Introducing Artisan Shortcuts

In this blog post I would like to introduce you to a new package I have been working on. It is called Artisan Shortcuts, and it can be found on GitHub right here.

In short, the package does not add any new commands, but it does give you the possibility to define your own shortcuts to commonly used Artisan commands. How often have you executed php artisan config:clear and php artisan view:clear and php artisan cache:clear? This package can condense that down into one simple php artisan clear command!

To install Artisan Shortcuts in your Laravel applications, require it with Composer and publish the configuration file:

$ composer require sven/artisan-shortcuts
$ php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Sven\ArtisanShortcuts\ServiceProvider"

#Using Artisan Shortcuts

Artisan Shortcuts allows you to define these so-called shortcuts in a config file which is published at config/shortcuts.php, and could look like this:

<?php

return [
    'clear' => [
        'config:clear',
        'view:clear',
        'cache:clear',
    ],
];

With this new clear command configured, you can execute php artisan clear and the three commands I mentioned earlier on will be executed in the order you configure them.

#Just add an alias

You could of course "just add an alias". And if that works for you, go right ahead. If you work together with a bigger team though, and you want to make sure these commands are all executed in the right order, or make sure someone does not skip over any, it helps saving shortcuts or aliases with the source code.

#Just use Composer scripts

Composer scripts are another great way to avoid using this package, and if they fulfill your needs, I highly recommend using them. However, if you use Composer scripts, you will end up with yet another way to interface with your application. Putting shortcuts in Artisan means there is just one way to "talk" to your application: via Artisan, which is what most of us Laravel developers will be used to.

#In closing

So, if this package looks interesting to you, require it into your project and play around with it. If it has already proven useful to you, please help spread the word and star the repository on GitHub.