spatie/laravel-view-models

A view model is a class used to transform data and encapsulate complex logic required by a view, making controllers lighter.

To create one, extend Spatie\ViewModels\ViewModel. All public properties and methods are automatically exposed to the view.

Key Behaviors:

• Automatic Exposure: Any public property or method can be accessed directly in Blade using the variable name (e.g., $property or $method()).
• Ignoring Methods: If you want to prevent a public method from being accessible in the view, add its name to the $ignore protected property.
• Function Arguments: You can expose methods that require parameters. In Blade, these are called using the syntax {{ $methodName($argument) }}.
• Magic Methods: PHP's built-in magic methods are automatically ignored and not exposed to the view.

class PostViewModel extends ViewModel
{
    protected $ignore = ['ignoredMethod'];

    public $post;

    public function __construct(Post $post)
    {
        $this->post = $post;
    }

    public function ignoredMethod() { /* Not available in view */ }

    public function formatDate(\Carbon $date): string
    {
        return $date->format('Y-m-d');
    }
}

You can use view models in two primary ways within your controllers:

1. Passing to a view

Instantiate the view model and pass it as the second argument to the view() helper. All public data will be available in the Blade template.

2. Returning as a response

• JSON Response: If you return the view model instance directly from a controller method, it will return a JSON response containing the view model's data. This is useful for AJAX requests.
• Rendered View: To return a specific view instead of JSON, call the ->view('view.name') method on the view model instance. Note: If the request has a Content-Type: application/json header, this will still return JSON instead of the rendered view.

// Passing to a view
public function create()
{
    $viewModel = new PostViewModel(current_user());
    return view('blog.form', $viewModel);
}

// Returning as a JSON response (useful for AJAX)
public function update(Request $request, Post $post)
{
    return new PostViewModel($post);
}

// Returning a specific view
public function update(Request $request, Post $post)
{
    return (new PostViewModel($post))->view('post.form');
}