Build a Custom Multi-Column Checkbox Dropdown in Filament

Learn how to build a user-friendly multi-column custom checkbox dropdown using Laravel Filament to provide improved and better selection options for your users.

Filament is a powerful admin panel for Laravel, but sometimes your UI needs go beyond its built-in fields. In this tutorial, we’ll walk through how to build a custom checkbox dropdown component in Filament that supports multiple columns and compatible with dark mode.

Goal

We want to display a dropdown that, when opened, shows a list of checkboxes (e.g. for selecting items). The checkboxes should:

  • Be selectable via checkboxes
  • Be arranged in multiple columns
  • Store selections in a Livewire model
  • Work with dark mode

The purpose for this component is, I have a list of more than 100 entries. If I take CheckboxList component, all of these entries take so much space in UI. Similarly, If I add multiselect Select component, It will not show all entries at once and user have to type name to search for entries.

So, dropdown will reduce the space in UI and checkboxes solve searching problem.

Step 1: Create the Custom Field Component

Create the filament custom checkbox dropdown field component file at app/Forms/Components/CheckboxDropdown.php and add the following code.

<?php
namespace App\Forms\Components;

use Filament\Forms\Components\Field;

class CheckboxDropdown extends Field
{
    protected string $view = 'forms.components.checkbox-dropdown';

    protected array $options = [];

    protected int $checkboxColumns = 1;

    public function options(array $options): static
    {
        $this->options = $options;
        return $this;
    }

    public function getOptions(): array
    {
        return $this->evaluate($this->options);
    }

    public function checkboxColumns(int $count): static
    {
        $this->checkboxColumns = $count;
        return $this;
    }

    public function getCheckboxColumns(): int
    {
        return $this->evaluate($this->checkboxColumns);
    }
}

Step 2: Create a blade view file for the component

As mentioned in the component class, create a custom checkbox dropdown component view file at resources/views/forms/components/checkbox-dropdown.blade.php and add the following code.

@php
$options = collect($getOptions())->mapWithKeys(fn ($label, $id) => [(string) $id => $label]);
$jsonOptions = $options->toJson();
$gridCols = match ($getCheckboxColumns()) {
    1 => 'grid-cols-1',
    2 => 'grid-cols-2',
    3 => 'grid-cols-3',
    4 => 'grid-cols-4',
    default => 'grid-cols-1',
};
@endphp

<div
    x-data="{
        open: false,
        toggle() { this.open = !this.open },
        selected: @js($getState() ?? []),
        liveSelected: @entangle($attributes->wire('model')).defer,
        options: {{ $jsonOptions }} || {},
        isSelected(id) {
            return this.selected?.includes(id);
        },
        labelFor(id) {
            if (!this.options || typeof this.options !== 'object') return id;
            return this.options[id] ?? id;
        }
    }"
    class="relative">
    <!-- Trigger Button -->
    <button
        type="button"
        @click="toggle"
        class="w-full border rounded px-3 py-2 text-left bg-white dark:bg-gray-900 border-gray-300 dark:border-gray-700 text-gray-800 dark:text-gray-200 shadow-sm">
        <template x-if="selected?.length">
            <span x-text="selected.map(labelFor).join(', ')"></span>
        </template>
        <template x-if="!selected?.length">
            <span class="text-gray-400 dark:text-gray-500">Select items...</span>
        </template>
    </button>

