README

This project is a work in progress. Expect breaking changes.

Eloquaint - Reduce the boilerplate in your Eloquent classes

Eloquaint allows you to define Laravel Eloquent model relationships and scopes using PHP attributes instead of traditional methods, reducing boilerplate code.

PHP 8.5 Closures as Constant Values

In PHP 8.5, it will be possible to define a closure as a "constant value". In theory, this will enable syntax like:

#[Scope('published', static function ($query) {$query->whereNotNull('published_at')->where('published_at', '<=', now())})]

#[HasMany(Notification::class, 'readNotifications', static function ($query) {$query->whereNotNull('read_at')})]

Thus, we will incorporate these features once PHP 8.5 hits GA and tag a v1.0 release of this package.

Installation

You can install the package via composer:

composer require steven-fox/eloquaint

Basic Usage

Instead of writing traditional relationship and scope methods:

class Author extends Model
{
    public function posts(): HasMany
    {
        return $this->hasMany(Post::class);
    }

    public function publishedPosts(): HasMany
    {
        return $this->hasMany(Post::class)->where('published', true);
    }

    public function scopeActive($query)
    {
        return $query->where('active', true);
    }
}

You can now use attributes:

use StevenFox\Eloquaint\Attributes\HasMany;
use StevenFox\Eloquaint\Attributes\Scope;
use StevenFox\Eloquaint\Traits\HasEloquaintFeatures;

#[HasMany(Post::class)]
#[HasMany(Post::class, name: 'publishedPosts', where: ['published' => true])]
#[Scope('active', 'active', true)]
class Author extends Model
{
    use HasEloquaintFeatures;

    // That's it! No boilerplate methods needed.
}

Supported Relationships

Eloquaint supports all Laravel relationship types:

One-to-Many Relationships

use StevenFox\Eloquaint\Attributes\HasMany;

#[HasMany(Post::class)]
#[HasMany(Comment::class)]
class Author extends Model
{
    use HasEloquaintFeatures;
}

One-to-One Relationships

use StevenFox\Eloquaint\Attributes\HasOne;

#[HasOne(Profile::class)]
class User extends Model
{
    use HasEloquaintFeatures;
}

Inverse Relationships

use StevenFox\Eloquaint\Attributes\BelongsTo;

#[BelongsTo(Author::class)]
#[BelongsTo(Category::class)]
class Post extends Model
{
    use HasEloquaintFeatures;
}

Many-to-Many Relationships

use StevenFox\Eloquaint\Attributes\BelongsToMany;

#[BelongsToMany(Tag::class)]
#[BelongsToMany(Category::class, table: 'post_categories')]
class Post extends Model
{
    use HasEloquaintFeatures;
}

Advanced Relationships

use StevenFox\Eloquaint\Attributes\HasManyThrough;
use StevenFox\Eloquaint\Attributes\MorphMany;

#[HasManyThrough(Comment::class, through: Post::class)]
#[MorphMany(Image::class, name: 'imageable')]
class Author extends Model
{
    use HasEloquaintFeatures;
}

Advanced Features

Custom Relationship Names

#[HasMany(Post::class, name: 'articles')]
#[HasMany(Post::class, name: 'publishedArticles', where: ['status' => 'published'])]
class Author extends Model
{
    use HasEloquaintFeatures;
}

// Usage:
$author->articles; // All posts
$author->publishedArticles; // Only published posts

Query Constraints

Add where clauses directly to your relationship definitions:

#[HasMany(Post::class, where: ['published' => true, 'featured' => true])]
class Author extends Model
{
    use HasEloquaintFeatures;
}

Custom Foreign Keys

#[BelongsTo(User::class, foreignKey: 'user_id', ownerKey: 'id')]
#[HasMany(Comment::class, foreignKey: 'post_id', localKey: 'id')]
class Post extends Model
{
    use HasEloquaintFeatures;
}

Property-Level Attributes

You can also define relationships on properties:

class Author extends Model
{
    use HasEloquaintFeatures;

    #[HasMany(Post::class)]
    protected $posts;

    #[HasMany(Post::class, where: ['published' => true])]
    protected $publishedPosts;
}

Supported Scopes

Eloquaint also supports defining local scopes using attributes:

Simple Scopes

For basic where clauses, you can define scopes directly:

use StevenFox\Eloquaint\Attributes\Scope;

#[Scope('published', 'published', true)]           // WHERE published = true
#[Scope('draft', 'published', false)]              // WHERE published = false
#[Scope('popular', 'views', '>', 1000)]            // WHERE views > 1000
class Post extends Model
{
    use HasEloquaintFeatures;
}

// Usage
$publishedPosts = Post::published()->get();
$popularPosts = Post::popular()->get();

Complex Scopes

For complex logic, use traditional scope methods alongside simple attribute scopes:

#[Scope('published', 'published', true)]
#[Scope('popular', 'views', '>', 1000)]
class Post extends Model
{
    use HasEloquaintFeatures;

    // Use traditional scope methods for complex logic
    public function scopeRecent($query, $days = 7)
    {
        return $query->where('created_at', '>=', now()->subDays($days));
    }

    public function scopeTrending($query)
    {
        return $query->where('views', '>=', 1000)->where('likes', '>=', 10);
    }
}

// Usage
$publishedPosts = Post::published()->get();     // Attribute scope
$popularPosts = Post::popular()->get();         // Attribute scope
$recentPosts = Post::recent(14)->get();         // Traditional scope
$trendingPosts = Post::trending()->get();       // Traditional scope

Chaining with Query Methods

Scopes can be chained with regular query methods:

$posts = Post::published()
    ->where('title', 'like', '%Laravel%')
    ->with('author')
    ->orderBy('created_at', 'desc')
    ->get();

// For multiple scopes, apply them to the base query
$recentPublishedPosts = Post::published()->where('created_at', '>=', now()->subDays(7))->get();
$popularPosts = Post::popular()->get();

How It Works

1. Add the trait: Include HasEloquaintFeatures in your model (or HasAttributeRelations for relationships only)
2. Define relationships and scopes: Use PHP attributes on your class
3. Use normally: Access relationships and scopes exactly like traditional Eloquent

The package automatically:

• Resolves relationship names (e.g., Post::class becomes posts)
• Handles foreign key conventions
• Applies query constraints and scope logic
• Caches definitions for performance
• Supports both static and instance method calls for scopes

Performance

Eloquaint is designed for performance:

• Relationship and scope definitions are cached after first resolution
• No runtime overhead compared to traditional relationships and scopes
• Lazy loading and eager loading work exactly the same
• All Eloquent relationship and scope features are preserved
• Scopes work with both static and instance calls

Testing

composer test

Changelog

Please see CHANGELOG for more information on what has changed recently.

Contributing

Please see CONTRIBUTING for details.

Security Vulnerabilities

Please review our security policy on how to report security vulnerabilities.

Credits

• Steven Fox
• All Contributors

License

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