How to implement drag and drop sorting with Eloquent Sortable in Laravel?

Eloquent Sortable manages the backend order column; you need a frontend library like SortableJS for UI interactions. After dragging, send the new order array via AJAX and call setNewOrder to update the database sequence.

Eloquent Sortable vs Listify – which is better for Laravel?

Eloquent Sortable is lighter and uses native Eloquent traits, while Listify offers more built-in features like advanced scoping. Choose Eloquent Sortable for simplicity and tight Laravel integration; opt for Listify if you need out-of-the-box complex sorting without custom code.

Can I use Eloquent Sortable with UUIDs or custom primary keys?

Yes, use the setNewOrderByCustomColumn method to specify a column like 'uuid' for ordering, as shown in the README examples with UUID arrays, allowing flexibility beyond default IDs.

How to handle grouped sorting with multiple foreign keys?

Implement the buildSortQuery method in your model to add conditions, such as where('user_id', $this->user_id)->where('category_id', $this->category_id), ensuring sorting is scoped to specific groups.

Does Eloquent Sortable support nested or hierarchical sorting?

No, it's designed for flat or single-level grouped sorting. For multi-level structures like trees, consider packages like laravel-nestedset or implement custom recursive logic on top of this package.

How to clear cache after reordering with Eloquent Sortable events?

Listen for the EloquentModelSortedEvent in a Laravel listener and use its isFor method to check the model class, then trigger cache invalidation, as demonstrated in the README's event handling example.

Open-Awesome

Eloquent Sortable

MITPHP5.0.1

A Laravel package that adds sortable behavior to Eloquent models with automatic ordering and query scopes.

Visit Website GitHub

1.5k stars138 forks0 contributors

What is Eloquent Sortable?

Eloquent Sortable is a Laravel package that adds sortable behavior to Eloquent models. It automatically manages an order column to sequence records, provides methods for reordering, and includes a query scope to fetch items in order. This solves the problem of manually handling sort positions in databases for features like drag-and-drop lists or prioritized content.

Target Audience

Laravel developers building applications that require ordered data, such as task lists, menu items, galleries, or any interface where users can rearrange items.

Value Proposition

Developers choose Eloquent Sortable because it integrates natively with Eloquent, reduces boilerplate code for sorting logic, and offers a clean, trait-based API with features like grouped sorting and event hooks, making it more flexible than basic implementations.

Overview

Sortable behaviour for Eloquent models

Use Cases

Best For

Managing ordered lists in Laravel admin panels
Implementing drag-and-drop sorting for frontend components backed by Eloquent
Creating prioritized content like FAQs or testimonials with manual ordering
Handling sortable galleries or portfolios where sequence matters
Building nested or grouped sortable items (e.g., tasks per project)
Adding custom order columns to Eloquent models without reinventing the wheel

Not Ideal For

Projects requiring hierarchical or nested sorting structures (e.g., multi-level categories or tree menus)
Applications built with non-Laravel frameworks or alternative ORMs like Doctrine
High-concurrency systems where race conditions in order updates are a concern without manual locking
Datasets with millions of rows where frequent reordering could lead to performance bottlenecks

Pros & Cons

Pros

Automatic Order Management

New records automatically receive the next highest order value, eliminating manual sequence setup as shown in the README's default behavior.

Comprehensive Reordering API

Provides methods like setNewOrder for batch updates and moveOrderUp for individual adjustments, offering fine-grained control without custom queries.

Group-Aware Sorting

Supports sorting within scopes via the buildSortQuery method, ideal for per-user or per-category lists without global order conflicts.

Event-Driven Hooks

Dispatches EloquentModelSortedEvent after sorting, enabling seamless post-sort actions like cache clearing, as detailed in the event section.

Cons

No Built-In Frontend

Only handles backend logic; developers must separately implement UI components for drag-and-drop or manual reordering, adding development overhead.

Integer Order Limitations

Relies on integer columns for ordering, which can create gaps after deletions and may require periodic reindexing, unlike floating-point systems.

Performance on Large Datasets

Methods like setNewOrder execute multiple UPDATE queries, potentially slowing down with thousands of records due to lack of bulk optimization.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

LiveWire

A full-stack framework for Laravel that takes the pain out of building dynamic UIs.

Stars23,556

Forks1,742

Last commit3 days ago

Debug Bar

Debugbar for Laravel (Integrates PHP Debug Bar)

Stars19,270

Forks1,617

Last commit14 days ago

IDE Helper

IDE Helper for Laravel

Stars14,953

Forks1,191

Last commit15 days ago

Intervention Image

PHP Image Processing

Stars14,356

Forks1,495

Last commit6 days ago

Community-curated · Updated weekly · 100% open source

Found a gem we're missing?

Open-Awesome is built by the community, for the community. Submit a project, suggest an awesome list, or help improve the catalog on GitHub.

Submit a project Star on GitHub