README

version 1.4.0

A lightweight Laravel package that simplifies working with native PHP enums: readable labels, localized API responses, select options, and validation rules.

Features

• Add human-friendly labels to PHP enums
• Generate value/label pairs for select menus
• Use enums in API responses with localization
• Validate request input against enum values
• Support for Laravel 10, 11, 12, 13
• Easy-to-integrate EnumController with built-in protection

Installation

Supports Laravel 10, 11, 12, 13

Install via Composer:

composer require timhale2104/enum-tools

Usage

1. Add HasLabel trait to your enum

use EnumTools\Traits\HasLabel;

enum UserStatus: string
{
    use HasLabel;

    case ACTIVE = 'active';
    case INACTIVE = 'inactive';
    case BLOCKED = 'blocked';
}

2. Available Methods

UserStatus::ACTIVE->label(); // "Active"
UserStatus::labels();        // ['Active', 'Inactive', 'Blocked']
UserStatus::values();        // ['active', 'inactive', 'blocked']
UserStatus::casesForSelect();
// [
//   ['label' => 'Active', 'value' => 'active'],
//   ...
// ]
UserStatus::toArray(); // alias for casesForSelect()

3. Optional Localization

Add translation strings to lang/en/enums.php:

return [
    'UserStatus.active' => 'Custom Active',
    'UserStatus.inactive' => 'Custom Inactive',
    'UserStatus.blocked' => 'Custom Blocked',
];

label will automatically use __('enums.UserStatus.active') if it exists

4. Enum Value Validation

Use the custom validation rule to check if a value is part of a specific enum:

use EnumTools\Rules\EnumValueRule;

$request->validate([
    'status' => ['required', new EnumValueRule(UserStatus::class)],
]);

You'll get a default validation message like:

The selected :attribute is invalid.

You can customize it via lang/en/validation.php:

return [
    'enum' => 'I guess the selected :attribute is not valid',
];

5. Enum Cast for Eloquent

Cast enum values to and from database automatically in Eloquent models.

!!! Requires your enum to extend BackedEnum and use the HasLabel trait !!!

Add the cast like this:

use EnumTools\Casts\EnumToolsCast;
use App\Enums\UserStatus;

protected $casts = [
    'status' => EnumToolsCast::for(UserStatus::class),
];

You can now work with enums directly:

$user = User::create(['status' => UserStatus::ACTIVE]);

$user->status instanceof UserStatus; // true
$user->status->label(); // "Active" (or translated)

API Support

This package includes an API-ready controller to expose enums to your frontend as JSON with localization

API Response Example

GET /api/enums/user-status?lang=uk

{
  "success": true,
  "data": [
    { "value": "active", "label": "Активний" },
    { "value": "inactive", "label": "Неактивний" },
    { "value": "blocked", "label": "Заблокований" }
  ]
}

Protecting Enums

Only enums listed in allowed_enums are accessible via API. Publish the config:

php artisan vendor:publish --provider="EnumTools\EnumToolsServiceProvider" --tag=config

In config/enum_tools.php:

return [
    'namespace' => 'App\\Enums',

    'allowed_enums' => [
        'UserStatus',
    ],

    'enable_locale_middleware' => true,
    'supported_locales' => ['en', 'uk', 'ru'],
];

Register API Route

In your routes/api.php:

use EnumTools\Http\Controllers\EnumController;

Route::get('enums/{enum}', EnumController::class);

API Localization

By default, the API will auto-detect the language from:

• Query string: ?lang=uk
• Header: X-Locale: uk
• Header: Accept-Language: uk

To disable auto-localization:

'enable_locale_middleware' => false,

Frontend Usage Example (Axios)

const { data } = await axios.get('/api/enums/user-status?lang=uk');

if (data.success) {
  const options = data.data;
  // [{ value: 'active', label: 'Активний' }, ...]
}

API Integration with EnumCollectionResource

If you're building a frontend (Vue, React, etc.), you may want to expose enum values and labels via API. This package provides a ready-to-use Laravel Resource for that

EnumCollectionResource

Use EnumCollectionResource::from() to convert any enum into a JSON-ready format

Example

use EnumTools\Resources\EnumCollectionResource;

return response()->json([
    'success' => true,
    'status' => 200,
    'data' => EnumCollectionResource::from(UserStatus::class),
]);

Output

[
  { "value": "active", "label": "Active" },
  { "value": "inactive", "label": "Inactive" },
  { "value": "blocked", "label": "Blocked" }
]

Methods

from(string $enumClass): EnumCollectionResource

Static factory method that accepts a native PHP enum class and wraps it in a resource collection

Internally, it's just a shortcut for new EnumCollectionResource(UserStatus::cases())

toArray($request): array

This defines how each enum case will be returned in JSON. By default, it returns:

[
  'label' => $case->label(), // requires HasLabel trait
  'value' => $case->value, // or case name for unit enums
]

If the label() method is missing, it falls back to case->name

When to use

• You want a frontend-friendly API format
• You're using enums in select fields, dropdowns, filters
• You need a Laravel-native approach that supports localization

Artisan Generator: enum-tools:make

You can generate a new enum class preconfigured for Enum Tools:

php artisan enum-tools:make UserStatus

Laravel 13 includes its own make:enum command, so Enum Tools uses a namespaced command to avoid collisions.

This will create a file like app/Enums/UserStatus.php:

use EnumTools\Traits\HasLabel;
use EnumTools\Attributes\Label;
use EnumTools\Attributes\Color;
use EnumTools\Attributes\Icon;

enum UserStatus: string
{
    use HasLabel;

    #[Label('Example')]
    #[Color('green')]
    #[Icon('check-circle')]
    case EXAMPLE = 'example';
}

Example:

UserStatus::EXAMPLE->label(); // "Example"
UserStatus::EXAMPLE->color(); // "green"
UserStatus::EXAMPLE->icon();  // "check-circle"

Available immediately after installing the package