How to create a nested menu with submenus in Spatie Menu?

Use the ->submenu() method to add a submenu, which can be nested infinitely by passing another Menu instance, as shown in the 'Not Afraid of Depths' example with ->submenu('More', Menu::new()).

Spatie Menu vs Laravel Navigation: which one should I choose?

Spatie Menu is ideal for fluent, code-based HTML menu generation with fine control, while Laravel Navigation is more flexible and renderless, better for complex or decoupled needs. Pick based on your project's requirement for direct HTML output versus abstraction.

How to add an active class to the current page menu item in Spatie Menu with Laravel?

In Laravel, use the ->setActiveFromRequest() method to automatically highlight the active item based on the request URL, or manually apply ->setActive(true) on specific links using the Activatable interface.

Can I use Spatie Menu in a non-Laravel PHP project?

Yes, the core spatie/menu package works in any PHP application, but you'll miss Laravel-specific conveniences like URL generation and macros available in the separate laravel-menu extension.

What happened to the void and prefixLinks methods in Spatie Menu 2.0?

These methods were removed in version 2.0; void can be replaced with html(''), but prefixLinks has no direct alternative, requiring custom logic with applyToAll, as noted in the upgrading section.

How to style menus generated by Spatie Menu with CSS?

Leverage the ->addClass() and ->id() methods to apply CSS classes and IDs to menu elements, then target them in your stylesheets, similar to the examples showing custom classes like 'navigation' and 'home-link'.

Menu — PHP HTML Menu Builder

What is Menu?

Spatie Menu is a PHP package that provides a fluent interface for building HTML menus programmatically. It solves the problem of generating complex navigation structures with clean, maintainable code while offering fine-grained control over the resulting HTML output.

Target Audience

PHP developers, especially those using Laravel, who need to generate dynamic HTML menus in their applications with a clean, object-oriented API.

Value Proposition

Developers choose Spatie Menu for its expressive fluent interface, strong control over HTML attributes and nesting, and seamless Laravel integration, making menu generation more maintainable and less error-prone than manual HTML or array-based configurations.

Html menu generator

Use Cases

Best For

Building dynamic navigation menus in PHP applications
Generating HTML menus with custom CSS classes and IDs
Creating nested submenus with infinite depth
Integrating menu generation into Laravel projects
Programmatically constructing menus from data arrays
Maintaining clean, readable menu-building code

Not Ideal For

Projects requiring a renderless or highly decoupled navigation solution, as Spatie Menu is HTML-focused and has a successor (Laravel Navigation) for more flexibility.
Teams that prefer configuration-driven approaches over code, since this package uses a fluent interface rather than array or YAML configs.
Applications built with JavaScript frontends that handle menu rendering on the client-side, making server-side PHP menu generation redundant.
Simple websites with static menus where manual HTML or basic templating would suffice without the overhead of a package.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Expressive Fluent API

Offers chainable methods like ->link() and ->add() for readable and maintainable menu construction without array configurations, as shown in the human-readable examples.

Granular HTML Control

Allows precise addition of classes, IDs, and attributes to menus and items using methods such as ->addClass() and ->id(), demonstrated in the 'Strong Control Over the Html Output' section.

Seamless Laravel Integration

Provides Laravel-specific features like ->action() for controller methods and ->setActiveFromRequest() for automatic active state management, enhancing productivity in Laravel apps.

Programmatic Data Handling

Supports building menus from arrays with Menu::build() and ->fill(), enabling dynamic creation from databases or other data sources, as illustrated in the programmatic approach.

Cons

Breaking Changes in Updates

Version 2.0 removed methods like void and prefixLinks without direct replacements, requiring code changes and migration efforts, as admitted in the upgrading guide.

Eclipsed by Successor

Spatie recommends Laravel Navigation for more flexible needs, indicating this package may not be the future focus for advanced or renderless navigation features.

PHP and Laravel Lock-in

Core functionality is PHP-only, and full feature set depends on Laravel, limiting use in other tech stacks or non-Laravel PHP applications.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Menu?

Target Audience

PHP developers, especially those using Laravel, who need to generate dynamic HTML menus in their applications with a clean, object-oriented API.

Value Proposition

Use Cases

Best For

Building dynamic navigation menus in PHP applications
Generating HTML menus with custom CSS classes and IDs
Creating nested submenus with infinite depth
Integrating menu generation into Laravel projects
Programmatically constructing menus from data arrays
Maintaining clean, readable menu-building code

Not Ideal For

Projects requiring a renderless or highly decoupled navigation solution, as Spatie Menu is HTML-focused and has a successor (Laravel Navigation) for more flexibility.
Teams that prefer configuration-driven approaches over code, since this package uses a fluent interface rather than array or YAML configs.
Applications built with JavaScript frontends that handle menu rendering on the client-side, making server-side PHP menu generation redundant.
Simple websites with static menus where manual HTML or basic templating would suffice without the overhead of a package.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Expressive Fluent API

Offers chainable methods like ->link() and ->add() for readable and maintainable menu construction without array configurations, as shown in the human-readable examples.

Granular HTML Control

Allows precise addition of classes, IDs, and attributes to menus and items using methods such as ->addClass() and ->id(), demonstrated in the 'Strong Control Over the Html Output' section.

Seamless Laravel Integration

Provides Laravel-specific features like ->action() for controller methods and ->setActiveFromRequest() for automatic active state management, enhancing productivity in Laravel apps.

Programmatic Data Handling

Supports building menus from arrays with Menu::build() and ->fill(), enabling dynamic creation from databases or other data sources, as illustrated in the programmatic approach.

Cons

Breaking Changes in Updates

Version 2.0 removed methods like void and prefixLinks without direct replacements, requiring code changes and migration efforts, as admitted in the upgrading guide.

Eclipsed by Successor

Spatie recommends Laravel Navigation for more flexible needs, indicating this package may not be the future focus for advanced or renderless navigation features.

PHP and Laravel Lock-in

Core functionality is PHP-only, and full feature set depends on Laravel, limiting use in other tech stacks or non-Laravel PHP applications.

Frequently Asked Questions

Menu

What is Menu?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Found a gem we're missing?

Menu

What is Menu?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Found a gem we're missing?