# Chat Backup / Session Notes — Skyline CMS

> **Project:** `/mnt/c/xampp/htdocs/skyline` — Laravel 12.68, PHP 8.2.12, SQLite local
> **Date of first session:** 2026-08-29
> **Date of deploy-prep session:** 2026-09-02
> **Scope covered in this chat:** Hero slider management + navbar experiments (reverted), WordPress-style "add page / customize navbar" discussion, and the earlier-established hero-slides admin feature.

---

## DEPLOYMENT PREP (2026-09-02) — deploying to cPanel/@ skyline.esofticstudio.ca

### Live domain
- **URL:** `https://skyline.esofticstudio.ca`
- Set `APP_URL` and `APP_ENV=production`, `APP_DEBUG=false` in `.env`.

### Production `.env` (already written)
- Based on `.env.example` (MySQL). Old SQLite/local `.env` backed up to `.env.backup_deploy`.
- **APP_KEY kept the same:** `base64:5MJiRA9UWMsC4QK8+zbSjyXyq4VwK+RzRLkd6ANXQw4=`
- **DB (cPanel "MySQL Databases" — create these):**
  - `DB_DATABASE=skyline_db`
  - `DB_USERNAME=skyline_user`
  - `DB_PASSWORD=your_database_password` ← **replace with the real cPanel password before going live**
  - `DB_HOST=127.0.0.1`, `DB_PORT=3306`, `DB_CONNECTION=mysql`

### DB export files (created in project root)
- **`db_export.sql`** — raw SQLite dump (schema + data), full backup of the local DB.
- **`db_export_data.sql`** — MySQL-compatible **data-only** INSERTs for 16 content tables
  (certifications, clients, contact_messages, downloads, hero_slides, homepage_stats,
  menus, pages, process_steps, project_categories, projects, service_features, services,
  site_settings, users, values). Intended to be imported AFTER `php artisan migrate`
  creates the schema on the server (avoids SQLite↔MySQL schema syntax issues).
- `homepage_sections`, `media`, `project_images` were empty → not included.
- Intermediate broken schema file `db_export_mysql.sql` was deleted.

### IMPORTANT FIX (2026-09-02): import into an EMPTY DB → "Table doesn't exist"
- The data-only `db_export_data.sql` requires tables to ALREADY exist (needs `php artisan migrate` first).
- **NEW complete dump: `db_export_full.sql`** — includes `CREATE TABLE` (schema matching the migrations) + all data. Import this straight into an **empty** `skyline_db` in phpMyAdmin; no migrations needed.
- Note: schema is reconstructed from the migrations; no FKs are enforced in the dump (plain columns). Sessions/cache/jobs/etc. are created empty except content tables.

### LOCAL XAMPP MySQL WORKING (2026-09-02) — fixes applied
- The project ran on **SQLite** locally, NOT XAMPP MySQL (there was no `skyline_db` in the XAMPP DB list).
- Created `skyline_db` in XAMPP MySQL (MariaDB 10.4, root / no password) and imported `db_export_full.sql`.
- Import fixes needed:
  1. Converted `timestamp ... DEFAULT NULL` → `datetime` (MariaDB strict rejected `timestamp DEFAULT NULL`).
  2. Removed `NOT NULL DEFAULT NULL` (e.g. `remember_token`) → plain nullable column.
  3. Fixed empty-table bug: data file emitted `INSERT INTO ... VALUES` with no rows + no `;` → unterminated → next INSERT concatenated. Fix: skip INSERT for 0-row tables.
  4. **`sessions` table was MISSING** because the export skipped framework tables → 500 error `Table 'skyline_db.sessions' doesn't exist` (SESSION_DRIVER=database). Fixed by creating the `sessions` table manually (schema from the framework migration).
- `.env` for local: `APP_ENV=local`, `APP_DEBUG=true`, `APP_URL=http://localhost/skyline/public`, `DB_CONNECTION=mysql`, DB=`skyline_db`, user=`root`, pass empty.
- CRITICAL `.env` gotcha: `APP_NAME=Skyline International Contracting` (unquoted spaces) breaks dotenv parsing → "Failed to parse dotenv file... unexpected whitespace". Must be quoted: `APP_NAME="Skyline International Contracting"`.
- Verified: `/` returns HTTP 200 with real content (hero, services, projects, clients); `/admin` redirects to `/admin/login` (200). Data counts: projects 6, services 6, clients 8, hero_slides 2, users 1, site_settings 2.
- **Temp debug access:** Apache reachable from WSL at Windows-host IP `172.17.176.1/skyline/public`.

