Real-Time Editing with Laravel WebSockets

Hello, laravel web developers! In this tutorial, I will guide you step by step on how to create a real-time collaborative editing tool using Laravel WebSockets and Livewire. This feature allows multiple users to edit the same content simultaneously, with real-time updates reflecting everyone’s changes.

Imagine working on a project where your team can edit documents together, similar to Google Docs—this is what we’re going to build. It’s an exciting project, and I’ll simplify everything for you, ensuring even beginners can follow along.

Real-Time Editing with Laravel WebSockets

Real-Time Editing with Laravel WebSockets

 

Step 1: Install Laravel WebSockets and Livewire

First, we need to install the required packages for WebSockets and Livewire.

Run the following commands to install:

composer require beyondcode/laravel-websockets
composer require livewire/livewire

Next, publish the WebSockets configuration files:

php artisan vendor:publish --tag="websockets-config"

This will create a websockets.php config file where you can tweak WebSocket settings

Now, install the frontend dependencies for WebSockets.

npm install --save laravel-echo pusher-js

Make sure to compile the assets.

npm run dev

 

Step 2: Set Up WebSocket Server

We need to configure the WebSocket server. In the env file, add the following lines:

PUSHER_APP_ID=your-app-id
PUSHER_APP_KEY=your-app-key
PUSHER_APP_SECRET=your-app-secret
PUSHER_APP_CLUSTER=mt1
BROADCAST_DRIVER=pusher

In config/broadcasting.php, set the default broadcaster to pusher:

'default' => env('BROADCAST_DRIVER', 'pusher'),

Start the WebSocket server:

php artisan websockets:serve

 

Step 3: Create the Livewire Component

Let’s create a Livewire component for the editor:

php artisan make:livewire CollaborativeEditor

In CollaborativeEditor.php, add the logic for handling real-time updates:

namespace App\Http\Livewire;

use Livewire\Component;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Broadcast;

class CollaborativeEditor extends Component
{
    public $content = '';

    public function mount()
    {
        $this->content = ''; // Initial content load
    }

    public function updateContent($newContent)
    {
        $this->content = $newContent;
        Broadcast::event(new \App\Events\ContentUpdated($newContent));
    }

    public function render()
    {
        return view('livewire.collaborative-editor');
    }
}

 

Step 4: Create the Event and Broadcast It

Create an event that will broadcast content changes:

php artisan make:event ContentUpdated

In ContentUpdated.php, ensure it implements the ShouldBroadcast interface:

namespace App\Events;

use Illuminate\Broadcasting\InteractsWithSockets;
use Illuminate\Contracts\Broadcasting\ShouldBroadcast;
use Illuminate\Foundation\Events\Dispatchable;

class ContentUpdated implements ShouldBroadcast
{
    public $content;

    public function __construct($content)
    {
        $this->content = $content;
    }

    public function broadcastOn()
    {
        return ['editor-channel'];
    }
}

 

Step 5: Create the Frontend for Collaborative Editing

In the collaborative-editor.blade.php file, create a simple textarea for editing:

<div>
    <textarea wire:model.debounce.500ms="content" wire:change="updateContent($event.target.value)"></textarea>
</div>

<script>
    Echo.channel('editor-channel')
        .listen('ContentUpdated', (e) => {
            @this.set('content', e.content);
        });
</script>

This ensures the content gets updated in real-time whenever another user modifies the text.

 

Step 6: Set Up Broadcasting

To finish up, configure the broadcasting settings in config/websockets.php. Ensure the app can broadcast updates by adding this to config/broadcasting.php

'pusher' => [
    'driver' => 'pusher',
    'key' => env('PUSHER_APP_KEY'),
    'secret' => env('PUSHER_APP_SECRET'),
    'app_id' => env('PUSHER_APP_ID'),
    'options' => [
        'cluster' => env('PUSHER_APP_CLUSTER'),
        'useTLS' => true,
    ],
],

 

Step 7: Test the Application

You can now run your Laravel application:

php artisan serve

 


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I'm a software engineer and the founder of techsolutionstuff.com. Hailing from India, I craft articles, tutorials, tricks, and tips to aid developers. Explore Laravel, PHP, MySQL, jQuery, Bootstrap, Node.js, Vue.js, and AngularJS in our tech stack.

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