- How do I install sloveniangooner/searchable-select in a Laravel Nova app?
- Install it with Composer using composer require sloveniangooner/searchable-select, then reference the package's field class inside the fields() method of a Nova Resource. Nova field packages usually need no service provider wiring, though you may optionally publish compiled assets. Confirm the exact namespace and class name against the repository README before wiring it into a Resource.
- Which Laravel, PHP, and Nova versions does this searchable select field support?
- The package is built specifically for Laravel Nova, and Nova's frontend stack differs by major version, with Nova 3 on Vue 2 and Nova 4+ on Vue 3/Inertia, which directly affects field compatibility. The repository does not publish a clear support matrix. Verify compatible Nova, Laravel, and PHP versions, including PHP 8.2 and 8.3, in a licensed Nova environment before adopting it.
- Is the search in this Nova field client-side or server-side via AJAX?
- The package description claims support for both filtering large option lists and AJAX/server-side search, and that distinction matters a lot. Client-side filtering hydrates the full option set into the page payload, which bloats admin responses and slows rendering past a few hundred options. Read the source to confirm which path your configuration actually takes.
- How many options can the dropdown handle before it becomes slow?
- There is no documented option-count ceiling for this package. If filtering runs client-side over a fully hydrated list, practical limits are typically in the low hundreds before the admin page payload and render time become a problem. Server-side search scales further but requires an endpoint plus authorization and rate limiting, so benchmark with your real option counts.
- Does it work with relationship-backed options like BelongsTo, or only static arrays?
- The stated value of this package is large non-relationship option sets, such as long enum lists or config-driven arrays, so evaluate it mainly for static options. Nova's native BelongsTo::searchable() already handles searchable relationship fields. If your use cases are relationship-driven, this field is redundant and you should use the built-in BelongsTo field instead.
- Is it better than Nova's built-in Select field?
- Nova's native Select field works fine for short static option lists but becomes unusable once the list grows into the hundreds. A searchable dropdown is the right fix for that specific case, and this package targets it, but confirm it meets your needs before adding a third-party dependency. For relationships, use BelongsTo::searchable() rather than this package.
- Does the field respect Nova validation, resolveUsing, dependsOn, and nullable values?
- These behaviours are not documented in the README and must be verified in the source code and in a licensed Nova test environment. Check specifically how empty search results, null selections, and dependsOn reactivity behave in your forms. Also confirm that existing stored values falling outside the current option set are not silently dropped on save.
- Is sloveniangooner/searchable-select safe to use in production?
- Treat it as unvetted third-party code: it has essentially no stars, no dependents, and no visible release cadence, and it is maintained by a single author. It runs inside an admin surface that operators depend on daily, so run composer audit, check the license, and read the source before adoption. If you decide to depend on it, plan to fork and own the code.
- Will this field break when I upgrade Laravel Nova?
- Nova custom fields are coupled to Nova's internal JavaScript API, which has historically broken across majors, from Vue 2 in Nova 3 to Vue 3 and Inertia in Nova 4. With a single maintainer and no visible release cadence, a Nova upgrade will likely strand this field. Verify that the compiled dist/ assets were built against your Nova version, and plan a fork or replacement before major upgrades.
- Can I use it in plain Blade forms outside of Nova?
- The blurb describes the package as Blade-ready, but it is architected as a Nova custom field: a PHP Field class plus compiled Vue and JavaScript assets rendered inside Nova's admin UI. There is no documented standalone Blade component or non-Nova integration path. If you need searchable selects in public or non-Nova forms, use a dedicated Livewire or Alpine component instead.