## FEATURE (2026-09-02): Country flag + certification popup on homepage stats

User requested: each homepage stat (e.g. "Established in Oman") shows a small clickable country flag; clicking it opens a popup/modal showing the company certification image for that country. All editable from admin (Homepage Stats).

- **Migration:** `database/migrations/2024_01_01_000019_add_flag_to_homepage_stats_table.php` — adds columns `flag`, `popup_title`, `popup_image` (nullable strings) to `homepage_stats`. Also applied manually to local MySQL: `ALTER TABLE homepage_stats ADD COLUMN flag ... AFTER value, popup_title, popup_image`.
- **Controller:** `HomepageStatController` — `store`/`update` handle `flag` + `popup_image` file uploads via `FileUploadService::store(..., 'flags')`; shared `validateStat()` helper. Validation uses `file|extensions:jpeg,jpg,jpe,png,gif,webp,svg,bmp,ico,tif,tiff,avif,heic,heif` (all common formats) — flag max 2048KB, popup max 10240KB.
- **FileUploadService** — allowed-extension list extended to `jpe, svg, bmp, ico, tif, tiff, avif, heic, heif`.
- **Admin views:** `resources/views/admin/stats/_form.blade.php` — added `enctype=multipart/form-data` + Country Flag upload, Popup Title, Certification Image upload (with live previews). `index.blade.php` — added Flag thumbnail column (colspan now 7).
- **Frontend (`home.blade.php`):** stats band now renders `stat-flag` button (with `data-popup-title`/`data-popup-image`) next to the label when a flag + popup image exist; appends a cert modal (`#certModal`) + `@push('scripts')` JS handler (open/close via backdrop/X/Escape, `body.no-scroll`).
- **CSS (`public/css/frontend.css`):** appended `.stat-label`, `.stat-flag`, `.stat-flag img`, `.stat-flag:hover`, `.stat-flag-static`, `.cert-modal*`, `body.no-scroll`.
- **Sample data set:** stats id 10 (Oman) & 11 (KSA) got placeholder flag/cert images so the feature is visible; user should replace via admin with real flag + cert images.
- Verified: homepage HTTP 200, modal + stat-flag markup render, admin login → `/admin/stats` + `/admin/stats/10/edit` show Country Flag / Popup Title / Certification Image fields; all PHP lints clean.
- **All image formats** supported for flag + cert upload: `file|extensions:jpeg,jpg,jpe,png,gif,webp,svg,bmp,ico,tif,tiff,avif,heic,heif` (flag max 2048KB, cert max 10240KB). `FileUploadService` extension list extended with jpe/svg/bmp/ico/tif/tiff/avif/heic/heif.
- **Sizing:** flag auto-adjusts (`.stat-flag img` height 24px, width:auto, max-width 36px, object-fit:contain) — scales with any aspect ratio. Cert popup image is `width:100%; height:auto; object-fit:contain` — fills full modal width regardless of original size. Modal resized to max-width 94vw/900px so cert image shows larger. (CSS tail was cleaned of a duplicate append.)
- **FIX: `public/storage` symlink** — was a WSL symlink Windows Apache couldn't follow → uploaded images 404. Recreated as a **Windows junction** via PowerShell (`New-Item -ItemType Junction -Path 'C:\xampp\htdocs\skyline\public\storage' -Target 'C:\xampp\htdocs\skyline\storage\app\public'`). Now uploaded flag/cert images display.

