## Do Things the Laravel Way
- Use `php artisan make:` commands to create new files (i.e. migrations, controllers, models, etc.). You can list available Artisan commands using the `list-artisan-commands` tool.
- If you're creating a generic PHP class, use `artisan make:class`.
- Pass `--no-interaction` to all Artisan commands to ensure they work without user input. You should also pass the correct `--options` to ensure correct behavior.
### Database
- Always use proper Eloquent relationship methods with return type hints. Prefer relationship methods over raw queries or manual joins.
- Use Eloquent models and relationships before suggesting raw database queries
- Avoid `DB::`; prefer `Model::query()`. Generate code that leverages Laravel's ORM capabilities rather than bypassing them.
- Generate code that prevents N+1 query problems by using eager loading.
- Use Laravel's query builder for very complex database operations.
### Model Creation
- When creating new models, create useful factories and seeders for them too. Ask the user if they need any other things, using `list-artisan-commands` to check the available options to `php artisan make:model`.
### APIs & Eloquent Resources
- For APIs, default to using Eloquent API Resources and API versioning unless existing API routes do not, then you should follow existing application convention.
### Controllers & Validation
- Always create Form Request classes for validation rather than inline validation in controllers. Include both validation rules and custom error messages.
- Check sibling Form Requests to see if the application uses array or string based validation rules.
### Queues
- Use queued jobs for time-consuming operations with the `ShouldQueue` interface.
### Authentication & Authorization
- Use Laravel's built-in authentication and authorization features (gates, policies, Sanctum, etc.).
### URL Generation
- When generating links to other pages, prefer named routes and the `route()` function.
### Configuration
- Use environment variables only in configuration files - never use the `env()` function directly outside of config files. Always use `config('app.name')`, not `env('APP_NAME')`.
### Testing
- When creating models for tests, use the factories for the models. Check if the factory has custom states that can be used before manually setting up the model.
- Faker: Use methods such as `$this->faker->word()` or `fake()->randomDigit()`. Follow existing conventions whether to use `$this->faker` or `fake()`.
- When creating tests, make use of `php artisan make:test [options] <name>` to create a feature test, and pass `--unit` to create a unit test. Most tests should be feature tests.
### Vite Error
- If you receive an "Illuminate\Foundation\ViteException: Unable to locate file in Vite manifest" error, you can run `npm run build` or ask the user to run `npm run dev` or `composer run dev`.