# Integrating with Laravel

This page explains how to integrate Shoelace with a [Laravel](https://laravel.com) app using a local Webpack bundle. This is a community-maintained document. For questions about this integration, please [ask the community](/resources/community).

## Requirements

This integration has been tested with the following:

- Laravel >= 8
- Node >= 14
- Laravel Mix >= 6

## Instructions

These instructions assume an out-of-the-box [Laravel 8+ install](https://laravel.com/docs/8.x/installation) that uses [Laravel Mix](https://laravel.com/docs/8.x/mix) to compile assets.
Be sure to run `npm install` to install the default Laravel front-end dependencies before installing Shoelace. 

### Install the Shoelace package

```bash
npm install @shoelace-style/shoelace
```

### Import the Default Theme

Import Shoelace's default theme (stylesheet) in `/resources/css/app.css`:

```css
@import "/node_modules/@shoelace-style/shoelace/dist/themes/light.css";
```

### Import Your Shoelace Components

Import each Shoelace component you plan to use in `/resources/js/boostrap.js`. Since [Laravel Mix](https://laravel.com/docs/8.x/mix) uses Webpack, use the full path to each component -- as outlined in the [Cherry Picking instructions](https://shoelace.style/getting-started/installation?id=cherry-picking). You can find the full import statement for a component in the *Importing* section of the component's documentation (use the *Bundler* import). Your imports should look similar to:

```js
import "@shoelace-style/shoelace/dist/components/button/button.js";
import "@shoelace-style/shoelace/dist/components/dialog/dialog.js";
import "@shoelace-style/shoelace/dist/components/drawer/drawer.js";
import "@shoelace-style/shoelace/dist/components/menu/menu.js";
import "@shoelace-style/shoelace/dist/components/menu-item/menu-item.js";
```

### Set the Base Path

Add the base path to your Shoelace assets (icons, images, etc.) in `/resources/js/boostrap.js`. The path must point to the same folder where you copy assets to in the next step.

```js
import { setBasePath } from "@shoelace-style/shoelace/dist/utilities/base-path.js";
setBasePath("/");
```

Here's an example `/resources/js/boostrap.js` file, after importing and setting the base path and components.

```js
import { setBasePath } from "@shoelace-style/shoelace/dist/utilities/base-path.js";
setBasePath("/assets");

import "@shoelace-style/shoelace/dist/components/button/button.js";
import "@shoelace-style/shoelace/dist/components/dialog/dialog.js";
import "@shoelace-style/shoelace/dist/components/drawer/drawer.js";
import "@shoelace-style/shoelace/dist/components/menu/menu.js";
import "@shoelace-style/shoelace/dist/components/menu-item/menu-item.js";
```


### Configure Laravel Mix

[Laravel Mix](https://laravel.com/docs/8.x/mix) is a wrapper around Webpack that simplifies configuration. Mix is used by default for compiling front-end assets in Laravel.

Modify `webpack.mix.js` to add Shoelace's assets to Webpack's build process:
```js
mix.js("resources/js/app.js", "public/js")
    .postCss("resources/css/app.css", "public/css", [])
    .copy("node_modules/@shoelace-style/shoelace/dist/assets", "public/assets")
```

Consider [extracting vendor libraries](https://laravel.com/docs/8.x/mix#vendor-extraction) to a separate file. This splits frequently updated vendor libraries (like Shoelace) from your front-end application code -- for better long-term caching.
Here's an example `webpack.mix.js` file that compiles and splits your JS into `app.js` and `vendor.js` files, and builds an optimized CSS bundle using PostCSS.

```js
mix.js("resources/js/app.js", "public/js")
    .postCss("resources/css/app.css", "public/css", [])
    .copy("node_modules/@shoelace-style/shoelace/dist/assets", "public/assets")
    .extract(); // extracts libraries in node_modules to vendor.js
```

### Compile Front-End Assets

Run the [Laravel Mix](https://laravel.com/docs/8.x/mix) npm scripts to build your application's CSS and JavaScript code. 

```bash
## build a development bundle
npm run dev

## build a production bundle
npm run prod
```

### Include Front-End Assets in Your Layout File

Most full-stack Laravel applications use [layouts](https://laravel.com/docs/8.x/blade#building-layouts) to define the basic structure of a page. 
After compiling your front-end assets (above), include them in your top-level layouts/templates. The following example uses the [Laravel asset helper](https://laravel.com/docs/8.x/helpers#method-asset) to generate a full URL. 

```html
<script defer src="{{ asset('js/manifest.js') }}"></script>
<script defer src="{{ asset('js/vendor.js') }}"></script>
<script defer src="{{ asset('/js/app.js') }}"></script>

<link href="{{ asset('css/app.css') }}" rel="stylesheet">
```

Have fun using Shoelace components in your Laravel app!