Section 1.1: Setting Up Your Development Environment

Before diving into package creation, ensure you have a local installation of Laravel ready. This setup is essential for efficiently testing your package and allows you to work within a familiar environment.

Section 1.2: Creating a New Package Directory

To keep your workspace organized, create a directory for your new package alongside your Laravel project. This structure aids in managing paths and dependencies easily during development and testing:

cd path-to-your-projects

mkdir my-laravel-package

cd my-laravel-package

Section 1.3: Composer Configuration

Begin by setting up your composer file using the composer init command. This initiates an interactive session to help you define basic elements such as the package name, description, and autoloading.

Section 1.4: Developing Your Package

Code the functionalities of your package within the src directory, adhering to the PSR-4 autoloading standard established during composer initialization.

Section 1.5: Implementing Pest for Testing

Pest is a streamlined testing framework for PHP that is favored in the Laravel community for its clarity and advanced features, including parallel testing. To install Pest and its Laravel plugin, run:

composer require pestphp/pest --dev

composer require pestphp/pest-plugin-laravel --dev

For more insights on Pest, consider this tutorial by Freek Van der Herten from Spatie, which offers valuable guidance for developers of all levels.

Section 1.6: Code Linting with Laravel Pint

Install Laravel Pint to ensure your code adheres to Laravel's coding standards:

composer require laravel/pint --dev

Section 1.7: Setting Up GitHub Actions for Continuous Integration

Configure GitHub Actions to automate testing and linting whenever you push or create a pull request. Here’s a sample configuration for your github-actions.yml file:

name: Laravel Package CI

on:

push:

branches:

• main

pull_request:

branches:

• main

jobs:

build:

runs-on: ubuntu-latest

steps:

• uses: actions/checkout@v2

• name: Set up PHP

  uses: shivammathur/setup-php@v2

  with:

  php-version: '8.2'

  tools: composer:v2

• name: Install Dependencies

  run: composer install --prefer-dist --no-interaction

• name: Run Tests

  run: vendor/bin/pest

• name: Check Code Style

  run: vendor/bin/pint

Section 1.8: Local Package Testing

To test your package locally, add it to your existing Laravel project. Modify your Laravel project's composer file to include your local package and then require it via Composer:

"repositories": [

{

"type": "path",

"url": "../my-laravel-package",

"options": {

"symlink": true

}

}

],

Next, add your package using the following command, replacing your-username/packagename with your actual package name:

composer require your-username/packagename:dev-main

Section 1.9: Publishing Your Package

When you're satisfied with the development and local testing, it's time to share your package with the world. Publish it on Packagist to make it accessible to other developers. Follow Packagist's instructions to add your repository, ensuring all necessary details like descriptions, version numbers, and dependencies are included.