Laravel Inertiajs with Vue Designer (Vite-powered)

Introduction

This tutorial will guide you through setting up a Laravel Inertia.js project with Vue Designer, a desktop visual editor that enhances your Vue applications. You’ll learn how to configure a Vite-powered project to enable live-designing capabilities, making it easier to develop and prototype your web applications visually.

Step 1: Setting Up the Project

• Clone the Sample Repository
  • Start by cloning the provided sample repository that contains the basic structure for your Laravel Inertia.js application.
  • Use the following command in your terminal:

    git clone https://github.com/perisicnikola37/laravel-inertia-vue-spa.git
    

• Navigate to the Project Directory
  • Change to the project directory:

    cd laravel-inertia-vue-spa
    

Step 2: Install Dependencies

• Install Composer Packages
  • Run the following command to install necessary PHP packages:

    composer install
    

• Install Node.js Dependencies
  • After Composer has finished, install the Node.js packages using Yarn or npm:

    npm install
    

    or, if you prefer Yarn:

    yarn install
    

Step 3: Configure Vite

• Open Vite Configuration
  • Locate the vite.config.js file in your project root. This file is crucial for configuring how Vite bundles your application.
• Modify Configuration for Vue Designer
  • Ensure your Vite configuration allows for hot module replacement, which is essential for live designing.
  • You may need to adjust the server settings to match your local development environment.

Step 4: Start the Development Server

• Run the Laravel Server
  • In one terminal window, start the Laravel server with:

    php artisan serve
    

• Run the Vite Development Server
  • In another terminal window, start Vite with:

    npm run dev
    

    or:

    yarn dev
    

Step 5: Integrate Vue Designer

• Open Vue Designer
  • Launch the Vue Designer application on your desktop.
• Connect to Your Project
  • Use the option in Vue Designer to connect to your running project, allowing you to live-edit Vue components.
• Design Your Components
  • Use the visual tools provided by Vue Designer to modify and design your Vue components.

Step 6: Finalizing Your Project

• Review Your Changes
  • Check that live changes reflect in your application as you design.
• Commit Your Changes
  • Regularly commit your changes using Git to keep track of your development progress:

    git add .
    git commit -m "Initial setup with Vue Designer"
    

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you have successfully set up a Laravel Inertia.js project integrated with Vue Designer, enabling you to visually design and develop your Vue components. As a next step, consider exploring the advanced features of Vue Designer or integrating additional libraries such as TailwindCSS for enhanced styling capabilities. Happy coding!