Laravel for Beginners - Learn Laravel 11 Basics in 1 Hour

Introduction

This tutorial provides a comprehensive guide to getting started with Laravel 11, a popular PHP MVC framework. It covers the essentials of setting up a Laravel application and performing basic CRUD operations. Whether you are a beginner or looking to refresh your skills, this step-by-step guide will help you understand the core concepts of Laravel.

Step 1: Install Required Software

Before you can start with Laravel, ensure you have the following software installed:

• PHP: Download from Apache Friends
• Composer: Dependency manager for PHP, available at getcomposer.org
• Code Editor: Use Visual Studio Code for coding.

Step 2: Install Laravel

To create a new Laravel project, follow these commands in your terminal:

1. Open your terminal.
2. Navigate to the directory where you want to create your project.
3. Run the following command:

   composer create-project --prefer-dist laravel/laravel myapp
   

4. Replace myapp with your desired project name.

Step 3: Run the Local Development Server

Once Laravel is installed, you can run the built-in web server:

1. Navigate to your project directory:

   cd myapp
   

2. Start the web server:

   php artisan serve
   

3. Open your browser and go to http://localhost:8000 to see your application.

Step 4: Understand MVC Architecture

Laravel follows the MVC (Model-View-Controller) architecture:

• Model: Represents the data and business logic.
• View: The user interface.
• Controller: Handles user input and interacts with models.

Step 5: Set Up Routing

Routing is essential for directing traffic within your application:

1. Define routes in routes/web.php.
2. Example of a basic route:

   Route::get('/hello', function () {
       return 'Hello, World!';
   });
   

Step 6: Create Views

Views are created in the resources/views directory. To return a view, modify your route:

Route::get('/hello', function () {
    return view('hello');
});

Create hello.blade.php in the views directory with any HTML content.

Step 7: Use Blade Templates

Blade is Laravel's templating engine. Use Blade syntax for dynamic content:

<h1>{{ $title }}</h1>

Step 8: Generate Code with Artisan

Utilize Artisan to generate components easily:

• Create a controller:

  php artisan make:controller MyController
  

• Generate a model:

  php artisan make:model MyModel
  

Step 9: Configure Database Connection

Set up your database in the .env file. Update the following lines with your database credentials:

DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=your_database_name
DB_USERNAME=your_username
DB_PASSWORD=your_password

Step 10: Run Migrations

Migrations are used for database schema management. Run migrations with:

php artisan migrate

Step 11: Create Models

Create a model to interact with the database:

php artisan make:model Post

Define the model in app/Models/Post.php.

Step 12: Handle Form Requests

To handle form submissions:

1. Create a form in your view.
2. Define the route to handle the POST request.
3. Use the model to save data.

Step 13: Implement Validation

Validate incoming requests to ensure data integrity:

$request->validate([
    'title' => 'required|max:255',
    'body' => 'required',
]);

Step 14: Use Route Model Binding

Simplify route handling by using model binding:

Route::get('/posts/{post}', [PostController::class, 'show']);

Step 15: Handle Deletion and Flash Messages

To delete a record, use:

$post->delete();

For flash messages, use:

session()->flash('message', 'Record deleted successfully.');

Step 16: Add Pagination

To paginate results:

$posts = Post::paginate(10);

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you learned how to set up a Laravel application, configure routing, create views, manage database interactions, and implement CRUD operations. As a next step, consider exploring Laravel's documentation for deeper insights into advanced features and best practices. Happy coding!