Download the PHP package mahesh-kerai/update-generator without Composer

Update Generator

A robust Laravel package for generating update ZIP files and new installation packages based on Git repository changes.

Features

• 🚀 Git Integration: Automatically detects files changed between specified dates or commit ranges
• 💻 Modern Interactive CLI: Stunning, boxed UI with radio-style selections for a premium developer experience
• 📦 Multiple Package Types: Generate update packages, new installation packages, or both
• 🛡️ Security: Safe Git command execution with proper validation
• 🔒 Environment Sanitization: Automatically sanitizes sensitive data in .env files for new installations
• 🧹 Cache Management: Automatic cache clearing before package generation
• 📝 Logging: Comprehensive logging for debugging and monitoring
• ⚙️ Configurable: Easy configuration for excluded paths and settings
• 🎯 Type Safety: Full PHP 8.1+ type safety with strict typing
• 📁 Custom File Inclusion: Explicitly include custom packages and essential files in updates
• 🗂️ Smart Exclusions: Wildcard patterns for excluding directory contents while preserving structure
• 🔄 Commit-Based Support: Generate updates based on specific Git SHAs (full/short)

Minimum Requirements

Installation

1. Install the package

System Requirements

• PHP: 8.1 or higher
• Laravel: 9.0 or higher
• PHP Extensions:
  • zip extension (for creating ZIP archives)
  • fileinfo extension (for file type detection)
• Operating Systems: Windows, Linux, macOS (cross-platform compatible)

Note: The package now uses PHP's built-in ZipArchive instead of external zip commands, making it fully compatible across all operating systems.

2. Publish configuration

This creates the configuration file at config/update-generator.php

3. Configure excluded paths and additional files

Edit config/update-generator.php to customize excluded paths and include additional files:

Usage

Modern Interactive CLI Workflow (Recommended)

The easiest way to generate packages is to use the interactive wizard, which features a modern, boxed UI inspired by Laravel's official tools. Simply run the command without any arguments:

The command will guide you through a structured, interactive process:

1. Filtering Method: Select between Date Range or Commit Range using arrow keys.
2. Instructional Notes: Contextual help will appear (e.g., format reminders).
3. Conditional Inputs:
   • Date Range Mode: Enter Start Date and End Date (YYYY-MM-DD).
   • Commit Range Mode: Enter Starting Commit Reference and Ending Commit Reference (Strictly SHAs only).
4. Current Version: Enter your system's current version (e.g., 1.0.0).
5. Update Version: Enter the target update version (e.g., 1.1.0).
6. Type Selection: Choose both, update, or new using the interactive radio-style selection.

Once all inputs are provided, a Confirmation Summary will be displayed inside a structured box for your final approval.

Commit Range Mode Guidelines

When using Commit Range Mode, please note the following:

[!IMPORTANT] Supported References: Only Full Git SHAs and Short Git SHAs (e.g., a1b2c3d) are supported.

Unsupported References: You cannot use full commit messages as references. Ensure the starting commit precedes the ending commit in the repository's history.

Inline Options (Backward Compatibility & Automation)

For automated systems or advanced users, you can pass parameters directly. Providing these options will automatically bypass the interactive prompts:

Date-Based Example:

Commit-Based Example:

Input Parameters Explanation

How It Works (Workflow)

1. Git Diff Analysis: If generating an update package, the system runs local Git commands to identify exactly which files were modified, created, or deleted between the provided Date Range or Commit Range.
2. File Filtering: Identified files are cross-referenced with your exclude_update and add_update_file configuration to ensure absolute correctness.
3. Packaging Update Files: All applicable files are replicated into a temporary environment and bundled into a source_code.zip archive.
4. Packaging New Installation: If requested, the system zips the entire project directory, cleanly bypassing paths marked in exclude_new. Furthermore, sensitive values inside .env are automatically sanitized.
5. Versioning Details: A version_info.php is generated containing the input versions to assist the end-user upgrade systems.

Requirements & Prerequisites

Before running the command, ensure your environment is fully prepared:

• Git Context: Must be run from within an initialized Git repository.
• Project Setup: Ensure composer dependencies are properly resolved and the application is structurally sound.
• Correct File Permissions: Write permissions are required at the output_directory path (default: storage/app/update_files).
• Dependencies: Standard PHP zip extension (ext-zip) is required for compression, and git CLI must be accessible in your system paths.
• Valid Inputs: Dates must stringently match the YYYY-MM-DD format.

Output Structure

Depending on your selected Type, the following files and folders will be created inside the configured output directory (storage/app/update_files by default):

Update Package

Generates only changed and new files:

New Installation Package

Generates a full installation bundle with sanitized credentials:

Version Info File

Important Notes

• Seamless Backward Compatibility: Existing CI/CD scripts using inline parameters remain 100% operational. The new interactive wizard only activates for missing inputs.
• Intact Core Functionality: Only the command's input collection methodology was improved. File resolution, Git extraction, and ZIP compression logic remain fundamentally unchanged.
• Smart Validation: The interactive wizard validates date formats and version inputs iteratively, rejecting incorrect strings and asking again without crashing.

