Creating a Student Register Using Laravel: An 8-Page Comprehensive Guide
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Prerequisites
3. Setting Up the Laravel Project
4. Database Design and Configuration
5. Creating Models, Migrations, and Seeders
6. Building Controllers and Routes
7. Designing Views with Blade Templates
8. Implementing CRUD Operations
9. Testing and Deployment
10. Conclusion
Introduction
Creating a student register is a fundamental task in many educational applications. Laravel, a robust
PHP framework, provides an elegant syntax and a powerful toolkit that simplifies the development
process. This guide walks you through building a comprehensive student registration system using
Laravel, covering everything from initial setup to deployment.
Prerequisites
Before diving into Laravel development, ensure you have the following prerequisites:
• Basic Knowledge of PHP: Understanding PHP fundamentals is essential.
• Composer Installed: Laravel utilizes Composer for dependency management.
• Node.js and NPM: Required for compiling assets.
• Database Server: MySQL, PostgreSQL, or any other supported database.
• Code Editor: VS Code, PHPStorm, or your preferred IDE.
• Laravel Installed: Version 8 or above is recommended.
Optional but beneficial: Familiarity with MVC architecture, Blade templating, and RESTful APIs.
Setting Up the Laravel Project
1. Install Laravel
Use Composer to create a new Laravel project:
composer create-project --prefer-dist laravel/laravel student-register
Navigate to the project directory:
cd student-register
2. Configure Environment
Duplicate the .env.example file to .env:
cp .env.example .env
Generate an application key:
php artisan key:generate
3. Set Up Development Server
Start the Laravel development server:
php artisan serve
Visit http://localhost:8000 to verify the setup.
Database Design and Configuration
1. Database Selection
Choose a relational database system like MySQL. Ensure it's installed and running.
2. Create Database
Create a new database for the project, e.g., student_register.
3. Configure .env
Update the .env file with your database credentials:
DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=student_register
DB_USERNAME=your_username
DB_PASSWORD=your_password
4. Plan Database Schema
For a student register, a basic schema might include:
• Students Table:
o id (primary key)
o first_name
o last_name
o email
o phone
o address
o date_of_birth
o created_at
o updated_at
Creating Models, Migrations, and Seeders
1. Create Student Model and Migration
Run the artisan command:
php artisan make:model Student -m
This creates app/Models/Student.php and a migration file in database/migrations.
2. Define Migration Schema
Edit the migration file (database/migrations/xxxx_xx_xx_create_students_table.php):
public function up()
Schema::create('students', function (Blueprint $table) {
$table->id();
$table->string('first_name');
$table->string('last_name');
$table->string('email')->unique();
$table->string('phone')->nullable();
$table->text('address')->nullable();
$table->date('date_of_birth')->nullable();
$table->timestamps();
});
3. Run Migrations
Execute the migration to create the table:
php artisan migrate
4. Create Seeder (Optional)
To populate the database with dummy data, create a seeder:
php artisan make:seeder StudentSeeder
Edit database/seeders/StudentSeeder.php:
use App\Models\Student;
use Illuminate\Database\Seeder;
class StudentSeeder extends Seeder
public function run()
Student::factory()->count(50)->create();
Ensure a factory exists for the Student model. Create it if necessary:
php artisan make:factory StudentFactory --model=Student
Define the factory in database/factories/StudentFactory.php:
use Illuminate\Support\Str;
public function definition()
return [
'first_name' => $this->faker->firstName,
'last_name' => $this->faker->lastName,
'email' => $this->faker->unique()->safeEmail,
'phone' => $this->faker->phoneNumber,
'address' => $this->faker->address,
'date_of_birth' => $this->faker->date(),
];
Run the seeder:
php artisan db:seed --class=StudentSeeder
Building Controllers and Routes
1. Create Student Controller
Generate a resource controller:
php artisan make:controller StudentController --resource
This creates app/Http/Controllers/StudentController.php with methods for CRUD operations.
2. Define Routes
Open routes/web.php and add:
use App\Http\Controllers\StudentController;
Route::resource('students', StudentController::class);
This sets up RESTful routes for the Student resource.