    <!-- Dropdown Panel -->
    <div
        x-show="open"
        @click.away="open = false"
        x-cloak
        class="absolute z-10 w-full mt-1 rounded border bg-white dark:bg-gray-900 border-gray-300 dark:border-gray-700 shadow max-h-60 overflow-y-auto">
        <ul class="p-2 grid {{ $gridCols }} space-y-1 gap-2">
            <template x-for="(label, id) in options" :key="id">
                <li>
                    <label class="flex gap-2 items-start space-x-2 text-gray-800 dark:text-gray-200">
                        <input
                            type="checkbox"
                            class="fi-checkbox-input rounded border-none bg-white shadow-sm ring-1 transition duration-75 checked:ring-0 focus:ring-2 focus:ring-offset-0 disabled:pointer-events-none disabled:bg-gray-50 disabled:text-gray-50 disabled:checked:bg-gray-400 disabled:checked:text-gray-400 dark:bg-white/5 dark:disabled:bg-transparent dark:disabled:checked:bg-gray-600 text-primary-600 ring-gray-950/10 focus:ring-primary-600 checked:focus:ring-primary-500/50 dark:text-primary-500 dark:ring-white/20 dark:checked:bg-primary-500 dark:focus:ring-primary-500 dark:checked:focus:ring-primary-400/50 dark:disabled:ring-white/10 mt-1"
                            :value="id"
                            :checked="isSelected(id)"
                            @change="
                                if (isSelected(id)) {
                                    selected = selected.filter(i => i !== id)
                                } else {
                                    selected.push(id)
                                }
                                liveSelected = selected;
                            ">
                        <span x-text="label"></span>
                    </label>
                </li>
            </template>
        </ul>
    </div>
</div>

Now this component id ready to use. Currently, it can adopt current filament admin panel theme and you can distribute checkboxes to multiple columns using checkboxColumns option.

Step 3: Usage in Filament Resource

You can use this custom checkbox dropdown component in any resource file as follows:

CheckboxDropdown::make('selected_items')
    ->label('Select Items')
    ->options(Item::pluck('name', 'id')->toArray())
    ->checkboxColumns(3)

Conclusion

With this setup, you can develop a fully reusable, dynamic, and user-friendly multi-column checkbox dropdown — perfect for any Laravel Filament project.

Add Missing Migrations to Laravel Database Without executing

Learn how to add missing Laravel migration entries to the database without re-running them. Perfect for restoring synced environments or imported databases.

Sometimes, when working with Laravel projects, especially when migrating databases manually or syncing environments, the migrations table might miss entries — even though the migration files exist and were executed. This causes Laravel to attempt to re-run migrations or show them as pending. And even sometime, you added new migration and try to migrate them, but migration gives error that previous migrations are pending.

This article will guide you through creating an Artisan command that adds missing migration entries to the database without running them, keeping Laravel in sync with the actual DB schema.

Step 1: Create the Command

To create an artisan command, run the following command in your terminal:

php artisan make:command SyncMigrations

It creates a file at app/Console/Commands/SyncMigrations.php.

Step 2: Add the Logic

Now, open this file and paste the following code inside it:

<?php

namespace App\Console\Commands;

use Illuminate\Console\Command;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\File;

class SyncMigrations extends Command
{
    protected $signature = 'sync:migrations';
    protected $description = 'Add missing migrations to the migrations table without running them';

    public function handle()
    {
        $migrationPath = database_path('migrations');
        $files = File::files($migrationPath);

        $fileMigrations = collect($files)->map(function ($file) {
            return pathinfo($file->getFilename(), PATHINFO_FILENAME);
        });

        $existingMigrations = DB::table('migrations')->pluck('migration');

        $missingMigrations = $fileMigrations->diff($existingMigrations);

        if ($missingMigrations->isEmpty()) {
            $this->info('All migrations are already recorded.');
            return 0;
        }

        $lastBatch = DB::table('migrations')->max('batch') ?? 0;
        $nextBatch = $lastBatch + 1;

        foreach ($missingMigrations as $migration) {
            DB::table('migrations')->insert([
                'migration' => $migration,
                'batch' => $nextBatch,
            ]);
            $this->line("Added migration: <info>$migration</info>");
        }

        $this->info("Added " . $missingMigrations->count() . " missing migration(s) to batch $nextBatch.");
        return 0;
    }
}

Explanation:

  • Get all filenames list from the migrations folder.
  • Get all migrations list from the migrations table.
  • Check a difference between two lists and return 0 if no difference found.
  • If there is a difference, get a last migration batch and create new batch by adding 1 to this batch number.
  • Add all migrations available in the difference with new batch number.

Step 3: Run the Command

If you are running Laravel < 11, register the command file in app/Console/Kernel.php:

protected $commands = [
    \App\Console\Commands\SyncMigrations::class,
];

In Laravel 11+, there’s no need to register commands manually.