Configuration Options

Additional Files Configuration

The add_update_file option allows you to explicitly include specific files or folders in your update packages, even if they're in excluded paths. This is particularly useful for:

• Custom vendor packages that need to be included in updates
• Essential configuration files like vendor/autoload.php
• Composer files required for proper package management
• Any specific files that should always be included

Example:

Environment File Sanitization

The package automatically sanitizes sensitive data in .env files when generating new installation packages. This ensures that:

• Sensitive credentials are removed or replaced with safe defaults
• API keys and passwords are cleared
• Database credentials are reset to default values
• A new APP_KEY is generated for each installation
• Mail settings are reset to safe defaults

Before Sanitization:

After Sanitization:

Wildcard Exclusion Patterns

Use wildcard patterns (*) to exclude directory contents while preserving the directory structure:

This ensures that:

• ✅ Directory structure is preserved - Laravel can create files in these directories
• ✅ Contents are excluded - No sensitive or temporary files are included
• ✅ No runtime errors - Essential directories exist for the application to function

Cache Management

The package automatically clears various cache types before generating packages:

• Application cache (storage/framework/cache)
• View cache (storage/framework/views)
• Session files (storage/framework/sessions)
• Bootstrap cache (bootstrap/cache)
• Laravel Artisan caches (cache:clear, view:clear, config:clear, route:clear)

This ensures that no cached data is included in your packages, keeping them clean and up-to-date.

Best Practices

1. Version Naming: Use semantic versioning (e.g., 1.0.0, 1.1.0)
2. Date Format: Always use YYYY-MM-DD format for dates
3. Git Repository: Ensure you're in a Git repository before running commands
4. Exclusions: Configure appropriate exclusions for your project
5. Custom Files: Use add_update_file to include essential custom packages and dependencies
6. Testing: Test generated packages in a staging environment before production use
7. Environment Security: Always enable .env sanitization for production packages
8. Wildcard Patterns: Use wildcard patterns (*) to exclude directory contents while preserving structure
9. Cache Clearing: Keep clear_cache_before_generation enabled to ensure clean packages
10. Sanitization Rules: Customize env_sanitization_rules to match your application's needs

Recent Updates

💻 Modern Interactive CLI UI

• Stunning Visuals: Completely redesigned interactive experience with boxed inputs and bordered containers.
• Radio-Style Selections: Select filtering methods and package types using keyboard arrow keys (↑/↓) for a seamless workflow.
• Instructional Hints: Built-in helper text and placeholders (e.g., e.g. 1.0.0) to guide users in real-time.
• Inline Validation: Immediate, formatted error feedback without breaking the visual flow.

🔄 Commit-Based Generation

• SHA Support: Ability to generate updates between two specific commit references.
• Support: Compatible with both Full SHAs and Short SHAs.
• Range Validation: Automatic validation to ensure the starting reference precedes the ending reference.

🔒 Security Enhancements

• Environment File Sanitization: Automatically removes sensitive data from .env files in new installation packages
• Smart Exclusion Patterns: Wildcard patterns (*) for excluding directory contents while preserving structure
• Cache Management: Automatic cache clearing before package generation

🛠️ Technical Improvements

• ZIP Creation: Uses PHP's built-in ZipArchive for cross-platform compatibility (Windows, Linux, macOS)
• Infinite Loop Prevention: Fixed recursive copying issues in new installation generation
• File System Safety: Enhanced file copying with proper path validation and error handling
• Logging Enhancement: Improved logging with masked sensitive values for security

📦 Package Generation

• Essential Files: Automatic inclusion of vendor/autoload.php, vendor/composer, and custom packages
• Directory Structure: Preserved essential Laravel directories (storage/framework/sessions, etc.)
• Clean Packages: No cached data or temporary files included in packages

⚙️ Configuration Options

• sanitize_env_file: Enable/disable .env file sanitization
• env_sanitization_rules: Customize which environment variables to sanitize
• clear_cache_before_generation: Control automatic cache clearing
• Wildcard Exclusions: Use storage/logs/* patterns for smart exclusions

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Q: Getting "Failed to create ZIP archive" error? A: This has been fixed by using PHP's built-in ZipArchive. Ensure the PHP zip extension is installed and enabled on your system.

Q: New installation packages missing essential directories? A: Use wildcard patterns like storage/logs/* instead of storage/logs to preserve directory structure.

Q: Sensitive data in .env files? A: Enable sanitize_env_file and configure env_sanitization_rules to automatically clean sensitive data.

Q: Package generation in infinite loop? A: This has been fixed by using system temp directory and proper path validation.

Q: Missing vendor files in new installations? A: The package now automatically includes essential vendor files like vendor/autoload.php and vendor/composer.

License

This package is open-sourced software licensed under the MIT license.

💡 Support

👨‍💻 Created by Mahesh Kerai – A passionate Laravel developer who loves building clean and scalable solutions.
🌟 “Helping developers save time with automation and smarter workflows.”

📬 For questions, feedback, or support:

• ✉️ Email: [email protected]

✨ Made with ❤️, ☕, and a lot of Laravel magic by Mahesh Kerai.

Made with ❤️ by Mahesh Kerai