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FlexyField - Dynamic Model Fields for Laravel

FlexyField is a dynamic fields package for Laravel, allowing developers to define flexible and customizable fields on models without needing to change the database schema.

It enables on-the-fly definition of fields, field types, validation, and value assignment, providing the perfect solution for projects requiring flexible content structures.

Key Features

• Dynamically add fields to any Eloquent model.
• Supports field types: String, Integer, Decimal, Date, Boolean and DateTime.
• Field-level validation using Laravel’s validation rules.
• Query models by flexible field values using Elequent's native methods.
• Supports multiple field types and data storage through a pivot view.
• Fully integrable with Laravel's native model structure.

Installation

To install the package via Composer, run:

composer require aurorawebsoftware/flexyfield

After installing, run the provided migrations to create the necessary tables:

php artisan migrate

Database Structure

The package creates two main tables and one view:

• ff_shapes: Holds the shapes definitions of fields with validation rules and validation messages
• ff_values: Stores the actual values assigned to models' flexy fields.
• ff_values_pivot_view : Views all values as a pivot table

Quick Start

Adding Flexy Fields to a Model

To start using Flexy fields, simply include the Flexy trait and implement the FlexyModelContract in your model.

use AuroraWebSoftware\FlexyField\Contracts\FlexyModelContract;
use AuroraWebSoftware\FlexyField\Traits\Flexy;
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;

class Product extends Model implements FlexyModelContract {
    use Flexy;
    
    // your class implementation
}

This enables the model to support dynamically assigned fields.

Setting and Retrieving Flexy Fields

Once the model is set up, you can define and assign flexy fields to it. Fields are assigned through the flexy attribute.

$product = Product::create(['name' => 'Training Shoes']);

// Set flexy fields
$product->flexy->color = 'blue'; // string
$product->flexy->price = 49.90; // decimal value
$product->flexy->size = 42; // integer
$product->flexy->gender = 'man'; // string
$product->flexy->in_stock = true; // boolean
$product->flexy->availables_coupons = ['summer15', 'white_saturday']; // array, json
$product->save();

// Retrieve the flexy fields using flexy attribute
echo $product->flexy->color; // Outputs 'blue'
echo $product->flexy->size; // Outputs 42`
echo $product->flexy->in_stock; // Outputs true`
echo $product->flexy->availables_coupons; // json string, must be decoded

// or retrieve the flexy fields using default models' attribute with flexy_ prefix
echo $product->flexy_color; // Outputs 'blue'
echo $product->flexy_size; // Outputs 42`
echo $product->flexy_in_stock; // Outputs true`

Defining Model Shapes for Validation

A shape is a field definition with a type and validation rules. Each Model can have one shape. You can define shapes dynamically with setFlexyShape() for fields to apply validation.

use AuroraWebSoftware\FlexyField\Enums\FlexyFieldType;

Product::setFlexyShape('color', FlexyFieldType::STRING, 1, 'required');
Product::setFlexyShape('size', FlexyFieldType::INTEGER, 2, 'numeric|min:20');
Product::setFlexyShape('in_stock', FlexyFieldType::BOOLEAN, 3, 'required|bool');
Product::setFlexyShape('availables_coupons', FlexyFieldType::JSON, 3, 'required');

This ensures that when saving the color field, it must be a required, and the size field must be a number greater than or equal to 20.

all available validation rules: https://laravel.com/docs/11.x/validation#available-validation-rules

To retrive and delete a model shape

Product::getFlexyShape('color'); // returns Shape model
Product::deleteFlexyShape('color');

Saving a Model with Validation

After defining shapes with validation, saving a model with invalid data will throw a ValidationException.

use Illuminate\Validation\ValidationException;

try {
    $product->flexy->size = 'invalid-size';
    $product->save(); // Throws ValidationException
} catch (ValidationException $e) {
    // Handle the exception
    echo "Validation failed: " . $e->getMessage();
}

Advanced Usage

Querying Models by Dynamic Fields

FlexyField allows you to query models based on their flexy field values. Here's an example of how to filter models using their Flexy fields:

// Find all blue products
$products = Product::where('flexy_color', 'blue')->get();

// or dynamic where
$products = Product::whereFlexyColor('blue')->get();

// Find models with multiple conditions on flexy fields
$models = Product::where('flexy_color', 'blue 1')
    ->where('flexy_price', '<',  100)
    ->where('flexy_in_stock', true)
    ->get();

Dynamic Validation

Flexy fields can be validated using the shapes you define. For example, you can set validation rules like:

use AuroraWebSoftware\FlexyField\Enums\FlexyFieldType;

User::setFlexyShape('username', FlexyFieldType::STRING, 1, 'required|max:20');
User::setFlexyShape('score', FlexyFieldType::INTEGER, 2, 'numeric|min:0|max:100');
User::setFlexyShape('banned', FlexyFieldType::BOOLEAN, 3, 'bool');

If a user tries to save invalid data, Laravel's native validation system kicks in and prevents the save:

$user->flexy->username = 'too_long_username_exceeding_the_limit';
$user->flexy->score = 120;
$user->flexy->banned = false;
$user->save(); // ValidationException thrown due to invalid data`

Using Dates and Datetimes

FlexyField supports handling date and datetime field types.

use Carbon\Carbon;

$flexyModel->flexy->event_date = Carbon::now(); // Save current date as a flexy field
$flexyModel->save();

echo $flexyModel->flexy->event_date; // Output the saved date`

Dynamic Field Sorting

FlexyField allows you to specify a sorting order for fields using the sort parameter:

ExampleFlexyModel::setFlexyShape('sorted_top_field', FlexyFieldType::STRING, 1);
ExampleFlexyModel::setFlexyShape('sorted_bottom_field', FlexyFieldType::STRING, 10);

This controls how fields are ordered when retrieved or displayed.

Configuration

You can configure the package to use different database drivers (e.g., MySQL or PostgreSQL) for the flexy field pivot table.

Contribution

Feel free to contribute to the development of FlexyField by submitting a pull request or opening an issue. Contributions are always welcome to enhance this package.

Running Tests

Before submitting any changes, make sure to run the tests to ensure everything is working as expected:

You can run the tests provided using Pest to ensure everything is working as expected.

./vendor/bin/pest

Code Style

./vendor/bin/pint

Static Analyze

./vendor/bin/phpstan analyse

License

The FlexyField package is open-sourced software licensed under the MIT License.