Backpack Settings

If you need to customize the core behavior (routes, controllers, or models) of the package:

1. Routes: Create a routes/backpack/settings.php file. The package will prioritize this file over its internal routes.
2. Controllers/Models: Create your own classes that extend the package's controllers or models. Use these custom classes within your custom routes file.

There is no UI for adding new settings; they must be added directly to the database (e.g., via migrations or seeders).

The settings table schema is:

• id: Primary key
• key: The unique identifier (e.g., contact_email)
• name: Human-readable label
• description: Explanation of the setting
• value: The actual setting value
• field: Crucial. A JSON string containing the Backpack CRUD field configuration. The name key inside this JSON must be set to "value" for the setting to work correctly.
• active: Boolean (1 or 0)
• created_at / updated_at

The package automatically binds all settings stored in your database to the Laravel configuration repository during the application boot process. This allows you to retrieve any setting using the standard config() helper or the Config facade.

To ensure your settings are organized, you can define a config_prefix in config/backpack/settings.php. If a prefix is set, the configuration key will be prefix.setting_key. If no prefix is set, the key will simply be the key stored in the database.

// If config('backpack.settings.config_prefix') is 'settings'
// and you have a setting with key 'contact_email' and value 'admin@example.com'

$email = config('settings.contact_email');

The package loads its routes from a default file located at /routes/backpack/settings.php within the package.

If you want to override the package's default routes with your own custom logic, create a file at routes/backpack/settings.php in your application's root directory. The service provider will detect this file and use it instead of the vendor version.

You can access settings values similarly to how you use Laravel's config() helper. The values are stored in the database and fetched on boot.

Use the Setting model or the config() helper with the settings prefix.

Setting::get('contact_email');
// or
Config::get('settings.contact_email');

The SettingCrudController uses configuration values to determine which model to manage and which route to use. You can override these in config/backpack/settings.php using the following keys:

• model: The FQCN of the model used for settings (defaults to \Backpack\Settings\app\Models\Setting::class).
• route: The URL path for the settings CRUD (used by backpack_url()).

Use the Setting::get($key, $default) static method to retrieve a value from the settings table. The $key corresponds to the key column in your database. If the key does not exist, the method returns the provided $default value.

// Returns the value for the key 'site_name'
$name = 
\Backpack\Settings\app\Models\Setting::get('site_name');

// Returns 'Default Name' if 'site_name' is not found
$name = 
\Backpack\Settings\app\Models\Setting::get('site_name', 'Default Name');

Use the Setting::set($key, $value) static method to update a setting's value in the database.

Behavior details:

• It updates the value column for the record matching the provided $key.
• It automatically attempts to sync the new value to the Laravel configuration using the backpack.settings.database_prefix defined in your config. If a prefix is configured (e.g., settings.), the config key will be settings.your_key.
• Returns true if the configuration was successfully updated to match the new value, otherwise returns false.

// Updates the database and the runtime config
\Backpack\Settings\app\Models\Setting::set('site_name', 'My New Site');

By default, the package uses \Backpack\Settings\app\Models\Setting::class as the Eloquent model for settings. You can swap this for your own custom model by updating the model key in config/backpack/settings.php.

The package also registers a Setting alias in the Laravel AliasLoader, which points to whatever model class is defined in your configuration.

// In config/backpack/settings.php
'model' => \App\Models\MyCustomSetting::class,

// You can then use the alias anywhere in your app
Setting::all();