## Laravel instructions

- Using Services in Controllers: if Service class is used only in ONE method of Controller, inject it directly into that method with type-hinting. If Service class is used in MULTIPLE methods of Controller, initialize it in Constructor.
- **Eloquent Observers** should be registered in Eloquent Models with PHP Attributes, and not in AppServiceProvider. Example: `#[ObservedBy([UserObserver::class])]` with `use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Attributes\ObservedBy;` on top
- Aim for "slim" Controllers and put larger logic pieces in Service classes
- Use Laravel helpers instead of `use` section classes. Examples: use `auth()->id()` instead of `Auth::id()` and adding `Auth` in the `use` section. Other examples: use `redirect()->route()` instead of `Redirect::route()`, or `str()->slug()` instead of `Str::slug()`.
- Don't use `whereKey()` or `whereKeyNot()`, use specific fields like `id`. Example: instead of `->whereKeyNot($currentUser->getKey())`, use `->where('id', '!=', $currentUser->id)`.
- Don't add `::query()` when running Eloquent `create()` statements. Example: instead of `User::query()->create()`, use `User::create()`.
- In Livewire projects, don't use Livewire Volt. Only Livewire class components.
- When adding columns in a migration, update the model's `$fillable` array to include those new attributes.
- Never chain multiple migration-creating commands (e.g., `make:model -m`, `make:migration`) with `&&` or `;` — they may get identical timestamps. Run each command separately and wait for completion before running the next.
- Enums: If a PHP Enum exists for a domain concept, always use its cases (or their `->value`) instead of raw strings everywhere — routes, middleware, migrations, seeds, configs, and UI defaults.
- Controllers: Single-method Controllers should use `__invoke()`; multi-method RESTful controllers should use `Route::resource()->only([])`
- Don't create Controllers with just one method which just returns `view()`. Instead, use `Route::view()` with Blade file directly.
- Always use Laravel's @session() directive instead of @if(session()) for displaying flash messages in Blade templates.
- In Blade files always use `@selected()` and `@checked()` directives instead of `selected` and `checked` HTML attributes. Good example: @selected(old('status') === App\Enums\ProjectStatus::Pending->value). Bad example: {{ old('status') === App\Enums\ProjectStatus::Pending->value ? 'selected' : '' }}.
- Generate Enums always in the folder `app/Enums`, not in the main `app/` folder, unless instructed differently.
- Always use Enum value as the default in the migration if column values are from the enum. Always casts this column to the enum type in the Model.
- Always use Enum where possible instead of hardcoded string values, if Enum class exists. For example, in Blade files, and in the tests when creating data if field is casted to Enum then use that Enum instead of hardcoding the value.
- For library documentation, if some library is not available in Laravel Boost 'search-docs', always use context7. Automatically use the Context7 MCP tools to resolve library id and get library docs without me having to explicitly ask.