DigitalRuby/MetaData

Adds a flexible key/value table to your Laravel models.

Why this package?

I often find myself needing to store extra bits of information across entities in my apps. This could be a github link, maybe a SEO title or a path to a file.

Instead of expanding my database with new fields across multiple entities, I often resort back to a simple key value table that has a polymorphic relationship to any entity.

This package provides you with that table and a trait that you can add to your models to implement the functionality.

Installation

To install the package, use Composer:

composer require digitalruby/meta-data

After installing, you should run the migration to create the meta_data table in your database:

php artisan migrate

This command creates the necessary table for storing meta data related to your models.

Usage

1. Add the Trait to Your Model:

   First, include the HasMetaData trait in any Eloquent model you wish to associate meta data with.

   use DigitalRuby\MetaData\HasMetaData;
   
   class YourModel extends Model {
       use HasMetaData;
   
       // Model content
   }

2. Setting Meta Data:

   To add or update meta data for a model, use the setMeta method.

   $model->setMeta('key', 'value');

   • key: The meta data key.
   • value: The meta data value. Can be a string, array, or object. Arrays and objects are automatically encoded to JSON.

3. Getting Meta Data:

   Retrieve a value with the getMeta method.

   $value = $model->getMeta('key');

   Optionally, you can retrieve all meta data associated with the model:

   $allMeta = $model->getAllMeta();

4. Deleting Meta Data:

   To remove a meta data entry, use deleteMeta.

   $model->deleteMeta('key');

   This will delete the meta data entry with the specified key.

5. Advanced Usage:

   The getMeta method supports additional query modifications via a callback function, allowing for more complex queries.

Requirements

• PHP 8 or higher
• Laravel 10 or higher

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please submit pull requests for bug fixes, features, or improvements.

License

The DigitalRuby/MetaData package is open-sourced software licensed under the MIT license.