Advanced Usage

Intercepting and Modifying Rules

When your FormRequest requires custom validation alongside the package's generated rules, use the $this->queryParamRules() mixin method to merge them seamlessly.

use Victormgomes\LaravelQueryEngine\Traits\HasQueryEngineRules;

#[MapQueryEngine(User::class)]
class IndexUserRequest extends FormRequest
{
    // Rename the trait method so we can call it inside our custom rules()
    use HasQueryEngineRules {
        rules as queryEngineRules;
    }

    public function rules(): array
    {
        return array_merge(
            $this->queryEngineRules(),
            [
                'custom_header' => 'required|string',
            ]
        );
    }
}

Global Registry (Alternative Resolution)

If you cannot modify the FormRequest class directly (e.g., in a third-party package), register the request-model mapping globally:

use Victormgomes\LaravelQueryEngine\Support\ModelRegistry;

ModelRegistry::register(IndexUserRequest::class, User::class);

Automatic Type Casting

Values are automatically cast into native PHP types based on your schema before hitting Eloquent.

Database Type	Cast	Example
integer, bigint	(int)	100
float, decimal	(float)	9.99
boolean	filter_var()	true
date, datetime	Carbon::parse()	Carbon instance

Frontend Dynamic Filters (Metadata)

The package provides methods to export the schema for frontend applications building dynamic filter UIs.

use Victormgomes\LaravelQueryEngine\Support\Resource;

// Deduplicated schema (Recommended for Frontend integration)
return Resource::getFilterSchema(User::class);

// Full exhaustive schema with all aliases and syntax mapping
return Resource::getQueryGuide(User::class);

The #[QueryOptions] Attribute

The core configuration for what is exposed over the API happens via the #[QueryOptions] attribute directly on your Eloquent Model. It acts as a gatekeeper, leveraging a "Whitelist vs Blacklist" architecture.

use Victormgomes\LaravelQueryEngine\Attributes\QueryOptions;

#[QueryOptions(
    // Features can be disabled entirely
    filters: true,

    // Blacklisting (Auto-discovery enabled, these are disabled)
    disableFilters: ['password', 'secret_token'],
    disableFields: ['internal_id'],

    // Whitelisting (Auto-discovery disabled, STRICTLY these are allowed)
    // allowedFilters: ['id', 'name'],

    // Security Opt-Ins (Disabled by default)
    allowedScopes: ['active', 'ofRole'],
    allowedAggregations: ['posts_count', 'comments_avg_rating'],
)]
class User extends Model
{
    // ...
}

1. Filtering by Local Scopes

Scopes must be explicitly registered in allowedScopes. Once registered, they act as virtual boolean/string filters.

// In Model: public function scopeActive($query) { ... }
// URL: ?filters[active]=true

If the scope accepts parameters (e.g. scopeOfRole($query, $role)):

// URL: ?filters[ofRole][eq]=admin

2. Selecting Accessors (Appends)

Accessors (getFirstNameAttribute or firstName(): Attribute) and properties in the $appends array are automatically discovered and can be selected via the fields parameter. You can block them using disableFields or strictly control them via allowedFields.

// URL: ?fields[]=id&fields[]=name&fields[]=first_name

3. Requesting Aggregations (Counts & Sums)

Aggregations can cause performance issues if exposed globally. Therefore, you must explicitly opt-in via allowedAggregations. The package supports _count, _exists, _sum_column, _avg_column, _min_column, and _max_column.

// QueryOptions(allowedAggregations: ['posts_count', 'orders_sum_total'])
// URL: ?fields[]=id&fields[]=name&fields[]=posts_count&fields[]=orders_sum_total

4. Overriding Global Operators

Sometimes you want to globally allow a certain operator in config/query-engine.php (like like or fts), but restrict it on a specific model for performance reasons. You can use disableOperators or allowedOperators.

#[QueryOptions(
    // Disable expensive operators just for this model
    disableOperators: ['fts', 'like'],
)]
class LogEntry extends Model
{
    // ...
}