Redactor Bundle Laravel Package

Getting Started

This bundle is a thin Symfony integration for Imperavi's Redactor WYSIWYG editor: it registers a form type that renders a <textarea> and replaces it with Redactor, plus a small amount of asset/config plumbing. Treat it as a form-type helper, not a full CMS editor stack.

Minimal steps:

1. Install via Composer:

   composer require tp/redactor-bundle
   

2. Register the bundle. On Symfony 4+/5+ Flex will not auto-register it, so add it to config/bundles.php:

   return [
       // ...
       TP\RedactorBundle\RedactorBundle::class => ['all' => true],
   ];
   

   On legacy Symfony, add it to AppKernel::registerBundles().
3. Publish the Redactor assets so they are reachable from /bundles/...:

   bin/console assets:install --symlink
   

4. Configure global defaults (toolbar, plugins, language) under the bundle's config key in config/packages/*.yaml.
5. Use the form type in a controller-built form:

   $builder->add('body', RedactorType::class);
   

   or override per field:

   $builder->add('body', RedactorType::class, [
       'settings' => ['toolbar' => 'basic', 'minHeight' => 200],
   ]);
   

First use case: replace a plain <textarea> for an article body field with a rich-text editor, keeping the existing entity property as a string and relying on the JS to sync HTML back into the textarea on submit.

Where to look first: the bundle's Form/Type/RedactorType.php and its Twig form theme (form_div_layout.html.twig overrides). That is where the textarea block, asset includes, and per-field settings are wired.

Implementation Patterns

Global defaults + per-field overrides. Put the sensible company-wide toolbar, plugins, and language in the bundle config, then override only what a specific field needs via the settings option. This keeps forms readable and stops config drift across dozens of fields.

Wrap it in your own form type. Because the bundle's type is thin, create an app-level RichTextType that extends or decorates it, sets your standard toolbar, and is what the rest of the codebase injects. You get one place to change editor behaviour, and you are insulated if you later swap Redactor for another editor.

Keep the entity property a plain string. Redactor serialises back into the textarea; do not introduce editor-specific value objects. Sanitise/validate the HTML as a normal string field (@Assert\NotBlank, length checks, and an HTML purifier if output is user-facing).

Reuse the toolbar presets. For content pages use a full toolbar; for comments or meta descriptions use a reduced basic preset (or even disable it and keep a textarea). Passing different settings per field is cheaper than maintaining two form types.

Asset inclusion strategy. Choose one: either let the bundle's form theme include JS/CSS automatically, or include the assets once in your base layout and suppress duplicates. The latter is usually better for performance and avoids ordering problems when multiple forms render on one page.

Integration with admin generators. For EasyAdmin/Sonata, the pattern is to register the Redactor type as the field type for a text property (e.g. map text to RedactorType). Verify the form theme is registered in the admin bundle's Twig config, otherwise you'll get a bare textarea.

File/image uploads. Redactor's image and file buttons need a server endpoint. Wire its upload config to a controller route that returns the JSON shape Redactor expects, and validate MIME type/size there. Keep the upload endpoint out of the bundle config and in your own app code so it is testable.

Gotchas and Tips

• jQuery and load order. Redactor historically requires jQuery loaded before redactor.js, and the form theme's script block must run after the DOM element exists. If the editor does not appear, inspect script order first, then console errors.
• Assets not found (404 under /bundles/). Re-run assets:install after upgrading, and clear the cache. This is the most common "it was working yesterday" failure.
• Redactor is commercial. Confirm licensing before production rollout; the bundle does not grant a license, and unlicensed builds may render a banner or refuse to initialise.
• HTML sanitisation is your job. Redactor can paste arbitrary HTML. Do not trust stored content when rendering with |raw; run it through a purifier or at minimum escape in non-admin contexts.
• Multiple editors on one page. Ensure each textarea gets a unique id and that initialisation loops over instances; duplicated IDs or a single global init will leave later fields as plain textareas.
• Symfony version drift. This is a low-activity package. On modern Symfony (5.4/6+/7), check composer why-not and whether the form type still matches the current AbstractType signatures; if not, copy the type into your app and drop the bundle rather than patching vendor code.
• Debugging render issues. bin/console debug:form RedactorType (or your wrapper type) shows the resolved options and parent type — useful to confirm whether settings were actually applied.
• Extension point. The textarea Twig block is the override surface; if you need a custom editor init (e.g. add a plugin), override the block in your app's form theme rather than editing the bundle.
• Serialisation timing. If you add validation that reads the field before submit, remember the textarea value is only updated by Redactor's JS on change — server-side tests with raw POST data bypass the editor entirely, which is what you want for functional tests.