Nova Link Field Laravel Package

Getting Started

Minimal setup:

composer require upline/nova-link-field

Then inspect the package source/README before wiring it up, since this is a very small package and the exact field class/API matters:

cat vendor/upline/nova-link-field/README.md
ls vendor/upline/nova-link-field/src

Add the field to a Nova resource. Adjust the class name to match the package source:

use Upline\NovaLinkField\LinkField;

public function fields(NovaRequest $request): array
{
    return [
        LinkField::make('Website', 'website')
            ->rules('nullable', 'url')
            ->sortable(),
    ];
}

First use case: show a clickable website/vendor/documentation URL in a Nova resource index or detail page without exposing the raw URL as editable text. Treat this as display sugar: the underlying column is still a normal string/URL column in your model.

Where to look first:

• README.md for the package’s supported field name and fluent methods.
• src/ for the Nova field class, meta(), resolve(), and any custom methods.
• resources/js/ for the Vue component behavior, especially how it builds the href and label.
• Your Nova resource for whether the field is used on index, detail, or forms.

Implementation Patterns

Use it as a read-only display field alongside a normal editable field when editors need to change the URL:

Text::make('Website', 'website')
    ->rules('nullable', 'url')
    ->hideFromIndex(),

LinkField::make('Website', 'website')
    ->onlyOnIndex()
    ->rules('nullable', 'url'),

Show a friendlier label while linking to the stored URL:

LinkField::make('Website', 'website')
    ->displayUsing(fn ($value) => $value ? parse_url($value, PHP_URL_HOST) : '—')
    ->nullable(),

Use Nova visibility helpers to avoid cluttering forms:

LinkField::make('Documentation', 'docs_url')
    ->onlyOnDetail()
    ->rules('nullable', 'url');

For computed or non-HTTP links such as mailto: or tel:, do not blindly apply the url rule; use a custom validation rule and confirm the Vue component renders the scheme correctly.

If the package supports target-window configuration, prefer opening external links in a new tab with safe attributes. If not, keep links in the same tab or extend the field’s Vue component.

Recommended day-to-day workflow:

1. Store the URL in a normal database column.
2. Keep an editable Text/URL field for forms.
3. Use LinkField only on index/detail views.
4. Validate and sanitize user-supplied URLs before rendering.
5. Test null, empty, and malformed values explicitly.

Gotchas and Tips

• This package has very low adoption: 1 star, 0 dependents, and last release in May 2023. Treat it as a small convenience package, not infrastructure. Review the source and lock the version.
• Verify Nova compatibility. A 2023 release may target Nova 4; test against your Nova version, especially if using Nova 5.
• Do not guess the class name or fluent API. The package is small enough that vendor/upline/nova-link-field/src is the source of truth.
• Because it is a custom Nova field, asset registration matters. If the field renders blank, check the service provider for Nova::script()/Nova::style() and confirm the compiled assets exist.
• Null handling is the most common failure point. A null URL can render as an empty link or literal null; use ->nullable() and a fallback label.
• Avoid rendering untrusted URLs without validation. A URL field should reject javascript: and similar schemes; the url rule helps, but test edge cases.
• If using displayUsing(), confirm the callback affects only the visible label, not the actual href. Test in Nova’s index and detail views.
• Use browser devtools to inspect the field component props if the link is wrong. Check the Nova field’s meta() payload and the stored resource value.
• If you only need a simple clickable URL, compare against Nova’s built-in URL field first. This package is worth using only when its rendering behavior saves you from writing a custom field.