Designing Views with Blade Templates
1. Set Up Layout
Create a master layout file resources/views/layouts/app.blade.php:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Student Register</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="{{ asset('css/app.css') }}">
<!-- Add Bootstrap or any other CSS framework if desired -->
</head>
<body>
<nav>
<!-- Navigation bar content -->
<a href="{{ route('students.index') }}">Students</a>
</nav>
<div class="container">
@yield('content')
</div>
<script src="{{ asset('js/app.js') }}"></script>
</body>
</html>
2. Create Student Views
a. Index View
Create resources/views/students/index.blade.php:
@extends('layouts.app')
@section('content')
<h1>Student Register</h1>
<a href="{{ route('students.create') }}" class="btn btn-primary">Add New Student</a>
<table class="table table-bordered mt-3">
<thead>
<tr>
<th>ID</th>
<th>Name</th>
<th>Email</th>
<th>Phone</th>
<th>Actions</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
@foreach($students as $student)
<tr>
<td>{{ $student->id }}</td>
<td>{{ $student->first_name }} {{ $student->last_name }}</td>
<td>{{ $student->email }}</td>
<td>{{ $student->phone }}</td>
<td>
<a href="{{ route('students.show', $student->id) }}" class="btn btn-info">View</a>
<a href="{{ route('students.edit', $student->id) }}" class="btn btn-warning">Edit</a>
<form action="{{ route('students.destroy', $student->id) }}" method="POST"
style="display:inline;">
@csrf
@method('DELETE')
<button type="submit" class="btn btn-danger" onclick="return confirm('Are you
sure?')">Delete</button>
</form>
</td>
</tr>
@endforeach
</tbody>
</table>
{{ $students->links() }}
@endsection
b. Create View
Create resources/views/students/create.blade.php:
@extends('layouts.app')
@section('content')
<h1>Add New Student</h1>
<form action="{{ route('students.store') }}" method="POST">
@csrf
@include('students.form')
<button type="submit" class="btn btn-success">Save</button>
</form>
@endsection
c. Edit View
Create resources/views/students/edit.blade.php:
@extends('layouts.app')
@section('content')
<h1>Edit Student</h1>
<form action="{{ route('students.update', $student->id) }}" method="POST">
@csrf
@method('PUT')
@include('students.form')
<button type="submit" class="btn btn-success">Update</button>
</form>
@endsection
d. Show View
Create resources/views/students/show.blade.php:
@extends('layouts.app')
@section('content')
<h1>Student Details</h1>
<div>
<strong>Name:</strong> {{ $student->first_name }} {{ $student->last_name }}
</div>
<div>
<strong>Email:</strong> {{ $student->email }}
</div>
<div>
<strong>Phone:</strong> {{ $student->phone }}
</div>
<div>
<strong>Address:</strong> {{ $student->address }}
</div>
<div>
<strong>Date of Birth:</strong> {{ $student->date_of_birth }}
</div>
<a href="{{ route('students.index') }}" class="btn btn-primary">Back</a>
@endsection
e. Form Partial
Create resources/views/students/form.blade.php to reuse form fields:
<div class="form-group">
<label for="first_name">First Name</label>
<input type="text" name="first_name" class="form-control" value="{{ old('first_name', $student-
>first_name ?? '') }}" required>
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<label for="last_name">Last Name</label>
<input type="text" name="last_name" class="form-control" value="{{ old('last_name', $student-
>last_name ?? '') }}" required>
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<label for="email">Email</label>
<input type="email" name="email" class="form-control" value="{{ old('email', $student->email ??
'') }}" required>
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<label for="phone">Phone</label>
<input type="text" name="phone" class="form-control" value="{{ old('phone', $student->phone ??
