aire-development

name	aire-development
description	Build and work with Aire forms in Laravel, including the fluent PHP API, data binding, validation, and customization.

Aire Form Development

When to use this skill

Use this skill when creating, modifying, debugging, or styling HTML forms in a Laravel application that uses the glhd/aire package. This includes any work involving form elements, data binding, validation, or form customization.

Overview

Aire is a Laravel form builder with a fluent API. It is accessed via the Aire facade (Galahad\Aire\Support\Facades\Aire). Aire automatically handles CSRF tokens, HTTP method spoofing, old input repopulation, and server-side validation error display.

Opening and Closing Forms

Every form must be opened and closed. Aire uses output buffering between open and close to capture form fields.

{{ Aire::open()->route('users.store') }}
    {{-- form fields --}}
{{ Aire::close() }}

Setting the Action

// From a named route (method is inferred automatically):
Aire::open()->route('users.store')
Aire::open()->route('users.update', $user)

// From a URL:
Aire::open()->action('/users')

// Resourceful (auto-detects store vs. update based on model existence):
Aire::open()->resourceful($user)
Aire::open()->resourceful($user, 'admin.users')

HTTP Methods

Aire automatically infers the method from the route. You can also set it explicitly:

Aire::open()->route('users.store')           // POST (inferred)
Aire::open()->route('users.update', $user)   // PUT (inferred)
Aire::open()->post()
Aire::open()->put()
Aire::open()->patch()
Aire::open()->delete()

For PUT, PATCH, and DELETE, Aire automatically adds a hidden _method field and sets the real method to POST.

Form Encoding

Aire::open()->multipart()    // multipart/form-data (required for file uploads)
Aire::open()->urlEncoded()   // application/x-www-form-urlencoded

Data Binding

Bind an Eloquent model, array, or object to auto-populate form fields:

{{ Aire::open()->route('users.update', $user)->bind($user) }}
    {{ Aire::input('name', 'Name') }}   {{-- pre-filled with $user->name --}}
{{ Aire::close() }}

Or with resourceful (which calls bind internally):

{{ Aire::open()->resourceful($user) }}

Value precedence (highest to lowest):

1. Explicitly set via ->value()
2. Old input from session (after validation failure)
3. Bound data from the model/array/object

Available Form Elements

Text Inputs

Aire::input('name', 'Full Name')
Aire::email('email', 'Email Address')
Aire::password('password', 'Password')
Aire::search('q', 'Search')
Aire::tel('phone', 'Phone')
Aire::url('website', 'Website')
Aire::number('age', 'Age')
Aire::range('rating', 'Rating', 1, 10)

Date and Time Inputs

Aire::date('start_date', 'Start Date')
Aire::dateTime('event_at', 'Event Date/Time')
Aire::dateTimeLocal('local_at', 'Local Date/Time')
Aire::time('start_time', 'Start Time')
Aire::month('birth_month', 'Birth Month')
Aire::week('target_week', 'Target Week')

Other Inputs

Aire::color('theme_color', 'Theme Color')
Aire::file('avatar', 'Avatar')
Aire::hidden('user_id', $user->id)

Textarea

Aire::textArea('bio', 'Biography')

Select

// Options as key => value array:
Aire::select(['draft' => 'Draft', 'published' => 'Published'], 'status', 'Status')

// Timezone select (pre-populated):
Aire::timezoneSelect('timezone', 'Timezone')

Checkboxes

// Single checkbox:
Aire::checkbox('terms', 'I agree to the terms')

// Checkbox group (multiple values):
Aire::checkboxGroup(['red' => 'Red', 'blue' => 'Blue', 'green' => 'Green'], 'colors', 'Favorite Colors')

Radio Buttons

Aire::radioGroup(['sm' => 'Small', 'md' => 'Medium', 'lg' => 'Large'], 'size', 'Size')

Buttons

Aire::submit('Save')
Aire::button('Cancel')

Error Summary

Display a summary of all validation errors at the top of the form:

Aire::summary()            // Shows error count
Aire::summary()->verbose() // Shows itemized error list

Fluent Element Methods

All elements support chaining. Common methods available on every input element:

Aire::input('name', 'Name')
    ->id('custom-id')               // Set the element ID
    ->value('default')              // Set an explicit value
    ->required()                    // HTML required attribute
    ->disabled()                    // HTML disabled attribute
    ->readOnly()                    // HTML readonly attribute
    ->placeholder('Enter name')     // Placeholder text
    ->autoComplete('name')          // Autocomplete attribute
    ->autoFocus()                   // Autofocus attribute
    ->addClass('custom-class')      // Add CSS class
    ->removeClass('old-class')      // Remove CSS class
    ->data('key', 'value')          // data-* attribute
    ->variant('lg')                 // Apply a theme variant
    ->variants('lg primary')        // Apply multiple variants

Grouping (Labels, Help Text, Errors)

By default, every form element is wrapped in a "group" that renders a label, the input, help text, and validation errors together. This is controlled by the group_by_default config option.

