README

Generate production-ready CRUD scaffolding from your existing database tables for Laravel 11 & 12. Introspects your DB schema and generates Models, API Controllers, FormRequests, Resources, Policies, and Factories — all following modern Laravel best practices.

Installation

composer require votapil/votacrudgenerator --dev

Publish the config (optional):

php artisan vendor:publish --tag="votacrudgenerator-config"

Quick Start

# Generate full CRUD for the "posts" table
php artisan vota:crud Post

This creates:

app/Models/Post.php — with fillable, casts, SoftDeletes, relationships
app/Http/Controllers/PostController.php — API controller
app/Http/Requests/PostStoreRequest.php — validation from DB types
app/Http/Requests/PostUpdateRequest.php — partial update rules
app/Http/Resources/PostResource.php — JSON resource
app/Policies/PostPolicy.php — authorization
database/factories/PostFactory.php — smart faker
Route added to routes/api.php

Note: Laravel 11+ does not include routes/api.php by default. Run php artisan install:api first to enable API routing, then use the generator.

Usage

php artisan vota:crud {ModelName} [options]

Model name should be singular PascalCase. Table name is derived automatically (Post → posts, BlogPost → blog_posts).

Options

Option	Description	Example
`--path=`	Sub-path for namespace grouping	`--path=Blog` → `App\Models\Blog\Post`
`--namespace=`	Override base model namespace	`--namespace="App\Models\Admin"`
`--table=`	Explicit table name (skip convention)	`--table=wp_posts`
`--no-policy`	Skip Policy generation
`--no-request`	Skip FormRequest generation
`--no-resource`	Skip Resource generation
`--no-factory`	Skip Factory generation
`--no-route`	Skip route injection
`--force`	Overwrite existing files

Examples

# Grouped namespace
php artisan vota:crud Post --path=Blog

# Custom namespace
php artisan vota:crud Post --namespace="App\Models\Admin"

# Non-standard table name
php artisan vota:crud Post --table=legacy_blog_posts

# Only Model + Controller
php artisan vota:crud Post --no-policy --no-request --no-resource --no-factory --no-route

# Regenerate (overwrite)
php artisan vota:crud Post --force

Customize Stubs

php artisan vota:stubs

Publishes stubs to stubs/vendor/votacrud/ for editing. The generator uses your custom stubs when available.

Why This Approach?

Database-First Development

Most CRUD generators work top-down: define fields in config, generate migrations. VotaCrudGenerator works bottom-up: your database is the single source of truth.

This is powerful when:

Working with an existing database (legacy systems, shared DBs, DBA-designed schemas)
Preferring migrations-first workflow — scaffold after the schema is ready
Onboarding onto a project — quickly scaffold models for dozens of tables

Smart Schema Analysis

The generator doesn't just read column names — it understands your schema:

Detection	What Happens
`deleted_at` column	Adds `SoftDeletes` trait + `restore()` / `forceDelete()` endpoints
Foreign key constraints	Auto-generates `belongsTo()` and `hasMany()` relationships
Column types	Maps to `$casts`, validation rules, and Faker methods
Unique indexes	Adds `unique` validation rule
Nullable columns	`nullable` instead of `required` in validation
Column names (email, phone…)	Picks appropriate Faker methods

Advantages Over Manual Scaffolding

Zero typos — field names, types, relationships come directly from the DB
Consistency — every generated file follows the same conventions
Speed — scaffold a complete CRUD in seconds
Best Practices — typed returns, validated() over $request->all(), proper HTTP status codes
Customizable — publish and modify stubs to match your project style

Generated Files in Detail

Model

$fillable from non-system columns
casts() method from column types (json → array, bool → boolean, etc.)
SoftDeletes trait when deleted_at detected
belongsTo() / hasMany() from foreign keys
HasFactory trait included

Controller (API)

RESTful: index, store, show, update, destroy
Uses $request->validated() for security
Proper HTTP status codes (201 create, 204 delete)
Eager loading via ?with=relation1,relation2
SoftDeletes: adds restore() and forceDestroy()

