Laravel Settings Package

A robust and feature-rich settings package for Laravel applications with caching, validation, and type casting.

Requirements

• PHP >= 8.2
• Laravel >= 10.0

Installation

Install the package via Composer:

composer require ottosmops/settings

Publish the configuration and migrations:

php artisan vendor:publish --tag=settings

Or publish them separately:

# Publish only configuration
php artisan vendor:publish --tag=settings-config

# Publish only migrations
php artisan vendor:publish --tag=settings-migrations

Run the migrations:

php artisan migrate

Upgrading from 1.x to 2.0

If you're upgrading from version 1.x, follow these steps:

1. Update your composer.json

composer require ottosmops/settings:^2.0

2. Publish new migrations (if you haven't customized existing ones)

# Backup your current settings data first!
php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Ottosmops\Settings\SettingsServiceProvider" --tag="settings-migrations" --force

3. Run the new migrations

php artisan migrate

4. Update configuration (optional)

The new version includes enhanced configuration options. Publish the new config if you want to use the new features:

php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Ottosmops\Settings\SettingsServiceProvider" --tag="settings-config" --force

5. Clear cache

php artisan settings:flush-cache
# or
php artisan cache:clear

Breaking Changes in 2.0

• PHP 8.2+ required (was PHP 7.4+)
• Laravel 10+ required (was Laravel 6+)
• Enhanced type safety may affect dynamic value access
• New migration adds database indexes (performance improvement)
• Cache keys have been updated (automatic cache invalidation)

All existing APIs remain backward compatible.

Configuration

The package publishes a configuration file to config/settings.php where you can customize:

• Database table name
• Cache settings
• Default settings

Features

• Type casting: Automatic casting to string, integer, boolean, array, and regex types
• Validation: Built-in validation using Laravel's validation rules
• Caching: Automatic caching for improved performance
• Scoping: Organize settings with scopes
• Editability control: Mark settings as editable or read-only
• Helper functions: Convenient helper functions for quick access
• Artisan commands: Manage settings via command line

Usage

Creating Settings

use Ottosmops\Settings\Setting;

// Create a simple string setting
Setting::create([
    'key' => 'app_name',
    'value' => 'My Application',
    'type' => 'string',
    'description' => 'Application name'
]);

// Create with validation rules
Setting::create([
    'key' => 'max_users',
    'type' => 'integer',
    'rules' => 'required|integer|min:1|max:1000',
    'description' => 'Maximum number of users'
]);

// Create with scope
Setting::create([
    'key' => 'theme_color',
    'value' => '#3498db',
    'type' => 'string',
    'scope' => 'appearance',
    'rules' => 'required|string|regex:/^#[0-9a-fA-F]{6}$/',
    'description' => 'Primary theme color'
]);

Setting Values

// Set a value (with validation)
Setting::setValue('max_users', 50);

// Set without validation
Setting::setValue('max_users', 50, false);

// The value will be automatically cast to the defined type
Setting::setValue('is_active', 'true'); // Becomes boolean true
Setting::setValue('config_array', '["item1", "item2"]'); // Becomes array

Getting Values

// Using the static method
$appName = Setting::getValue('app_name');
$maxUsers = Setting::getValue('max_users', 100); // with default

// Using helper function (recommended for views)
$appName = setting('app_name');
$maxUsers = setting('max_users', 100); // with default

// Get as string representation
$configAsString = settingAsString('config_array');

Supported Types

Type	Description	Example
string	Text values	"Hello World"
integer	Whole numbers	42
boolean	True/false values	true, false
array	JSON arrays	["item1", "item2"]
regex	Regular expressions	#\d{3}/[0-9]#

Validation

Settings support Laravel's validation rules:

Setting::create([
    'key' => 'email',
    'type' => 'string',
    'rules' => 'required|email',
]);

// This will throw ValidationException
Setting::setValue('email', 'invalid-email');

Scopes

Organize related settings with scopes:

// Create settings with scopes
Setting::create(['key' => 'bg_color', 'scope' => 'theme', ...]);
Setting::create(['key' => 'font_size', 'scope' => 'theme', ...]);

// Filter by scope in your application
$themeSettings = Setting::where('scope', 'theme')->get();

Caching

The package automatically caches all settings for performance. The cache is cleared when settings are created, updated, or deleted.

Checking Settings

// Check if a setting exists
if (Setting::has('app_name')) {
    // Setting exists
}

// Check if a setting has a value
if (Setting::hasValue('app_name')) {
    // Setting exists and has a value
}

// Check if a setting is editable
if (Setting::isEditable('app_name')) {
    // Setting can be modified
}

Removing Settings

Setting::remove('old_setting');

Artisan Commands

List all settings

php artisan settings:list

# Filter by scope
php artisan settings:list --scope=theme

Set a setting value

# Create or update a setting
php artisan settings:set app_name "My Application" --type=string --description="App name"

# Set with validation rules
php artisan settings:set max_users 100 --type=integer --rules="required|integer|min:1"

# Set array value
php artisan settings:set features '["feature1", "feature2"]' --type=array

Environment Configuration

You can override configuration values using environment variables:

SETTINGS_TABLE=custom_settings
SETTINGS_CACHE_ENABLED=true
SETTINGS_CACHE_PREFIX=app_settings

Best Practices

1. Use descriptive keys: Use clear, descriptive names for your settings
2. Set appropriate types: Always specify the correct type for proper casting
3. Add validation rules: Use validation to ensure data integrity
4. Use scopes: Group related settings with scopes
5. Use helper functions: Use setting() helper in views for cleaner code
6. Handle exceptions: Wrap setting operations in try-catch blocks for production

Error Handling

The package throws NoKeyIsFound exceptions when trying to access non-existent settings. The helper functions automatically handle these exceptions and return the default value:

// This throws NoKeyIsFound if 'missing_key' doesn't exist
Setting::getValue('missing_key');

// This returns null if 'missing_key' doesn't exist
setting('missing_key');

Testing

Run the test suite:

composer test

Contributing

Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for details.

Security

If you discover any security-related issues, please email the maintainer instead of using the issue tracker.

License

The MIT License (MIT). Please see License File for more information.

Inspired by

• saqueib/db-settings
• coderstape/laravel-package-development