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Overview

The Album model manages photo albums in LaraCMS. It supports media attachments, automatic slug generation, and relationships with photos. Albums are accessible via slugs for SEO-friendly URLs. Namespace: App\Models\Album Extends: Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model Implements: Spatie\MediaLibrary\HasMedia Traits:
  • InteractsWithMedia - Spatie Media Library integration

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Properties

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Table Name

protected $table = 'album';

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Fillable Attributes

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album_name
string
required
The name of the album
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slug
string
URL-friendly version of the album name (auto-generated)
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category
string
Category or type of the album
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description
text
Detailed description of the album

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Relationships

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photos()

Type: belongsToMany Related Model: App\Models\Photo Pivot Table: album_photo Description: Returns all photos that belong to this album. An album can contain multiple photos, and photos can belong to multiple albums. 
public function photos()
{
    return $this->belongsToMany(Photo::class, 'album_photo');
}
Example: 
$album = Album::find(1);
$photos = $album->photos;

foreach ($photos as $photo) {
    echo $photo->title;
}

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Methods

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boot()

Returns: void Description: Boot method that automatically generates a slug from the album name when creating a new album. 
protected static function boot()
{
    parent::boot();
    static::creating(function ($album) {
        // Only generate slug if album_name is set
        if ($album->album_name) {
            $album->slug = Str::slug($album->album_name);
        }
    });
}
Example: 
$album = Album::create([
    'album_name' => 'Summer Vacation 2024',
    'category' => 'Travel',
]);

// Slug is automatically set to: 'summer-vacation-2024'
echo $album->slug;

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getRouteKeyName()

Returns: string Description: Configures Laravel to use the ‘slug’ field instead of ‘id’ for route model binding, enabling SEO-friendly URLs. 
public function getRouteKeyName()
{
    return 'slug';
}
Example: 
// Route definition
Route::get('/albums/{album}', [AlbumController::class, 'show']);

// URL: /albums/summer-vacation-2024 (instead of /albums/1)
// In controller:
public function show(Album $album) {
    // $album is automatically loaded by slug
}

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registerMediaConversions()

Parameters:
  • $media - Spatie\MediaLibrary\MediaCollections\Models\Media|null
Returns: void Description: Defines image conversions for album media. Creates a ‘preview’ conversion that fits images to 300x300 pixels. 
public function registerMediaConversions(?Media $media = null): void
{
    $this
        ->addMediaConversion('preview')
        ->fit(Fit::Contain, 300, 300)
        ->nonQueued();
}

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Usage Examples

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Creating an Album

use App\Models\Album;

$album = Album::create([
    'album_name' => 'Wedding Photography',
    'category' => 'Events',
    'description' => 'Beautiful moments from the wedding ceremony',
]);

// Slug is automatically generated: 'wedding-photography'

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Adding Media to Album

$album = Album::find(1);

// Add media file
$album->addMedia($request->file('cover_image'))
    ->toMediaCollection();

// Get all media
$media = $album->getMedia();

// Get first media URL
$coverUrl = $album->getFirstMediaUrl();

// Get preview conversion
$previewUrl = $album->getFirstMediaUrl('default', 'preview');

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Working with Photos

$album = Album::find(1);

// Attach photos to album
$album->photos()->attach([1, 2, 3]);

// Attach single photo
$album->photos()->attach($photoId);

// Sync photos (replace all existing)
$album->photos()->sync([1, 2, 3, 4, 5]);

// Detach photo
$album->photos()->detach($photoId);

// Get photo count
$photoCount = $album->photos()->count();

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Finding Albums

// Find by slug
$album = Album::where('slug', 'wedding-photography')->first();

// Using route model binding (automatically uses slug)
// Route: /albums/{album}
// URL: /albums/wedding-photography

// Find by category
$eventAlbums = Album::where('category', 'Events')->get();

// Search by name
$albums = Album::where('album_name', 'like', '%Wedding%')->get();

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Retrieving Albums with Photos

// Eager load photos
$albums = Album::with('photos')->get();

// Load photos with media
$album = Album::with('photos.media')->find(1);

// Get albums that have photos
$albumsWithPhotos = Album::has('photos')->get();

// Get albums with photo count
$albums = Album::withCount('photos')->get();

foreach ($albums as $album) {
    echo "{$album->album_name} has {$album->photos_count} photos";
}

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Updating Albums

$album = Album::find(1);

$album->update([
    'album_name' => 'Updated Album Name',
    'description' => 'Updated description',
]);

// Note: Slug is NOT automatically updated on updates
// To update slug manually:
$album->slug = Str::slug($album->album_name);
$album->save();

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Deleting Albums

$album = Album::find(1);

// This will remove the album but NOT the photos
// Photos can still exist in other albums
$album->delete();

// To also detach all photos before deleting:
$album->photos()->detach();
$album->delete();

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Database Schema

The album table includes:
  • id - Primary key
  • album_name - Album name
  • slug - URL-friendly slug (unique)
  • category - Album category
  • description - Album description
  • created_at - Timestamp
  • updated_at - Timestamp

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Pivot Tables

album_photo:
  • album_id - Foreign key to album table
  • photo_id - Foreign key to photos table
  • Photo - Photos in the album

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