- How do I install Owl Admin in a Laravel application?
- Install the package with Composer (composer require slowlyo/owl-admin), then run the package's publish command, php artisan admin:publish, to publish its configuration, migrations and the compiled amis frontend bundle into your application. Run your migrations afterwards and confirm that the public asset path is writable at build or deploy time. Check the README for the exact flags and any additional install steps, since the package publishes both PHP backend code and static assets.
- Which Laravel and PHP versions does Owl Admin support?
- Owl Admin is built for Laravel applications, and the exact supported range depends on the version constraints declared in the package's composer.json. Verify those constraints for the specific release you are installing rather than assuming compatibility with your application's Laravel or PHP version. Because the package touches routing, auth scaffolding and asset publishing, it is worth confirming the constraint set before you add it to a production project.
- How do I upgrade Owl Admin to v4.7.5?
- Treat it as a routine patch bump: update the constraint to allow the 4.7.x line (or keep the caret constraint and let composer update resolve it), commit composer.lock, then run php artisan admin:publish --assets --force to refresh the published frontend bundle. Clear the config, view and route caches and rebuild any container image where public assets are baked in. Version-control or back up your published admin asset directory before publishing, and smoke test PDF preview plus admin navigation at mobile and tablet widths.
- Will php artisan admin:publish --assets --force overwrite my custom admin theme?
- Yes. The --force flag overwrites published assets unconditionally, so any local overrides to the admin theme, custom CSS or JavaScript, or patched vendor views inside the published path will be silently replaced. Before publishing, capture a baseline by diffing your current published asset directory against a clean publish in a scratch environment. Keep customizations outside the published vendor path, or reapply them deliberately after each publish.
- Why is my PDF preview blank after upgrading to v4.7.5?
- v4.7.5 fixes a defect where the PDF viewer failed to render because the PDF.js worker source was not set, so upgrading should resolve a previously blank preview. If it still fails, check that the worker script actually loads at runtime: strict Content-Security-Policy headers (worker-src or script-src) and CDN or sub-path deployments where a relative worker URL resolves incorrectly are the most common causes. Test with both a large file and a file served from object storage.
- Does Owl Admin work with a strict Content-Security-Policy?
- The PDF fix in v4.7.5 implies a PDF.js worker script is loaded at runtime, which is a common breaking point under strict CSP. You will likely need to allow the worker via worker-src and script-src directives, and confirm whether the worker source is configurable through a config file or environment variable or is hardcoded at build time. That configurability determines whether CSP-restricted deployments are feasible without patching published assets.
- Can Owl Admin be deployed behind a CDN or in a sub-directory?
- It can, but the published frontend bundle and any runtime-loaded worker scripts must resolve from the correct base URL. Relative worker URLs that resolve incorrectly under a sub-path or CDN origin are a known failure mode for the PDF viewer fixed in v4.7.5. Verify asset base paths and worker URLs in a staging environment that mirrors your CDN or sub-path setup before going live.
- How does Owl Admin handle responsive layouts on mobile?
- v4.7.5 replaces the previous CSS-breakpoint-based mobile auto-switch check with viewport window.matchMedia queries, which is behaviorally safer and more reliable. The trade-off is that the definition of a small screen now comes from JavaScript viewport queries rather than CSS breakpoints, so it can diverge from CSS-driven or server-side layout assumptions. Confirm the viewport thresholds used match your theme's CSS breakpoints and test at widths below 768px and at a tablet width.
- Can I run Owl Admin in a Docker image with a read-only filesystem?
- The package expects a writable public path at build or deploy time, because it publishes a compiled frontend bundle into the application's public directory. In immutable or containerized deployments, run the publish step during the image build rather than at runtime, and bake the resulting assets into the image. Publishing to a read-only public directory at deploy time will fail, so plan for a rebuild whenever you upgrade the package.
- Do I need a Node build pipeline to use Owl Admin's code generator?
- No. Owl Admin ships a compiled frontend bundle that is published into your application's public directory, so the host Laravel app does not need a Node build step to render the admin panel. The built-in code generator scaffolds CRUD pages and backend management screens from within the framework, reducing boilerplate for dashboards and internal tools. If your organization disallows publishing compiled vendor assets, though, that constraint still applies regardless of the upgrade.