Laravel-Docker-Dev-Template/docs/menu-management.md

Frontend Menu Management

This template includes a dynamic menu management system that allows administrators to create and manage frontend navigation menus through the admin panel.

Features

• Dynamic Menus: Create multiple menus (header, footer, sidebar, etc.)
• Nested Items: Support for parent-child menu items (dropdowns)
• Multiple Link Types:
  • External links (URLs)
  • Named routes
  • Module links (auto-generates route from module slug)
• Permission-Based Filtering: Menu items are automatically filtered based on user permissions
• Drag & Drop Reordering: Reorder menu items in the admin panel

How It Works

Permission Filtering

Menu items are automatically filtered based on the current user's permissions:

1. Module Items: If a menu item links to a module (e.g., companies), the user must have {module}.view permission (e.g., companies.view) to see that item.

2. Permission Items: If a menu item has a specific permission set, the user must have that exact permission.

3. Admin Users: Users with the admin role can see all menu items.

4. Guest Users: Only see items with no permission or module restrictions.

Usage

In Blade Templates

Use the <x-frontend-menu> component to render a menu:

{{-- Desktop navigation --}}
<x-frontend-menu menu="header" />

{{-- Mobile/responsive navigation --}}
<x-frontend-menu-responsive menu="header" />

{{-- By location --}}
<x-frontend-menu menu="footer" />

Programmatic Access

use App\Services\MenuService;

$menuService = app(MenuService::class);

// Get menu items (already filtered for current user)
$items = $menuService->getMenu('header');

// Get available modules for menu items
$modules = $menuService->getAvailableModules();

// Get available routes for menu items
$routes = $menuService->getAvailableRoutes();

Admin Panel

Navigate to Settings > Menus in the admin panel to:

1. Create new menus
2. Add/edit/delete menu items
3. Set item types (link, route, module)
4. Configure permissions for each item
5. Reorder items via drag & drop

Database Structure

menus table

• id - Primary key
• name - Display name
• slug - Unique identifier (used in templates)
• location - Optional location hint (header, footer, sidebar)
• is_active - Toggle menu visibility

menu_items table

• id - Primary key
• menu_id - Foreign key to menus
• parent_id - For nested items
• title - Display text
• type - link, route, or module
• url - For external links
• route - For named routes
• route_params - JSON parameters for routes
• module - Module slug for permission checking
• permission - Specific permission required
• icon - Heroicon name
• target - _self or _blank
• order - Sort order
• is_active - Toggle visibility

Adding Menu Items for New Modules

When creating a new module, add a menu item to link to it:

1. Go to Settings > Menus in admin
2. Edit the "Header Navigation" menu
3. Click "New" in the Items section
4. Set:
   • Title: Your module name
   • Type: Module
   • Module: Select your module from dropdown
5. Save

The menu item will automatically:

• Generate the correct URL (/{module-slug})
• Check for {module}.view permission
• Hide from users without permission

Customization

Custom Menu Component

Copy and modify the default component:

cp resources/views/components/frontend-menu.blade.php \
   resources/views/components/my-custom-menu.blade.php

Styling

The default components use Tailwind CSS classes. Modify the component templates to match your design.