Widgets Laravel Package

Getting Started

Given the package's age (last release September 2017) and near-zero adoption, treat "getting started" as an evaluation exercise first and an integration second.

1. Confirm it installs on your Laravel version. The 2017 release window implies Laravel 5.4–5.5 and PHP 7.0/7.1 constraints. Check the composer.json in the repo for illuminate/support and php requirements before running composer require trinity/widgets. On Laravel 8+ you will almost certainly need --ignore-platform-reqs or a local path/VCS repository with a forked constraint.
2. Read src/ before you publish anything. Look for the service provider (likely Trinity\Widgets\WidgetsServiceProvider), a base Widget/AbstractWidget class, and any config/widgets.php. These three files tell you the entire API surface — the package is small enough to read end-to-end in ten minutes.
3. Publish config and views if the provider exposes them:

   php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Trinity\Widgets\WidgetsServiceProvider"
   

   Published views usually land in resources/views/vendor/widgets — that directory is where you customize output rather than editing vendor files.
4. First use case: a static dashboard card. Before wiring dynamic data, render a widget with hardcoded content in a Blade view to confirm the directive/helper is registered and the view resolution path works. Only then add parameters and data sources.

If step 1 or step 4 fails, stop. There is no maintainer to file an issue with, and no dependents to consult.

Implementation Patterns

The package follows the standard Laravel "renderable view object" shape, so patterns mirror what you'd write yourself with view composers — which is the point: use its conventions, don't fight them.

Defining a widget. Create a class extending the package's base widget, typically with a render() or data() method plus a view name:

namespace App\Widgets;

use Trinity\Widgets\Widget;

class ActiveUsers extends Widget
{
    protected $view = 'widgets.active-users';

    public function data(): array
    {
        return ['count' => User::where('last_seen', '>', now()->subMinutes(5))->count()];
    }
}

Registering. Depending on how the package is built, widgets are either registered in config/widgets.php under a keyed map, or resolved by class name at render time. Read the provider's register()/boot() to know which — the config-driven approach is more common and lets you alias widgets ('active-users' => ActiveUsers::class).

Rendering from Blade. Expect a helper or directive such as @widget('active-users') or {!! widget('active-users', ['limit' => 5]) !!}. Pass parameters as an array; the base class usually merges them into the view data. Keep parameter arrays small and typed — there's no validation layer in a package this size.

Wrapping for safety. Because the package is unmaintained, define your own thin interface (interface DashboardWidget { public function data(): array; }) and have your widget classes implement it. The Trinity base class becomes an implementation detail you can swap out in an afternoon if you need to replace the package.

Caching. Any widget hitting the database should cache inside data(), not rely on the package:

return Cache::remember('widget.active-users', 60, fn () => [...]);

If the package offers its own cache flag, verify it actually keys on parameters — a 2017-era implementation may not.

Gotchas and Tips

• This is effectively abandoned software. One star, zero dependents, no release in seven-plus years. Do not introduce it into a project you can't afford to fork. The realistic play is: vendor it, read it, and reimplement the 200 lines yourself under your own namespace.
• Framework version drift is the primary failure mode. Expect breakage from: the Illuminate\Contracts namespace moves, now()/Carbon 2 changes, removal of array_get/str_* helpers (deprecated in 5.8, removed in 6), and Blade directive registration changes. Grep the source for array_get, str_, and studly before upgrading Laravel.
• PSR-4 and Laravel package discovery. If the package predates dont-discover / auto-discovery conventions, you may need to manually add the provider to config/app.php. Check whether extra.laravel.providers exists in its composer.json.
• View namespace collisions. If it registers a widgets:: namespace, confirm it doesn't clash with your own resources/views/widgets. Published views silently override package views, which is desirable — but stale published copies won't pick up package fixes (there won't be any, so this is moot, but the same trap applies to your fork).
• Blade directive ordering. A custom @widget directive registered in boot() must run before views compile. If you see @widget rendered literally, you're hitting a cached compiled view — run php artisan view:clear.
• Debugging tip: wrap the render call in a try/catch that logs the widget key and parameters. With no maintainer and no test suite, a failing widget in a dashboard loop will otherwise take down the whole page.
• Extension points are whatever you make them. Don't subclass deep hierarchies hoping for future compatibility. Compose: a WidgetRenderer service in your app that calls into Trinity for the simple case and falls back to your own implementation for anything non-trivial. That gives you a migration path that doesn't require a big-bang rewrite.
• Licensing check. Before forking (which is the likely end state), confirm the license in the repo — with no releases and minimal activity, the LICENSE file is the only thing standing between you and a clean fork.