FormRequests

Store: rules mapped from DB types (integer, string|max:255, nullable, date)
Update: same with sometimes prefix for partial updates
Unique constraints from DB indexes included

Resource

All columns mapped, JsonResource with typed toArray(Request $request): array

Policy

Standard methods: viewAny, view, create, update, delete
restore / forceDelete when SoftDeletes detected
App\Models\User, no deprecated HandlesAuthorization trait
Auto-discovered by Laravel 11/12

Factory

Faker by column name (email → safeEmail(), name → name())
Falls back to type-based (integer → randomNumber())

Routes

Auto-appends to routes/api.php:

Route::apiResource('posts', \App\Http\Controllers\PostController::class);
// + restore/forceDestroy routes when SoftDeletes detected

Note: Laravel 11+ requires php artisan install:api before routes/api.php exists. If the file is missing, the generator prints the route snippet to the console instead of failing.

Customization Guide

Stub Placeholders

Simple placeholders:

{{ modelName }}        → Post
{{ modelVariable }}    → post
{{ modelNamespace }}   → App\Models
{{ fillable }}         → ['title', 'body', ...]
{{ validationRules }}  → ['title' => 'required|string|max:255', ...]

Conditional blocks:

{{#if softDeletes}}
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\SoftDeletes;
{{/if softDeletes}}

Configuration

All defaults in config/votacrudgenerator.php:

return [
    'namespaces' => [
        'model'      => 'App\\Models',
        'controller' => 'App\\Http\\Controllers',
        'request'    => 'App\\Http\\Requests',
        'resource'   => 'App\\Http\\Resources',
        'policy'     => 'App\\Policies',
    ],
    'generate' => [
        'model' => true, 'controller' => true,
        'store_request' => true, 'update_request' => true,
        'resource' => true, 'policy' => true,
        'factory' => true, 'routes' => true,
    ],
    'detect' => [
        'soft_deletes' => true, 'timestamps' => true,
        'relationships' => true, 'casts' => true,
    ],
    'route_file'   => 'routes/api.php',
    'route_prefix' => '',
    'packages' => [
        'spatie_query_builder' => false,
    ],
];

Extending the Generator

Custom validation rules: Override getColumnValidationRule() in a custom DatabaseIntrospector bound via the service container
Custom faker methods: Override getColumnFaker() for project-specific patterns
New file types: Create a stub in stubs/vendor/votacrud/ and extend CrudGenerateCommand

🤖 AI Skills / Cursor Rules

If you use AI coding assistants like Cursor, GitHub Copilot, or Antigravity, you can train them to use VotaCrudGenerator instead of writing manual, error-prone CRUD boilerplate.

Because the generator extracts your Database Column Comments into Model PHPDocs and Resource fields, your AI will instantly understand the business context of every auto-generated field.

Add the following block to your project's .cursorrules, GitHub Copilot instructions, or AI agent context (e.g., skills/votacrud.md):

# Laravel CRUD Generation

When asked to create a new CRUD, resource, or model with its related files:
1. DO NOT write the Model, Controller, Requests, Resource, Policy, or Factory manually.
2. Ask the user to create and run the database migration first. Ensure you add `->comment(...)` to the columns to provide business context.
3. Once the database table is ready, use the VotaCrudGenerator package by running:
   `php artisan vota:crud {ModelName}`
4. The package will automatically introspect the database and generate all necessary files based on the concrete table schema (columns, types, foreign keys, soft deletes, and comments).
5. Only make manual edits to the generated files if specific custom business logic is requested.

Multi-Database Support

Works with any Laravel-supported driver via the Schema facade:

Database	Columns	Foreign Keys	Indexes
MySQL	✅	✅	✅
PostgreSQL	✅	✅	✅
SQLite	✅	✅	✅

Requirements

PHP 8.3+
Laravel 11.x or 12.x
Existing database with tables

License

MIT — see LICENSE.md

votapil / votacrudgenerator

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