Ti Ext Pages Laravel Package

Getting Started

Minimal Steps to First Use

1. Installation:

   composer require tastyigniter/ti-ext-pages
   php artisan vendor:publish --provider="TastyIgniter\Pages\PagesServiceProvider"
   php artisan migrate
   

   • Ensure your project uses TastyIgniter v3.0.4+ (check composer.json for compatibility).

2. Access Admin Panel:

   • Log in to the TastyIgniter admin dashboard (typically /admin).
   • Navigate to Pages and Menus sections under the extension’s sidebar menu.

3. Create a Static Page:

   • Click "Add New" under Pages.
   • Fill in the Title, Slug, and Content (WYSIWYG editor available).
   • Save and preview via the generated URL (e.g., /pages/[slug]).

4. Build a Menu:

   • Go to Menus > "Add New".
   • Define Menu Name (e.g., "Primary Navigation").
   • Add Menu Items (select Page, URL, or Custom Link type).
   • Set Sort Order and Parent Items for hierarchy.
   • Save and assign the menu to a Layout or Template in the frontend.

5. Display Menu in Frontend:

   • Use the Blade directive in your template:

     @include('ti-ext-pages::menu', ['menu' => 'primary'])
     

   • Or fetch dynamically:

     $menu = \TastyIgniter\Pages\Models\Menu::with('items')->where('name', 'primary')->first();
     

First Use Case: FAQ Page with Navigation

• Goal: Create an FAQ page and link it to a footer menu.
• Steps:
  1. Create a Page titled "FAQ" with structured content (use WYSIWYG for headings/lists).
  2. Create a Menu (e.g., "Footer Links") and add the FAQ page as an item.
  3. Assign the menu to your footer template via Blade:

     @include('ti-ext-pages::menu', ['menu' => 'footer-links'])
     

  4. Verify the FAQ appears in the footer and is accessible via /pages/faq.

Implementation Patterns

Core Workflows

1. Content Management Workflow

• Admin:
  • Pages: CRUD operations via the WYSIWYG interface. Supports rich text, images (upload via TastyIgniter’s media manager), and SEO fields (title, meta description).
  • Menus: Drag-and-drop sorting (fixed in v4.0.12) with nested items for hierarchical navigation.
• Frontend:
  • Pages render as Blade templates (resources/views/ti-ext-pages/pages.blade.php by default).
  • Customize via template overrides (publish the view and modify):

    php artisan vendor:publish --tag=ti-ext-pages-views
    

2. Menu Integration Patterns

• Static Menus:
  • Assign menus to specific layouts or global templates (e.g., app.blade.php).
  • Example: Header menu in header.blade.php:

    @if($menu = \TastyIgniter\Pages\Models\Menu::where('name', 'header')->first())
        @include('ti-ext-pages::menu', ['menu' => $menu])
    @endif
    

• Dynamic Menus:
  • Fetch menus by route or user role (extend the Menu model):

    // Example: Fetch menu for authenticated users
    $userMenu = \TastyIgniter\Pages\Models\Menu::where('name', 'user-dashboard')->first();
    

• Fallback Logic:
  • Use Laravel’s optional() to avoid errors:

    @includeWhen($menu = \TastyIgniter\Pages\Models\Menu::find(1), 'ti-ext-pages::menu', ['menu' => $menu])
    

3. Extending Functionality

• Custom Page Types:
  • Extend the Page model to add fields (e.g., published_at):

    // app/Models/ExtendedPage.php
    namespace App\Models;
    use TastyIgniter\Pages\Models\Page as BasePage;
    
    class ExtendedPage extends BasePage {
        protected $casts = [
            'published_at' => 'datetime',
        ];
    }
    

  • Update the admin form via service provider:

    // app/Providers/TiPagesServiceProvider.php
    public function boot() {
        \TastyIgniter\Pages\Http\Livewire\PagesForm::macro('addField', function($field) {
            $this->fields[] = $field;
        });
    }
    

• Custom Menu Renderers:
  • Override the default Blade view (menu.blade.php) to modify output (e.g., add icons):

    <!-- resources/views/vendor/ti-ext-pages/menu.blade.php -->
    <ul class="nav">
        @foreach($menu->items as $item)
            <li class="nav-item">
                <a href="{{ $item->url }}" class="nav-link">
                    {{ $item->title }}
                    @if($item->icon) <i class="{{ $item->icon }}"></i> @endif
                </a>
            </li>
        @endforeach
    </ul>
    

4. Performance Optimization

• Caching Menus:
  • Cache menus in the Menu model’s boot() method:

    public static function boot() {
        parent::boot();
        static::addGlobalScope('cache', function (Builder $builder) {
            return $builder->with(['items' => function($query) {
                $query->orderBy('sort_order');
            }]);
        });
    }
    

  • Use Laravel’s cache for frequently accessed menus:

    $menu = \Cache::remember("menu.{$menuId}", now()->addHours(1), function() use ($menuId) {
        return \TastyIgniter\Pages\Models\Menu::find($menuId);
    });
    

• Lazy-Loading Pages:
  • Load page content only when needed (e.g., via AJAX):

    // Fetch page content dynamically
    fetch(`/api/pages/${slug}`)
        .then(response => response.text())
        .then(html => document.getElementById('page-content').innerHTML = html);
    

Integration Tips

Laravel-Specific Adjustments

1. Route Conflicts:
   • The extension uses /pages/{slug} by default. Override in routes/web.php:

     Route::prefix('content')->group(function() {
         Route::get('/{slug}', [\TastyIgniter\Pages\Http\Controllers\PagesController::class, 'show']);
     });
     

2. Authentication:
   • Restrict admin access via middleware:

     // app/Http/Kernel.php
     'ti-ext-pages' => \TastyIgniter\Pages\Http\Middleware\Authenticate::class,
     

3. Localization:
   • Extend the Page model for multilingual support:

     use Spatie\Translatable\HasTranslations;
     
     class Page extends \TastyIgniter\Pages\Models\Page {
         use HasTranslations;
         public $translatable = ['title', 'content'];
     }
     

TastyIgniter-Specific Features

1. Layout Integration:
   • Assign menus to TastyIgniter layouts via the admin panel (no code needed).
2. Media Manager:
   • Use TastyIgniter’s built-in media uploader for page images (accessible via the WYSIWYG toolbar).
3. SEO Meta Tags:
   • Leverage TastyIgniter’s SEO extension to auto-generate meta tags from page fields.

Gotchas and Tips

Pitfalls and Debugging

1. Menu Sorting Bug (v4.0.11 and below):

   • Issue: Menu items may not sort alphabetically due to a fixed bug in v4.0.12.
   • Workaround: Manually set sort_order or upgrade:

     composer require tastyigniter/ti-ext-pages:^4.0.12
     

2. WYSIWYG Editor Missing:

   • Cause: Editor may not load if TastyIgniter’s assets aren’t published.
   • Fix: Run:

     php artisan vendor:publish --tag=ti-ext-pages-assets
     npm run dev  # or npm run build
     

3. Validation Errors on Menu Creation:

   • Issue: URL-type menu items may fail validation