Laravel Breadcrumbs – Generate breadcrumbs in Laravel

Laravel Breadcrumbs is a package that allows you to easily create and manage breadcrumbs in your Laravel applications. Breadcrumbs are useful for enhancing user navigation, helping users understand their current location within the application, and improving overall user experience.

Key Features of Laravel Breadcrumbs:

Simple API: Provides a straightforward API for defining breadcrumb trails.
Automatic Rendering: Automatically generates breadcrumb links based on defined routes.
Customizable: Offers options to customize the appearance and structure of breadcrumbs.
Flexible Integration: Easily integrates with existing routes and views.

Installation

To get started with Laravel Breadcrumbs, follow these steps:

Require the Package: Install the package via Composer by running the following command:

composer require davejamesmiller/laravel-breadcrumbs

1	composer require davejamesmiller/laravel-breadcrumbs

Publish Configuration: Publish the configuration file if you want to customize the package settings:

php artisan vendor:publish --provider="DaveJamesMiller\Breadcrumbs\ServiceProvider"

1	php artisan vendor:publish --provider="DaveJamesMiller\Breadcrumbs\ServiceProvider"

Register the Service Provider (if using Laravel < 5.5): If you’re using a version of Laravel earlier than 5.5, you need to manually register the service provider in your config/app.php file:

'providers' => [
    // Other service providers...
    DaveJamesMiller\Breadcrumbs\ServiceProvider::class,
],

'providers' => [

// Other service providers...

DaveJamesMiller\Breadcrumbs\ServiceProvider::class,

Defining Breadcrumbs

Create Breadcrumbs File: Create a new file named breadcrumbs.php in the routes directory:

// routes/breadcrumbs.php
use DaveJamesMiller\Breadcrumbs\Facades\Breadcrumbs;

// Home Breadcrumbs
Breadcrumbs::for('home', function ($trail) {
    $trail->push('Home', route('home'));
});

// About Page Breadcrumbs
Breadcrumbs::for('about', function ($trail) {
    $trail->parent('home'); // Link to the home breadcrumb
    $trail->push('About', route('about'));
});

// routes/breadcrumbs.php

use DaveJamesMiller\Breadcrumbs\Facades\Breadcrumbs;

// Home Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs::for('home', function ($trail) {

$trail->push('Home', route('home'));

});

// About Page Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs::for('about', function ($trail) {

$trail->parent('home'); // Link to the home breadcrumb

$trail->push('About', route('about'));

});

Loading Breadcrumbs: Make sure to load the breadcrumbs file in the AppServiceProvider:

public function boot()
{
    Breadcrumbs::defaultView('breadcrumbs::bootstrap4'); // Change as needed
    $this->loadRoutesFrom(__DIR__.'/../../routes/breadcrumbs.php');
}

public function boot()

{

Breadcrumbs::defaultView('breadcrumbs::bootstrap4'); // Change as needed

$this->loadRoutesFrom(__DIR__.'/../../routes/breadcrumbs.php');

}

Using Breadcrumbs in Views

To display the breadcrumbs in your views, use the breadcrumbs() function. This will render the breadcrumb trail defined in your routes:

{{-- resources/views/layouts/app.blade.php --}}
<nav>
    {!! Breadcrumbs::render('about') !!} <!-- Pass the breadcrumb name -->
</nav>

<nav>

{!! Breadcrumbs::render('about') !!}

</nav>

Rendering Breadcrumbs

The breadcrumbs will render as an unordered list by default. You can customize the view by creating your own Blade template for breadcrumbs. For example:

Creating a Custom View: Create a new Blade template for breadcrumbs:

{{-- resources/views/breadcrumbs.blade.php --}}
<ul class="breadcrumb">
    @foreach ($breadcrumbs as $breadcrumb)
        <li>
            @if ($breadcrumb->url && !$loop->last)
                <a href="{{ $breadcrumb->url }}">{{ $breadcrumb->title }}</a>
            @else
                {{ $breadcrumb->title }}
            @endif
        </li>
    @endforeach
</ul>

@foreach ($breadcrumbs as $breadcrumb)

<li>

@if ($breadcrumb->url && !$loop->last)

<a href="{{ $breadcrumb->url }}">{{ $breadcrumb->title }}</a>

@else

@endif

</li>

@endforeach

</ul>

Using the Custom View: Use your custom view when rendering breadcrumbs:

{!! Breadcrumbs::render('about', [], 'breadcrumbs') !!}

1

{!! Breadcrumbs::render('about', [], 'breadcrumbs') !!}

Conclusion

Laravel Breadcrumbs is an essential package for improving navigation in your Laravel applications. It simplifies the creation and management of breadcrumb trails, enhancing user experience and accessibility.

Additional Considerations

Documentation: For more detailed information and advanced features, refer to the official Laravel Breadcrumbs documentation.
Customization: Explore options for customizing the appearance and behavior of breadcrumbs according to your application’s design requirements.