A Laravel publishing platform. Canvas is a fully open source package to extend your existing application and get you up-and-running with a blog in just a few minutes. In addition to a distraction-free writing experience, you can view monthly trends on your content, get insights into reader traffic and more!
Note: Canvas requires you to have user authentication in place prior to installation. For Laravel 5.* based projects you may run the
make:authArtisan command to satisfy this requirement. For Laravel 6.* based projects please see the official guide to get started.
You may use composer to install Canvas into your Laravel project:
composer require cnvs/canvasPublish the assets and primary configuration file using the canvas:install Artisan command:
php artisan canvas:installCreate a symbolic link to ensure file uploads are publicly accessible from the web using the storage:link Artisan command:
php artisan storage:linkAfter publishing Canvas's assets, a primary configuration file will be located at config/canvas.php. This file allows you to customize various aspects of how your application uses the package.
Canvas exposes a simple UI at /canvas by default. This can be changed by updating the path option:
/*
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Base Route
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
| This is the URI path where Canvas will be accessible from. You are free
| to change this path to anything you like. Note that the URI will not
| affect the paths of its internal API that aren't exposed to users.
|
*/
'path' => env('CANVAS_PATH_NAME', 'canvas'),If you'd like to restrict access to Canvas in a production environment, add any custom middleware to the following array:
/*
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Route Middleware
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
| These middleware will be attached to every route in Canvas, giving you
| the chance to add your own middleware to this list or change any of
| the existing middleware. Or, you can simply stick with the list.
|
*/
'middleware' => [
'web',
'auth',
],Canvas takes care of the backend while giving you the freedom to display the final content however you choose. A very simple setup would include a controller, some views, and a few routes. Take a look at the following example:
Define a few routes inside of routes/web.php:
// Get all published posts
Route::get('blog', 'BlogController@getPosts');
// Get posts for a given tag
Route::get('tag/{slug}', 'BlogController@getPostsByTag');
// Get posts for a given topic
Route::get('topic/{slug}', 'BlogController@getPostsByTopic');
// Find a single post
Route::middleware('Canvas\Http\Middleware\ViewThrottle')->get('{slug}', 'BlogController@findPostBySlug');Add the corresponding methods inside of a new BlogController:
public function getPosts()
{
$data = [
'posts' => \Canvas\Post::published()->orderByDesc('published_at')->simplePaginate(10),
];
return view('blog.index', compact('data'));
}public function getPostsByTag(string $slug)
{
if (\Canvas\Tag::where('slug', $slug)->first()) {
$data = [
'posts' => \Canvas\Post::whereHas('tags', function ($query) use ($slug) {
$query->where('slug', $slug);
})->published()->orderByDesc('published_at')->simplePaginate(10),
];
return view('blog.index', compact('data'));
} else {
abort(404);
}
}public function getPostsByTopic(string $slug)
{
if (\Canvas\Topic::where('slug', $slug)->first()) {
$data = [
'posts' => \Canvas\Post::whereHas('topic', function ($query) use ($slug) {
$query->where('slug', $slug);
})->published()->orderByDesc('published_at')->simplePaginate(10),
];
return view('blog.index', compact('data'));
} else {
abort(404);
}
}public function findPostBySlug(string $slug)
{
$posts = \Canvas\Post::with('tags', 'topic')->published()->get();
$post = $posts->firstWhere('slug', $slug);
if (optional($post)->published) {
$data = [
'author' => $post->author,
'post' => $post,
'meta' => $post->meta,
];
// IMPORTANT: You must include this event for Canvas to store view data
event(new \Canvas\Events\PostViewed($post));
return view('blog.show', compact('data'));
} else {
abort(404);
}
}Finally, just create index.blade.php and show.blade.php inside a /views/blog directory.
If you'd rather have all of this run automatically with no extra work from you, just follow through the optional guide below to build a Medium-inspired frontend. Aside from general post listings, you'll get localized content, reading suggestions and more!
Note: The following components are optional features, you are not required to use them.
Want to get started fast? Just run php artisan canvas:setup after installing Canvas. A --data option may also be included in the command to generate demo data. Then, navigate your browser to http://your-app.test/blog or any other URL that is assigned to your application. This command scaffolds a default frontend for your entire blog!
If you want to include Unsplash images in your post content, set up a new application at https://unsplash.com/oauth/applications. Grab your access key and update config/canvas.php:
/*
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Unsplash Integration
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
| Visit https://unsplash.com/oauth/applications to create a new Unsplash
| app. Use the confidential Access Key given to you to integrate with
| the API. Note that demo apps are limited to 50 requests per hour.
|
*/
'unsplash' => [
'access_key' => env('CANVAS_UNSPLASH_ACCESS_KEY'),
],Want a weekly summary? Canvas provides support for a weekly e-mail that gives you quick stats of the content you've authored, delivered straight to your inbox. Once your application is configured for sending mail, update config/canvas.php:
/*
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Weekly Digest
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
| This option enables Canvas to send e-mail notifications via the default
| mail driver on a weekly basis. All users that have published content
| will receive a total view count summary of the last seven days.
|
*/
'digest' => [
'enabled' => env('CANVAS_DIGEST_ENABLED', false),
],Since the weekly digest runs on Laravel's Scheduler, you'll need to add the following cron entry to your server:
* * * * * cd /path-to-your-project && php artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1Prefer working at night? Simply un-comment the Canvas::night() method in the CanvasServiceProvider to switch off the lights.
You may update your Canvas installation using composer:
composer updateRun any new migrations using the migrate Artisan command:
php artisan migrateRe-publish the assets using the canvas:publish Artisan command:
php artisan canvas:publishRun the tests with:
composer testCanvas is open-sourced software licensed under the MIT license.
- The team that continues to support and develop this project
- Logo design and branding by Katerina Limpitsouni
- Thanks to Mohamed Said and his open source project Wink
- Anyone who has contributed a patch or made a helpful suggestion