## FEATURE (2026-09-02): "Our Journey" section (About page) — dynamic + flag popup

Same flag+cert-popup concept as homepage stats, applied to the About page "Our Journey" timeline. Was previously hardcoded in about.blade.php.

- **Migration:** `database/migrations/2024_01_01_000020_create_journey_items_table.php` — table `journey_items`: id, `date`, `title`, `description` (text), `flag`, `popup_title`, `popup_image`, `sort_order`, `is_active`, timestamps. Applied directly to local MySQL + **seeded the 4 original items** (2015 Oman, 2018, 2023 KSA, Today) with Oman/KSA flags + popup placeholders.
- **Model:** `app/Models/JourneyItem.php` (`$guarded=[]`, casts is_active bool).
- **Controller:** `app/Http/Controllers/Admin/JourneyItemController.php` — full CRUD, flag + popup_image uploads via FileUploadService (folder `flags`), shared `validateItem()` (all image formats, flag max 2MB / cert max 10MB).
- **Routes:** `routes/admin.php` — `Route::resource('journey', JourneyItemController::class)->except('show')` (names `admin.journey.*`).
- **Admin views:** `resources/views/admin/journey/{index,create,edit,_form}.blade.php`. `_form` has Date/Year, Title, Description, Country Flag, Popup Title, Certification Image, sort, active. Sidebar link "Our Journey" (Content section, icon signpost-split).
- **Frontend:** `FrontController::about()` now passes `$journey`. `about.blade.php` journey section (`#journey`) loops `$journey`; title rendered as `.journey-title` (inline-flex) with `stat-flag` button after the title text; reused `#certModal` + `@push('scripts')` handler (same as home).
- **CSS:** appended `.journey-title{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:9px}` and `.journey-title .stat-flag img{height:20px;max-width:30px}`.
- Verified: about page HTTP 200 (no errors), journey items render with flag buttons (Oman + KSA popups), admin `/admin/journey` list + create + edit all 200. All new PHP lints clean.

## UX FEATURES (2026-09-02): Sticky navbar + Back-to-top button

- **Sticky navbar:** `.nav-shell` changed `position:relative` → `position:sticky;top:0`; adds `.is-stuck` shadow via JS on scroll (`nav-shell`, `y > 5`). Works on desktop + mobile (mobile-nav is inside nav-shell). Verified home/about 200.
  - **IMPORTANT fix for sticky not working:** `.nav-shell` was originally nested INSIDE `<header class="site-header">`, so its containing block was only as tall as the header (topbar + nav) → sticky never engaged. Restructured `layouts/frontend.blade.php`: `<header>` now wraps only the topbar and closes right after it; `<div class="nav-shell">` was moved OUT of the header to be a direct child of `<body>` (a sibling of header). Now sticky works across the whole page. Verified all pages (/, about, services, projects, clients, certifications, downloads, contact) return HTTP 200 and structure is `body > header > topbar`, `body > nav-shell`.
- **Back-to-top button:** markup `<button id="backToTop">` added in `layouts/frontend.blade.php` before scripts. CSS `.back-to-top` (fixed bottom-right, red circle, `.visible` toggled after 500px scroll). JS handler in `public/js/frontend.js` uses smooth scroll; also drives the sticky `.is-stuck` class. Verified markup + CSS + JS all served.

## FEATURE (2026-09-02): Partners/Clients marquee slider (home page)

Replaced the static 4-column `logo-grid` in `resources/views/frontend/home.blade.php` clients section with a **responsive infinite auto-scroll marquee slider**, each slide shows the logo image + a short description at the bottom.

