4: generate() returns Illuminate\Support\HtmlString in Laravel, not raw string — important if mocking or testing.
• Error correction tradeoff: Higher levels (e.g., H) improve robustness but reduce data capacity; use M or L for space-constrained codes.
• Opacity is alpha (0–127): In color()/backgroundColor(), alpha isn’t 0–255 — it’s 0 (opaque) to 127 (fully transparent). Use 127 for 50% transparency approx.
• Eye styling only in SVG/PNG: Some eyeColor() or style() options only apply meaningfully in SVG format — PNG may ignore fine-grained styling.
• Encoding matters: Set encoding('UTF-8') for non-Latin text (e.g., Arabic, emojis); default is ISO-8859-1.
• No active maintenance warning: Last release was in 2021-02-08. Consider endroid/qr-code for actively maintained alternatives with broader support (though simple-qrcode remains stable for basic use).
• Testing: Mock QrCode::shouldReceive('generate')->andReturn('<svg>…') in unit tests to avoid QR generation overhead or dependency on GD/Imagick.