Features

• Real-Time Messaging: Integrated real-time communication with WebSockets and Laravel Echo.
• Multi-Participant Support: Create one-on-one and group chats.
• Flexible Structure: Easily extendable and customizable, adhering to SOLID principles.
• Security: Secure messaging with authorization and validation checks.
• Customizable: Full control with publishable configuration and view files.

Requirements

• PHP >= 7.4
• Laravel 8.x, 9.x, or 10.x
• Composer

Installation

To add the package to your project, follow the steps below.

1. Install the Package with Composer

composer require tolgatasci/chat 

2. Register the Service Provider and Facade (For Laravel 5.4 and Older Versions)

You can skip this step in Laravel 5.5 and above due to automatic package discovery.

// config/app.php

'providers' => [
    // ...
    TolgaTasci\Chat\Providers\ChatServiceProvider::class,
],

'aliases' => [
    // ...
    'Chat' => TolgaTasci\Chat\Facades\Chat::class,
],

3. Publish the Configuration File

php artisan vendor:publish --provider="TolgaTasci\Chat\Providers\ChatServiceProvider" --tag="config"

4. Publish and Run Migrations

php artisan vendor:publish --provider="TolgaTasci\Chat\Providers\ChatServiceProvider" --tag="migrations"

php artisan migrate

5. Add the Messageable Trait to Your Model

Use the Messageable trait in models that you want to participate in messaging.

use Illuminate\Foundation\Auth\User as Authenticatable;
use TolgaTasci\Chat\Traits\Messageable;

class User extends Authenticatable
{
    use Messageable;

    // ...
}

Usage

Creating a Conversation

You can create a new conversation with two or more participants.

use TolgaTasci\Chat\Facades\Chat;

$participants = [$user1, $user2];

$conversation = Chat::createConversation($participants);

Sending a Message

To send a message to a conversation:

$message = Chat::sendMessage($conversation, $sender, 'Hello!', 'text', ['foo' => 'bar']);

• $conversation: The conversation where the message will be sent.
• $sender: The user sending the message.
• 'Hello!': The content of the message.
• 'text': Message type (optional).
• ['foo' => 'bar']: Additional data (optional).

Retrieving Messages

To retrieve messages in a specific conversation:

$messages = Chat::getMessages($conversation, $perPage = 25);

Listing Conversations

To list the conversations a user is involved in:

$conversations = $user->conversations;

Authorization and Validation

Authorization checks are made during conversation and message operations using policies. For example, to check if a user has access to a conversation:

$this->authorize('view', $conversation);

Real-Time Communication

For real-time communication, you can use Laravel Echo and Pusher (or your WebSocket provider of choice).

Laravel Echo Setup

Configure Laravel Echo in your resources/js/bootstrap.js file:

import Echo from 'laravel-echo';

window.Pusher = require('pusher-js');

window.Echo = new Echo({
    broadcaster: 'pusher',
    key: process.env.MIX_PUSHER_APP_KEY,
    cluster: process.env.MIX_PUSHER_APP_CLUSTER,
    encrypted: true,
});

Listening to Events

For example, in a Vue.js component:

mounted() {
    Echo.join(`conversation.${this.conversationId}`)
        .here((users) => {
            this.participants = users;
        })
        .joining((user) => {
            this.participants.push(user);
        })
        .leaving((user) => {
            this.participants = this.participants.filter(u => u.id !== user.id);
        })
        .listen('MessageSent', (e) => {
            this.messages.push(e.message);
        });
},

Testing

Tests have been written to ensure the reliability of your package. To run the tests:

vendor/bin/phpunit

Customization

Configuration

You can customize the package settings in the config/chat.php file.

• user_model: The user model to be used in the messaging system.
• broadcast_driver: The broadcast driver to be used (e.g., pusher, ably).

Views

To publish and customize the view files:

php artisan vendor:publish --provider="TolgaTasci\Chat\Providers\ChatServiceProvider" --tag="views"

Security

• Authorization: Ensures users can only access the conversations and messages they are authorized for through policies.
• Input Validation: User inputs are validated using Form Request classes.
• XSS and CSRF Protection: Laravel's default protections are used.

Contributing

We welcome contributions. To contribute, please follow these steps:

• Fork this project.
• Create a new branch: git checkout -b my-new-feature.
• Make your changes and commit them: git commit -am 'Add some feature'.
• Push to your branch: git push origin my-new-feature.
• Open a Pull Request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. For more information, see the LICENSE file.