- **Markup:** `.logo-marquee > .logo-marquee-track` containing `.logo-marquee-item` per client (image or name fallback) + `.logo-desc` showing `$client->description ?: $client->name` (falls back to the company name since descriptions are currently NULL). The clients `@forelse` block is rendered TWICE inside the track so the track has 2x content and animates `translateX 0 → -50%` for a seamless infinite loop. `aria-hidden` on the duplicated set.
- **CSS:** `.logo-marquee` (overflow hidden, top/bottom border, left+right white fade gradients via `::before/::after`, `position:relative`), `.logo-marquee-track` (`display:flex; width:max-content; animation: marquee 40s linear infinite`), `.logo-marquee-item` (fixed 230px card, column layout, centered), `.logo-marquee-item img` (grayscale, fades to color on hover), `.logo-desc` (short text under image). Pauses on hover (`animation-play-state:paused`). Mobile `@media 640px` shrinks item to 150px. `@keyframes marquee` loops `translateX(-50%)`.
- **Admin description:** `resources/views/admin/clients/_form.blade.php` already has a `description` textarea (line 21) — user can add real short descriptions there; the marquee will then show them under each logo (currently falls back to the client name).
- Verified: home HTTP 200, no errors, 16 marquee items rendered (8 clients ×2 for the loop), fallback names show in `.logo-desc`, no "coming soon".

### Admin login (from export / seeding)
- **Email:** `admin@skylineksa.org`
- **Password:** `password` (change immediately after first login)

### cPanel install steps (TODO when the user does it)
1. Upload project files (exclude `.env`, `node_modules`) into `public_html` subdir OR point document root to `public/`.
2. Create MySQL DB + user in cPanel → update `DB_PASSWORD` in `.env`.
3. `php artisan migrate --seed` then import `db_export_data.sql` (or phpMyAdmin Import) over the seeded DB.
4. `php artisan storage:link`; set `storage/` + `bootstrap/cache/` writable (775).
5. Upload files referenced by the DB (they store only paths): `public/images/**` (hero, project imgs, `skyline-logo.png`, client logos), `public/downloads/sample.pdf`, and any `storage/app/public/**` uploads.

---

---

## 1. What this chat was about

The conversation covered two main things:

1. **Hero slider management** for the admin panel so the homepage hero can be edited from `/admin` and rendered as a slider.
2. **"How to add a new page in the navbar and customize it with my own features"** — i.e. making the CMS behave more like WordPress (create a page, then customize it), plus wiring the admin "Navigation" (menus) into the live navbar.

---

## 2. Hero Slides feature (IMPLEMENTED & TESTED — keeps the work)

The homepage hero is now editable from the admin panel, and renders as a slider when multiple slides are active.

### Migration & model
- **Migration:** `database/migrations/2024_01_01_000018_create_hero_slides_table.php`
  - Columns: `id`, `eyebrow`, `title`, `subtitle`, `image`, `button_text`, `button_url`, `button2_text`, `button2_url`, `sort_order`, `is_active`, `timestamps`
- **Model:** `app/Models/HeroSlide.php` (casts `is_active` to boolean)

### Admin controller & routes
- **Controller:** `app/Http/Controllers/Admin/HeroSlideController.php`
  - `index / create / store / edit / update / destroy`
  - Image upload via `FileUploadService::store()` (folder `hero`)
  - Validation per slide fields.
- **Routes** added in `routes/admin.php`:
  - `Route::resource('hero-slides', HeroSlideController::class)->except('show');`
  - Added `use App\Http\Controllers\Admin\HeroSlideController;`
- **Admin sidebar link** added in `resources/views/admin/partials/sidebar.blade.php` under the **Homepage** section ("Hero Slides").

### Admin views
- `resources/views/admin/hero-slides/index.blade.php`
- `resources/views/admin/hero-slides/create.blade.php`
- `resources/views/admin/hero-slides/edit.blade.php`
- `resources/views/admin/hero-slides/_form.blade.php` (shared form: image, headline, eyebrow, subtitle, 2 CTA buttons, sort order, active checkbox)

### Frontend rendering (slider)
- `app/Http/Controllers/FrontController.php` — `home()` now passes `$heroSlides` (active slides ordered by sort order).
- `resources/views/frontend/home.blade.php` — hero rebuilt as a slider:
  - Renders each slide as a `hero-slide` background + `hero-slide-content` (eyebrow, h1, copy, two buttons).
  - Shows clickable **dots** when more than one slide is active.
  - **Fallback:** if no slides exist, a hardcoded default slide renders (so the hero is never empty).
- **CSS:** appended slider rules to `public/css/frontend.css` (`hero-slide` fade transition, `.hero-dots` / `.hero-dot` styling).
- **JS:** new `public/js/frontend.js` — auto-advance every 7s + dot navigation.
- **Asset include:** added `<script src="{{ asset('js/frontend.js') }}">` + `@stack('scripts')` in `resources/views/layouts/frontend.blade.php`.