Aire::input('name')
    ->label('Full Name')             // Set the label text
    ->helpText('Enter your legal name')  // Help text below the input
    ->withoutGroup()                 // Render input without the group wrapper
    ->grouped()                     // Force grouping (if disabled by default)
    ->groupClass('mb-4')             // Add CSS class to the group wrapper
    ->groupId('name-group')          // Set group wrapper ID
    ->prepend('$')                   // Prepend content inside the group
    ->append('.00')                  // Append content inside the group

Validation

Server-Side Validation Errors

Aire automatically reads errors from the session (set by Laravel's validate() or FormRequest) and displays them inline within each element's group. No extra configuration needed.

Using a Custom Error Bag

Aire::open()->errorBag('login')

Client-Side Validation

Aire includes optional JavaScript-based client-side validation using the validatorjs library:

// Pass validation rules directly:
Aire::open()
    ->route('users.store')
    ->validate([
        'name' => 'required|min:3',
        'email' => 'required|email',
    ])

// Or reference a FormRequest class:
Aire::open()
    ->route('users.store')
    ->validate(StoreUserRequest::class)

// Disable client-side validation for a specific form:
Aire::open()->withoutValidation()

Alpine.js Integration

Aire can generate x-data and x-model attributes for Alpine.js:

Aire::open()->asAlpineComponent()
Aire::open()->asAlpineComponent(['extra_key' => 'value'])

When enabled, each input element will get an x-model attribute matching its name, and the form gets an x-data attribute with JSON-serialized initial values.

Configuration

Publish the config file to customize Aire's behavior:

php artisan vendor:publish --tag=aire-config

This publishes config/aire.php where you can set:

• default_classes: CSS classes for each element type
• variant_classes: Named style variants (e.g., sm, lg, primary)
• validation_classes: CSS classes for validation states (none, valid, invalid)
• group_by_default: Whether elements are grouped by default
• validate_by_default: Whether client-side validation is on by default

You can also publish and override Blade templates:

php artisan vendor:publish --tag=aire-views

Complete Form Examples

Create Form

{{ Aire::open()->route('posts.store') }}
    {{ Aire::summary() }}
    {{ Aire::input('title', 'Title')->required() }}
    {{ Aire::textArea('body', 'Content')->autoSize() }}
    {{ Aire::select(['draft' => 'Draft', 'published' => 'Published'], 'status', 'Status') }}
    {{ Aire::submit('Create Post') }}
{{ Aire::close() }}

Edit Form with Model Binding

{{ Aire::open()->resourceful($post) }}
    {{ Aire::summary() }}
    {{ Aire::input('title', 'Title')->required() }}
    {{ Aire::textArea('body', 'Content')->autoSize() }}
    {{ Aire::select(['draft' => 'Draft', 'published' => 'Published'], 'status', 'Status') }}
    {{ Aire::submit('Update Post') }}
{{ Aire::close() }}

Delete Form

{{ Aire::open()->route('posts.destroy', $post) }}
    {{ Aire::submit('Delete Post')->variant('danger') }}
{{ Aire::close() }}

Form with Client-Side Validation

{{ Aire::open()->route('users.store')->validate(StoreUserRequest::class) }}
    {{ Aire::summary() }}
    {{ Aire::input('name', 'Name')->required() }}
    {{ Aire::email('email', 'Email')->required() }}
    {{ Aire::password('password', 'Password')->required() }}
    {{ Aire::password('password_confirmation', 'Confirm Password')->required() }}
    {{ Aire::submit('Register') }}
{{ Aire::close() }}

File Upload Form

{{ Aire::open()->route('avatars.store')->multipart() }}
    {{ Aire::file('avatar', 'Profile Photo') }}
    {{ Aire::submit('Upload') }}
{{ Aire::close() }}