README

A Laravel package that lets you manage chatbot Q&A in the database, with keyword matching (AND/OR), conditions, variable substitution, BotMan integration, an admin UI, a minimal web chat, and a floating chat widget.

Project links and contact

Repository: github.com/es-77/laravel-chatbot
Maintainer (LinkedIn): es77
Email: emmanuelsaleem098765@gmail.com

Requirements

PHP >= 7.4
Laravel ^8|^9|^10|^11|^12

1) Install the package

composer require emmanuel-saleem/laravel-chatbot:@dev --prefer-source

BotMan is included as a dependency. If you need the web driver explicitly:

composer require botman/driver-web:^1.5

Prefer installing a tagged (stable) release

After you create a Git tag (see “Release a new version” below) and the version is available on Packagist, install without @dev:

composer require emmanuel-saleem/laravel-chatbot:^0.1.0

2) Publish assets (config, migrations, views)

Publish everything:

php artisan vendor:publish --provider="EmmanuelSaleem\LaravelChatbot\Providers\LaravelChatbotServiceProvider"

Or selectively:

# Config
php artisan vendor:publish --provider="EmmanuelSaleem\LaravelChatbot\Providers\LaravelChatbotServiceProvider" --tag=laravel-chatbot-config
# Migrations
php artisan vendor:publish --provider="EmmanuelSaleem\LaravelChatbot\Providers\LaravelChatbotServiceProvider" --tag=laravel-chatbot-migrations
# Views (UI)
php artisan vendor:publish --provider="EmmanuelSaleem\LaravelChatbot\Providers\LaravelChatbotServiceProvider" --tag=laravel-chatbot-views

3) Run migrations

php artisan migrate

4) Routes

The package registers routes automatically:

Web routes: admin pages and a BotMan endpoint
API route: POST /api/chatbot/message for programmatic access

If you are using a test/breeze app, protect admin routes with auth as needed.

5) Admin UI

After publishing views (optional), navigate to your admin routes. If you prefer the package views without publishing, use:

All Questions: route('bot-questions.index')
Create Question: route('bot-questions.create')

Each question supports:

Keywords: tag input (press Enter or comma)
Logic operator: OR/AND
Variables in answers: @{{user.name}}, @{{user.email}}, @{{session.deal_count}}
Conditions (optional) against session/user data
Buttons (optional) rendered in web chat responses

6) Web Chat page (included)

The package includes a simple web chat at:

route('botman.web-chat')

This view posts to the BotMan controller and renders replies and buttons.

7) Floating chat widget (corner icon)

Include the Blade snippet anywhere (typically at the end of your base layout before </body>):

@include('laravel-chatbot::components.floating-chat')

The widget opens a compact chat panel and sends messages to the same BotMan web endpoint. No Tailwind required (uses inline styles).

8) API usage

Endpoint:

POST /api/chatbot/message

Payload:

{
  "message": "Hi",
  "session_data": {
    "deal_count": 3
  }
}

Response (example):

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "matched": true,
    "question_id": 1,
    "message": "Hello John",
    "buttons": [
      { "label": "Join Call", "url": "https://...", "target": "_blank", "style": "primary" }
    ]
  }
}

See API_USAGE.md for more details.

9) Theme (dark/light) in test app

If you use the provided Breeze-based test app layout, a theme toggle is included in resources/views/components/admin-layout.blade.php. The theme persists in localStorage('theme') and toggles the <html>.dark class.

10) Development tips

After editing package views, if using them without publishing, just refresh. If you published views and you want to see updates, republish:

php artisan vendor:publish --provider="EmmanuelSaleem\LaravelChatbot\Providers\LaravelChatbotServiceProvider" --tag=laravel-chatbot-views --force

Clear compiled views if needed:

php artisan view:clear

11) Quick copy commands

# Install
composer require emmanuel-saleem/laravel-chatbot:@dev --prefer-source

# Publish all
php artisan vendor:publish --provider="EmmanuelSaleem\LaravelChatbot\Providers\LaravelChatbotServiceProvider"

# Or publish individually
php artisan vendor:publish --provider="EmmanuelSaleem\LaravelChatbot\Providers\LaravelChatbotServiceProvider" --tag=laravel-chatbot-config
php artisan vendor:publish --provider="EmmanuelSaleem\LaravelChatbot\Providers\LaravelChatbotServiceProvider" --tag=laravel-chatbot-migrations
php artisan vendor:publish --provider="EmmanuelSaleem\LaravelChatbot\Providers\LaravelChatbotServiceProvider" --tag=laravel-chatbot-views

# Migrate
printf "\nApplying migrations...\n" && php artisan migrate

# Clear compiled views (useful during dev)
php artisan view:clear

12) Troubleshooting

If Composer fails because of stability: ensure your app allows installing @dev or require a specific commit/branch.
If UI changes don’t show after publishing, add --force when re-publishing views and clear compiled views.
For login-bound variables in the web chat, ensure Ajax requests include cookies. The default chat sends credentials: 'same-origin'.

Happy building! If something feels rough, open an issue or send a PR.

Maintainers: Release a new version (no @dev installs)

Choose the next semantic version (example: v0.1.0):

git add -A
git commit -m "chore(release): v0.1.0"
git tag v0.1.0
git push origin main --tags

Ensure the package is on Packagist and auto-updates

Create/claim on Packagist: https://packagist.org/packages/submit
Package name should be emmanuel-saleem/laravel-chatbot
Enable “auto-update via GitHub webhook” (recommended)

Consumers can now install a stable tag (no @dev):

composer require emmanuel-saleem/laravel-chatbot:^0.1.0

Optional: organization/vendor move

If you plan to publish under an organization (e.g., es-77/laravel-chatbot), update composer.json:

{
  "name": "es-77/laravel-chatbot",
  "description": "A Laravel Chatbot package.",
  "type": "library"
}

Then create the new package on Packagist and deprecate the old one, or set it to “Abandoned: use es-77/laravel-chatbot” in Packagist settings.

Badges (forks / issues / stars)

Add these to the top of the README (replace main if using another branch):

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![Forks](https://img.shields.io/github/forks/es-77/laravel-chatbot?style=social)
![Issues](https://img.shields.io/github/issues/es-77/laravel-chatbot)

emmanuel-saleem / laravel-chatbot

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