Now, run the following command in your terminal:

php artisan sync:migrations

You’ll see output like this:

Added migration: 2024_12_31_235959_create_users_table
Added migration: 2025_01_01_000000_create_orders_table
Added 2 missing migration(s) to batch 4.

Caution

This command does not execute the migrations. It assumes the database schema already reflects them. Use this only when you’re sure the migrations were already applied, e.g. from another environment or a database import.

Conclusion

This approach is a safe and Laravel-friendly way to fix out-of-sync migrations. It’s perfect for developers working across multiple environments or restoring production databases.

Want to take it further? Add a prompt or backup feature to this command. Let me know in the comments!

Develop Contact Form using Livewire in Laravel

Learn how to create a responsive contact form using Livewire in Laravel. Step-by-step tutorial with validation, form submission, and real-time updates.

Developing a Contact form using Livewire in Laravel is straightforward and involves a very few key steps.

In this post, we will learn to develop contact form using Livewire component in Laravel. Follow the below steps:

Step 1: Install Livewire

To create any Livewire form, you must have Livewire installed over Laravel project. If you haven’t installed Livewire yet, you can do so via Composer:

composer require livewire/livewire

It will install Livewire package to you Laravel project.

Step 2: Create a Livewire Component

Now, we need to create a Livewire component for contact form. You can generate a Livewire component using Artisan command as follows:

php artisan make:livewire ContactForm

This will create 2 files as follows:

  • A Livewire component file at app/Http/Livewire/ContactForm.php
  • A Blade view at resources/views/livewire/contact-form.blade.php

Your contact form component is now ready to be used. But, we haven’t added any logic or any design to this component. So, if you add this component to any file, it will display blank page.

Step 3: Define the Livewire Component Logic

Open app/Http/Livewire/ContactForm.php and add all contact form related logic to the file as follows:

namespace App\Http\Livewire;

use Livewire\Component;
use App\Models\Contact;
use Illuminate\Validation\Rule;

class ContactForm extends Component
{
    public $name, $email, $message;

    protected $rules = [
        'name' => 'required|min:3',
        'email' => 'required|email',
        'message' => 'required|min:5',
    ];

    public function submit()
    {
        $this->validate();

        // Save data
        Contact::create([
            'name' => $this->name,
            'email' => $this->email,
            'message' => $this->message,
        ]);

        // Reset the form
        $this->reset(['name', 'email', 'message']);

        session()->flash('success', 'Your message has been sent!');
    }

    public function render()
    {
        return view('livewire.contact-form');
    }
}

Step 4: Create the Livewire Blade View

Open resources/views/livewire/contact-form.blade.php and update the HTML form as per your requirement. I have added my blade file design as follows:

<div>
    @if (session()->has('success'))
        <div class="p-3 mb-4 text-green-600 bg-green-200 border border-green-600 rounded">
            {{ session('success') }}
        </div>
    @endif

    <form wire:submit.prevent="submit">
        <div class="mb-4">
            <label for="name" class="block font-bold">Name:</label>
            <input type="text" id="name" wire:model="name" class="w-full p-2 border rounded">
            @error('name') <span class="text-red-600">{{ $message }}</span> @enderror
        </div>

        <div class="mb-4">
            <label for="email" class="block font-bold">Email:</label>
            <input type="email" id="email" wire:model="email" class="w-full p-2 border rounded">
            @error('email') <span class="text-red-600">{{ $message }}</span> @enderror
        </div>

        <div class="mb-4">
            <label for="message" class="block font-bold">Message:</label>
            <textarea id="message" wire:model="message" class="w-full p-2 border rounded"></textarea>
            @error('message') <span class="text-red-600">{{ $message }}</span> @enderror
        </div>

        <button type="submit" class="px-4 py-2 text-white bg-blue-600 rounded">Send</button>
    </form>
</div>

I have added some additional features like displaying success message and added error message display elements to each fields.

Step 5: Add Livewire to a Page

Now it is ready to be included to any page. You can include this component using @livewire directive provided by Livewire package. Include this Livewire component in your Blade view (e.g., resources/views/contact.blade.php):

@extends('layouts.app')

@section('content')
    <div class="container mx-auto p-4">
        <h1 class="text-xl font-bold">Contact Us</h1>
        @livewire('contact-form')
    </div>
@endsection

Still it is not visible to the page. Because, Livewire scripts and styles are missing.

