The Laravel Followable package provides a simple and intuitive API to add follow/unfollow functionality to your Eloquent models. It allows users to follow, unfollow, and manage relationships between entities effortlessly. This documentation will guide you through how to use the package effectively and illustrate how each feature works using practical examples.

Follow/Unfollow Methods

The Laravel Followable package provides several methods to manage follow relationships between users. Below are some of the key methods:

Follow a User

To allow a user to follow another user, use the follow() method:

$user1 = User::find(1);
$user2 = User::find(2);
 
$user1->follow($user2);

This will establish a “follow” relationship between user1 and user2.

Unfollow a User

To allow a user to unfollow another user, use the unfollow() method:

$user1 = User::find(1);
$user2 = User::find(2);
$user1->unfollow($user2);

This will remove the “follow” relationship between user1 and user2.

Toggle Follow Status

To toggle the follow status of a user, use the toggleFollow() method:

$user1 = User::find(1);
$user2 = User::find(2);
$user1->toggleFollow($user2);

If user1 is not following user2, this method will follow them. If user1 is already following user2, it will unfollow them.

Managing Follow Requests

In some cases, you may want to implement a follow request feature, where a user can send a request to follow another user. The Laravel Followable package allows you to manage follow requests.

Accept a Follow Request

If user1 receives a follow request from user2, they can accept it using the acceptFollowRequestFrom() method:

$user1 = User::find(1);
$user2 = User::find(2);
 
$user1->acceptFollowRequestFrom($user2);

This will establish a “follow” relationship between user1 and user2.

Reject a Follow Request

If user1 does not wish to accept a follow request from user2, they can reject it using the rejectFollowRequestFrom() method:

$user1 = User::find(1);
$user2 = User::find(2);
$user1->rejectFollowRequestFrom($user2);

This will reject the follow request without establishing a follow relationship.

Check Follow Status

The Laravel Followable package allows you to check various follow status conditions.

Check if a User is Following Another User

To check if user1 is following user2, use the isFollowing() method:

$user1 = User::find(1);
$user2 = User::find(2);
$user1->isFollowing($user2);

This will return true if user1 is following user2, otherwise false.

Check if a User is Followed by Another User

To check if user2 is followed by user1, use the isFollowedBy() method:

$user1 = User::find(1);
$user2 = User::find(2);
$user1->isFollowedBy($user2);

This will return true if user2 is followed by user1, otherwise false.

Check if a User Has Requested to Follow Another User

To check if user2 has requested to follow user1, use the hasRequestedToFollow() method:

$user1 = User::find(1);
$user2 = User::find(2);
 
if ($user2->hasRequestedToFollow($user1)) {
    echo "User 2 has requested to follow User 1.";
}

This will return true if user2 has requested to follow user1, otherwise false.