'') }}">
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<label for="address">Address</label>
<textarea name="address" class="form-control">{{ old('address', $student->address ?? '')
}}</textarea>
</div>
<div class="form-group">
<label for="date_of_birth">Date of Birth</label>
<input type="date" name="date_of_birth" class="form-control" value="{{ old('date_of_birth',
$student->date_of_birth ?? '') }}">
</div>
Implementing CRUD Operations
1. Controller Methods
Open app/Http/Controllers/StudentController.php and implement the following methods:
a. Index
public function index()
$students = Student::paginate(10);
return view('students.index', compact('students'));
b. Create
public function create()
return view('students.create');
c. Store
public function store(Request $request)
$request->validate([
'first_name' => 'required|string|max:255',
'last_name' => 'required|string|max:255',
'email' => 'required|email|unique:students,email',
'phone' => 'nullable|string|max:20',
'address' => 'nullable|string',
'date_of_birth' => 'nullable|date',
]);
Student::create($request->all());
return redirect()->route('students.index')->with('success', 'Student created successfully.');
d. Show
public function show(Student $student)
return view('students.show', compact('student'));
e. Edit
public function edit(Student $student)
return view('students.edit', compact('student'));
f. Update
public function update(Request $request, Student $student)
$request->validate([
'first_name' => 'required|string|max:255',
'last_name' => 'required|string|max:255',
'email' => 'required|email|unique:students,email,' . $student->id,
'phone' => 'nullable|string|max:20',
'address' => 'nullable|string',
'date_of_birth' => 'nullable|date',
]);
$student->update($request->all());
return redirect()->route('students.index')->with('success', 'Student updated successfully.');
g. Destroy
public function destroy(Student $student)
$student->delete();
return redirect()->route('students.index')->with('success', 'Student deleted successfully.');
}
2. Model Configuration
Ensure the Student model has fillable properties. Open app/Models/Student.php:
protected $fillable = [
'first_name',
'last_name',
'email',
'phone',
'address',
'date_of_birth',
];
Testing and Deployment
1. Testing the Application
• Manual Testing: Navigate through the application to ensure all CRUD operations work as
expected.
• Automated Testing: Write PHPUnit tests for the StudentController.
Example test for creating a student:
public function test_create_student()
$response = $this->post('/students', [
'first_name' => 'John',
'last_name' => 'Doe',
]);
$response->assertRedirect('/students');
$this->assertDatabaseHas('students', ['email' => '[email protected]']);
Run tests:
php artisan test
2. Handling Validation and Errors
Ensure all forms have proper validation and display error messages.
In your Blade templates, add:
@if ($errors->any())
<div class="alert alert-danger">
<ul>
@foreach ($errors->all() as $error)
<li>{{ $error }}</li>
@endforeach
</ul>
</div>
@endif
3. Securing the Application
• Authentication: Implement user authentication to restrict access to the register.
• composer require laravel/ui
• php artisan ui vue --auth
• npm install
• npm run dev
• php artisan migrate
• Authorization: Use Laravel's Gate or Policies to control user permissions.
4. Deployment
Choose a hosting provider like DigitalOcean, AWS, or Laravel Forge.
Steps:
1. Server Setup: Install necessary software (PHP, Composer, Nginx/Apache, MySQL).
2. Clone Repository: Use Git to clone your project.
3. Install Dependencies:
4. composer install
5. npm install
6. npm run production
7. Environment Configuration: Set up the .env file with production credentials.
8. Migrate and Seed:
9. php artisan migrate --force
10. php artisan db:seed --force
11. Set Permissions:
12. sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /path-to-your-project
13. sudo chmod -R 775 storage
14. sudo chmod -R 775 bootstrap/cache
15. Configure Web Server: Set up Nginx or Apache to serve the Laravel application.
16. SSL Certificate: Secure your application with HTTPS using Let's Encrypt or another provider.
Conclusion
Building a student register using Laravel involves setting up the project, designing the database,
creating models and controllers, designing user interfaces with Blade templates, implementing CRUD
operations, and ensuring the application is tested and secure before deployment. Laravel's powerful
features and elegant syntax make this process streamlined and efficient. By following this guide, you
can develop a robust and scalable student registration system tailored to your specific needs.
Additional Resources:
• Laravel Documentation
• Laravel Blade Templates
• Laravel Authentication
• Laravel Testing
Feel free to explore these resources to deepen your understanding and enhance your application
further.