Step 6: Include Livewire Scripts

You have to add Livewire scripts and styles to the layout, where you want to display any Livewire Component. You can add Livewire scripts and styles to the layout using their directives @livewireScripts and @livewireStyles respectively.

Add Livewire scripts in your layouts/app.blade.php file before the closing </body> tag of the layout file:

@livewireScripts
</body>
</html>

And add the Livewire styles in <head> tag of the layout file:

@livewireStyles

Note: If you have multiple layouts and these layouts are used to display Livewire Compoment pages, then you have to add Livewire scripts and styles in all of these layouts.

Step 7: Run Migrations and Serve the App

In component file, we have added a code to save contact form details to the database. So, If you don’t have contacts table already, create a migration for the contacts table:

php artisan make:migration create_contacts_table

Open the migration file (database/migrations/xxxx_xx_xx_xxxxxx_create_contacts_table.php) and add the necessary fields as follows:

public function up()
{
    Schema::create('contacts', function (Blueprint $table) {
        $table->id();
        $table->string('name');
        $table->string('email');
        $table->text('message');
        $table->timestamps();
    });
}

public function down(): void
{
    Schema::dropIfExists('contacts');
}

Run the migration:

php artisan migrate

It will create the contacts table into the project database. Now, create a model for this migration:

php artisan make:model Contact

It will create contact model file app/models/Contact.php. Open this model file and update it as follows,

<?php

namespace App\Models;

use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Factories\HasFactory;
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;

class Contact extends Model
{
    use HasFactory;

    protected $fillable = [
        'name',
        'email',
        'message',
    ];
}

Finally, start your Laravel development server:

php artisan serve

Now, visit http://127.0.0.1:8000/contact, and you should see your Livewire-powered Contact Form working dynamically!

Additional Features You Can Add

  • Real-time validation: Add wire:model.blur="name" to inputs.
  • Loading indicators: Use wire:loading to show a spinner while submitting.

Install the Laravel Filament Panel Builder

Learn to install and set up Laravel Filament, a tool for creating customizable admin panels and CRUD applications. This guide covers requirements, installation steps, and user creation. Follow this concise tutorial to get started with Filament in your Laravel project quickly and efficiently.

Laravel Filament is a powerful tool designed to create Admin panels and manage content in Laravel applications. It provides a highly customizable and developer-friendly interface for creating CRUD applications, dashboards, and various business-related applications. Filament is known for its flexibility and ease of use, allowing developers to scaffold forms, tables and pages quickly without writing a lot of boilerplate code.

This article describes the installation process filament panel over laravel with most of the possible configations and steps.

Requirements

Install and configure the following components, before running any filament command.

  • PHP v8.1+
  • Laravel v10.0+
  • Livewire v3.0+ (Filament composer command will install this package automatically. So, no need to install this package separately.)

Install Laravel Filament Panel

To install the filament panel over laravel, run the following command at the root of the project folder,

composer require filament/filament:"^3.2" -W

This command will install the base package of filament. This will also install livewire package, which is in the requirements.

php artisan filament:install --panels

This command will install the filament panel after some information required to install the panels. It will ask the following questions,

What is the ID?

On the basis of this ID, it will create the panel provide for the filament panel and also register this panel provider.

For Example:
If ID is admin, it will create the panel provide to he following location, app/Providers/Filament/AdminPanelProvider.php

If you encounter an error when accessing your panel, ensure that the service provider is registered in bootstrap/providers.php (for Laravel 11 and above) or config/app.php (for Laravel 10 and below). If it isn’t, you’ll need to add it manually.

Create a User

Next step is creating a user to access this panel. But, before running the create user command, check the following laravel configuration and update the configuration as per the requirements,

  • Add Database credentials to .env file.
  • Run the following command to run the migration. It will create users table into the database.
    php artisan migrate

Run the following command to create a user after checking above requirements,

php artisan make:filament-user

It will ask some basic questions like name, email, password, etc. for creating a user.

After creating a user, run php artisan serve, open http://127.0.0.1:8000/admin in your web browser, sign in using the created user credentials, and start building your app!