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Overview

The User model extends Laravel’s Authenticatable class and serves as the core authentication model for Health Manager. It includes role-based access control, user permissions, and self-provisioning admin functionality.

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Namespace

App\Models\User

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Class Declaration

class User extends Authenticatable

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Database Schema

The users table includes the following columns:
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id
bigint
required
Primary key, auto-incrementing
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name
string
required
User’s full name
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email
string
required
User’s email address (unique)
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username
string
required
User’s unique username for login
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password
string
required
Hashed password
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role
string
default:"user"
User role (either ‘admin’ or ‘user’)
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email_verified_at
timestamp
Email verification timestamp
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remember_token
string
Remember me token for persistent sessions
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created_at
timestamp
Record creation timestamp
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updated_at
timestamp
Record last update timestamp

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Fillable Attributes

These attributes can be mass assigned:
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name
string
required
User’s full name
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email
string
required
User’s email address
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username
string
required
Unique username for authentication
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password
string
required
User’s password (will be automatically hashed)
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role
string
default:"user"
User role: ‘admin’ or ‘user’

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Hidden Attributes

These attributes are automatically hidden from JSON serialization:
  • password
  • remember_token

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Casts

[
    'email_verified_at' => 'datetime',
    'password' => 'hashed',
]

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Relationships

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allowedViewers()

Defines users who have permission to view this user’s health data. 
public function allowedViewers()
{
    return $this->belongsToMany(User::class, 'user_permissions', 'owner_id', 'viewer_id');
}

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accessibleUsers()

Defines users whose health data this user has permission to view. 
public function accessibleUsers()
{
    return $this->belongsToMany(User::class, 'user_permissions', 'viewer_id', 'owner_id');
}

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Methods

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isAdmin()

Checks if the user has admin role.
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return
bool
Returns true if user role is ‘admin’, false otherwise
public function isAdmin(): bool
{
    return $this->role === 'admin';
}
Example Usage: 
$user = User::find(1);

if ($user->isAdmin()) {
    // Grant admin access
    echo "Welcome, administrator!";
}

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canView()

Checks if the user can view a target user’s health data.
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targetUserId
int
required
The ID of the user whose data access is being checked
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return
bool
Returns true if user can view target user’s data
public function canView($targetUserId)
{
    return $this->id === $targetUserId ||
           $this->accessibleUsers()->where('owner_id', $targetUserId)->exists();
}
Example Usage: 
$currentUser = auth()->user();
$targetUserId = 5;

if ($currentUser->canView($targetUserId)) {
    // User can view this data
    $measurements = MeasurementWeight::where('user_id', $targetUserId)->get();
}

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Boot Method

The User model includes a boot method that automatically assigns the ‘admin’ role to the first user created in the system. 
protected static function boot()
{
    parent::boot();

    static::creating(function ($user) {
        if (static::count() === 0) {
            $user->role = 'admin';
        }
    });
}

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Usage Examples

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Creating a New User

// First user becomes admin automatically
$admin = User::create([
    'name' => 'John Admin',
    'email' => '[email protected]',
    'username' => 'johnadmin',
    'password' => 'secure-password', // Will be hashed automatically
    'role' => 'user', // Will be overridden to 'admin' for first user
]);

// Subsequent users have 'user' role
$user = User::create([
    'name' => 'Jane Doe',
    'email' => '[email protected]',
    'username' => 'janedoe',
    'password' => 'secure-password',
]);

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Managing User Permissions

// Grant viewer permission
$owner = User::find(1);
$viewer = User::find(2);

// Allow viewer to access owner's health data
$owner->allowedViewers()->attach($viewer->id);

// Check if viewer has access
if ($viewer->canView($owner->id)) {
    echo "Access granted";
}

// Get all users this viewer can access
$accessibleUsers = $viewer->accessibleUsers;

// Get all viewers for an owner
$viewers = $owner->allowedViewers;

// Revoke access
$owner->allowedViewers()->detach($viewer->id);

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Checking Admin Status

$user = auth()->user();

if ($user->isAdmin()) {
    // Admin-only operations
    $allUsers = User::all();
} else {
    // Regular user operations
    $ownData = $user->accessibleUsers;
}

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Authentication Example

// Login with username
if (Auth::attempt(['username' => 'johnadmin', 'password' => 'password'])) {
    $user = Auth::user();
    echo "Welcome, {$user->name}";
}

// Login with email
if (Auth::attempt(['email' => '[email protected]', 'password' => 'password'])) {
    $user = Auth::user();
    echo "Welcome, {$user->name}";
}

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Traits Used

  • HasFactory - Enables model factories for testing and seeding
  • Notifiable - Adds notification functionality to users

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