Auto-generated Repository Pattern in Laravel

A repository is a separation between a domain and a persistent layer. The repository provides a collection interface to access data stored in a database, file system or external service. Data is returned in the form of objects.

The main idea to use Repository Pattern in a Laravel application is to create a bridge between models and controllers. This pattern keeps your Laravel code clean and safe, it is worth using repositories to separate the responsibility for which the model should never be responsible.

This package assists to automatically generate the Interface, Repository, Model and Controller files in saving your time and supporting to focus on implementing the logic. Especially, you do not need binding the interface and repository class in Service provider class

https://github.com/cuongnd88/lara-repository

1-Install cuongnd88/lara-repository using Composer.

$ composer require cuongnd88/lara-repository

2-Add the following service provider in config/app.php

<?php
// config/app.php
return [
    // ...
    'providers' => [
        // ...
        Cuongnd88\LaraRepo\LaraRepoServiceProvider::class,
    ]
    // ...
];

3-Run make:repository command

php artisan make:repository --interface=User/UserInterface --repository=User/UserRepository --model=Models/User --controller=User/UserController

--interface is to indicate the Interface file.

--repository is to indicate the Repository file.

--model is to allocate the Model. If not exists, it will confirm to create a model.

--controller option is to create the Controller file. With @resource, it generates a resource controller class.

Sample Usage

Let start code less by running the command:

php artisan make:repository --interface=Staff/StaffInterface --repository=Staff/StaffRepository --model=Models/Staff --controller=Staff/StaffController@resource

The Repositories directory is created when you run the command. All interface and repository files are stores in the app/Repositories/Language directory.

Now inside StaffController, StaffInterface already injected into the construct method. This action is called Dependency Injection

<?php

namespace App\Http\Controllers\Staff;

use App\Http\Controllers\Controller;
use App\Repositories\Staff\StaffInterface;
use Illuminate\Http\Request;

class StaffController extends Controller
{
    protected $staffInterface;

    public function __construct(StaffInterface $staffInterface)
    {
        $this->staffInterface = $staffInterface;        
    }

    /**
     * Display a listing of the resource.
     *
     * @return \Illuminate\Http\Response
     */
    public function index()
    {
        //
    }

    /**
     * Show the form for creating a new resource.
     *
     * @return \Illuminate\Http\Response
     */
    public function create()
    {
        //
    }

    /**
     * Store a newly created resource in storage.
     *
     * @param  \Illuminate\Http\Request  $request
     * @return \Illuminate\Http\Response
     */
    public function store(Request $request)
    {
        //
    }

    /**
     * Display the specified resource.
     *
     * @param  int  $id
     * @return \Illuminate\Http\Response
     */
    public function show($id)
    {
        //
    }

    /**
     * Show the form for editing the specified resource.
     *
     * @param  int  $id
     * @return \Illuminate\Http\Response
     */
    public function edit($id)
    {
        //
    }

    /**
     * Update the specified resource in storage.
     *
     * @param  \Illuminate\Http\Request  $request
     * @param  int  $id
     * @return \Illuminate\Http\Response
     */
    public function update(Request $request, $id)
    {
        //
    }

    /**
     * Remove the specified resource from storage.
     *
     * @param  int  $id
     * @return \Illuminate\Http\Response
     */
    public function destroy($id)
    {
        //
    }
}

Please take a look the auto-generated repositories.php in config directory

<?php
//config/repositories.php
return [
    \App\Repositories\User\UserInterface::class => \App\Repositories\User\UserRepository::class,
    \App\Repositories\Staff\StaffInterface::class => \App\Repositories\Staff\StaffRepository::class,
    \App\Repositories\Language\LanguageInterface::class => \App\Repositories\Language\LanguageRepository::class,

];

The Repository Pattern also allows us to write less code inside our Controllers and that makes it even better rather having a giant code in the Controller which isn't what we want if we are aiming for better maintainability and readability. Let's keep it that way, clean controllers.

Demo

This is demo soure code

app/Repositories

Staff/StaffController.php

Comments

[Benjamin Delespierre]

Great article! Would it be at all possible to see how to use the repositories in controllers?

[Ngo Dinh Cuong]

Thank you for your question :)
Yes, you can use repositories by manually adding them

    public function __construct(UserInterface $userInterface, StaffInterface $staffInterface, ProductInterface $productInterface)
    {
        $this->userInterface = $userInterface;
        $this->staffInterface= $staffInterface;
        $this->productInterface= $productInterface;
    }

[Benjamin Delespierre]

Is the UserInterface an entity? A Repository? Also, why would you suffix a property name with interface when it's an object?

[Ngo Dinh Cuong]

Thank you :)!
Laravel allows you binding Interfaces To Implementations. This means lara-repository already do it for you.
\App\Repositories\Staff\StaffInterface::class => \App\Repositories\Staff\StaffRepository::class,
lara-repository injects the StaffRepository when a class needs an implementation of StaffInterface.