Laravel 8.* + Backpack + CRUD- Article with tags

In order to proceed you should have:
- Laravel installed + Backpack admin (teaching purposes)
- Tags CRUD created
- virtual host ready for you
- xampp setup or other web server
- composer installed

We will define what an Article consists of
- title — text
- content — text — RichTextEditor
- tags (many available) — select with multiple options

New tutorial to add file upload to the artilce
- image (one image) — image upload

# STEP 1. create migration for many to many

php artisan make:migration:schema create_article_tags_table --model=0 --schema="article_id:integer:unsigned,tag_id:integer:unsigned"

This will create a new file in your migrations folder:

Create Article Tags migration

Remove the timestamp from the migration and then run:

php artisan migrate

We have now the table prepared many to many connections

#Step 2 — create article table

php artisan make:migration:schema create_articles_table --model=0 --schema="title:string,content:longText"

and then

php artisan migrate

#Step 3 — Create crud for Articles

php artisan backpack:crud article

#Step 4 — edit Article model

Add the following function

public function tags()
    {
        return $this->belongsToMany(Tag::class, 'article_tags','article_id', 'tag_id');
    }

This makes the connection between articles and tags stating that one article could belong to many tags using the article_tags table for the reference.

Reference will be made by adding a new row for every tag.

#Step 5 — Alter Article controller

Add new function to the controller

private function getFieldsData($show = FALSE) {
        return [
            [
                'name'=> 'title',
                'label' => 'Title',
                'type'=> 'text'
            ],
            [
                'name' => 'content',
                'label' => 'Content',
                'type' => ($show ? "textarea": 'ckeditor'),
            ],
            [    // Select2Multiple = n-n relationship (with pivot table)
                'label'     => "Tags",
                'type'      => ($show ? "select": 'select2_multiple'),
                'name'      => 'tags', // the method that defines the relationship in your Model
// optional
                'entity'    => 'tags', // the method that defines the relationship in your Model
                'model'     => "App\Models\Tag", // foreign key model
                'attribute' => 'name', // foreign key attribute that is shown to user
                'pivot'     => true, // on create&update, do you need to add/delete pivot table entries?
            ]
        ];
    }

Update setup method

Add new method at the bottom of the file — setupShowOperation

protected function setupShowOperation()
{
    // by default the Show operation will try to show all columns in the db table,
    // but we can easily take over, and have full control of what columns are shown,
    // by changing this config for the Show operation
    $this->crud->set('show.setFromDb', false);
    $this->crud->addColumns($this->getFieldsData(TRUE));
}

Final result:

Menu is updated

Listing is present

Add is updated

Preview is updated