# Models
# Introduction
Laravel includes Eloquent, an object-relational mapper (ORM) that makes it enjoyable to interact with your database. When using Eloquent, each database table has a corresponding "Model" that is used to interact with that table. In addition to retrieving records from the database table, Eloquent models allow you to insert, update, and delete records from the table as well. To understand Models in detail, you can visit the Laravel documentation here (opens new window).
We are using the konekt/concord (opens new window) package, which is an extension of Laravel. It helps in building modular Laravel applications.
Let's create a new model for your application. We will assume that the package name is "Example". Follow these steps:
# Using Laravel Artisan Command
Before creating the model class, it's essential to create two additional components: the Contract
and the Proxy
.
# Create the Contract
Laravel's Contracts are a set of interfaces that define the core services provided by the framework. For example, the Illuminate\Contracts\Queue\Queue
contract defines the methods needed for queueing jobs, while the Illuminate\Contracts\Mail\Mailer
contract defines the methods needed for sending an email.
Each contract has a corresponding implementation provided by the framework. For example, Laravel provides a queue implementation with various drivers and a mailer implementation powered by SwiftMailer.
All Laravel contracts are stored in their own GitHub repository. This provides a quick reference for all available contracts and a single, decoupled package that can be used by package developers.
Now, create a folder named Contracts
inside Webkul/Example/src/
and create an interface file named Example.php
.
packages
└── Webkul
└── Example
└── src
├── ...
└── Contracts
└── Example.php
Copy the following code into the Example.php
file.
<?php
namespace Webkul\Example\Contracts;
interface Example
{
}
# Create the Proxy
Proxies, as their name suggests, act as intermediaries to the actual model class. Model proxies are used to override the functionality of existing models without creating a new database table.
Navigate to the directory packages/Webkul/Example/src/
and create a new folder named Models
.
└── packages
└── Webkul
└── Example
└── src
├── ...
└── Models
Inside the Models
folder, create a new PHP file named ExampleProxy.php
.
└── packages
└── Webkul
└── Example
└── src
├── ...
├── Contracts
│ └── Example.php
└── Models
└── ExampleProxy.php
Copy the following code into the ExampleProxy.php
file.
<?php
namespace Webkul\Example\Models;
use Konekt\Concord\Proxies\ModelProxy;
class ExampleProxy extends ModelProxy
{
}
# Create the Model
The simple way to create a model is to execute the make:model
artisan command
php artisan make:model Example
Now, move your Example
model from the project root directory (i.e., App/Models
) to the packages/Webkul/Example/src/Models
folder.
└── packages
└── Webkul
└── Example
└── src
├── ...
├── Contracts
│ └── Example.php
└── Models
├── Example.php
└── ExampleProxy.php
Copy the following code into the Example.php
file.
<?php
namespace Webkul\Example\Models;
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Relations\BelongsTo;
use Webkul\User\Models\Admin;
use Webkul\Example\Contracts\Example as ExampleContract;
class Example extends Model implements ExampleContract
{
/**
* The attributes that are mass assignable.
*
* @var $fillable
*/
protected $fillable = [
'title',
'description',
'user_id',
'status'
];
/**
* Get the user that owns the example.
*/
public function author(): BelongsTo
{
return $this->belongsTo(Admin::class, 'user_id');
}
}
The Example
model represents a example example in the application. It implements the ExampleContract
and is part of the Webkul\Example\Models
namespace.
public function author(): BelongsTo
This method defines a BelongsTo
relationship between the Example model and the Admin model.
# Create Module Service Provider
To create a provider named ModuleServiceProvider.php
inside Webkul/Example/src/Providers
for your Laravel package, follow these steps.
└── packages
└── Webkul
└── Example
└── src
├── ...
└── Providers
├── ExampleServiceProvider.php
└── ModuleServiceProvider.php
In this file, we register the models used in this package. You can see the code below.
<?php
namespace Webkul\Example\Providers;
use Konekt\Concord\BaseModuleServiceProvider;
class ModuleServiceProvider extends BaseModuleServiceProvider
{
protected $models = [
\Webkul\Example\Models\Example::class,
];
}
The ModuleServiceProvider
class registers models used in the Example package. It extends BaseModuleServiceProvider
from the Konekt\Concord
package.
# Registering ModuleServiceProvider
To integrate the ModuleServiceProvider
with the Concord module system in Laravel, you need to register it in the config/concord.php
configuration file.
Navigate to Configuration File Locate and open the
config/concord.php
file in your Laravel application.Add ServiceProvider Inside the
modules
array, add theModuleServiceProvider
class to register it with Concord.
<?php
return [
'modules' => [
// Other service providers
\Webkul\Example\Providers\ModuleServiceProvider::class,
]
];