### Seeding
- `database/seeders/SiteSeeder.php` — added `seedHeroSlides()` with **2 seeded slides** and called it in `run()`.

### Verified
- `php artisan migrate --force` + `db:seed --force` → success.
- Homepage `/` returns 200, renders 2 slides + dots.
- `/admin/hero-slides`, `/admin/hero-slides/create`, `/admin/hero-slides/{id}/edit` → 200 after admin login.
- All changed PHP files pass `php -l`; routes confirm `admin.hero-slides.*`.

---

## 3. WordPress-style "add a page / customize" (implemented, then REVERTED for the navbar)

The user wanted to add pages in the navbar and customize them (like WordPress). Work that was done and its current status:

### What was implemented
- **`app/Providers/AppServiceProvider.php`** — added a View Composer to expose `$navMenus` (all menus) and `$navPages` (active pages) to **every** view.
- **`app/Http/Controllers/Admin/PageController.php`** — added a `preview()` method to preview a CMS page.
- **`routes/admin.php`** — added `pages/{page}/preview` route.
- **Navbar wiring** in `resources/views/layouts/frontend.blade.php` — appended admin menus + CMS pages to the desktop and mobile navs.

> **NOTE / IMPORTANT:** The navbar wiring cause **duplicate + ugly menu items** (the admin-seeded menus duplicated the already-hardcoded nav items, plus the Privacy page was appended). The user asked to revert it.

### Reverted (final state)
- Removed ALL `$navPages` / `$navMenus` loops and the `route('page', ...)` links from `frontend.blade.php`.
- The **navbar is back to its original hardcoded state** (Home, About dropdown, Services dropdown, Projects, Clients, Credentials dropdown, Contact) with the logo showing correctly.
- Confirmed via rendered HTML: no duplicate links remain; `grep` for `navPages|navMenus|route('page'` in the layout returns no matches.

### What was KEPT (not reverted)
- `AppServiceProvider` still exposes `$navMenus` / `$navPages` globally (harmless — not used in the layout anymore, but available if we re-enable).
- `PageController::preview()` and the preview route are still present.
- The **CMS Pages** module already lets you create rich-HTML pages at `/slug` with hero image + SEO (existing feature, not changed).

---

## 4. Decide next (open item)

The user said: **"Baaki kaam baad mein karte hain"** (we'll do the rest later) and asked to save the chat notes.

### Suggested approach when we resume (to avoid the duplicate-nav problem)
Make the admin **Navigation** module *replace* the hardcoded menu cleanly, rather than appending to it:
- In the navbar, render **either** the hardcoded items **or** the admin-seeded menus (not both).
- Menus table supports `parent_id` for dropdowns (note: `parent_id` is stored as a string in the migration — compare with `(string)` casts).
- Optionally add a toggle in Site Settings: "Use custom navigation from admin" vs. use the default.

Also a known note about menu `parent_id`: it's defined as a string column; when matching children use `(string) $m->parent_id === (string) $menu->id`.

---

## 5. Key files touched in this chat

| File | Change |
|------|--------|
| `database/migrations/2024_01_01_000018_create_hero_slides_table.php` | NEW — hero_slides table |
| `app/Models/HeroSlide.php` | NEW — model |
| `app/Http/Controllers/Admin/HeroSlideController.php` | NEW — admin CRUD |
| `routes/admin.php` | Added hero-slides resource + pages preview route |
| `resources/views/admin/partials/sidebar.blade.php` | Added "Hero Slides" link |
| `resources/views/admin/hero-slides/{index,create,edit,_form}.blade.php` | NEW — admin views |
| `resources/views/frontend/home.blade.php` | Hero → slide slider with fallback |
| `public/css/frontend.css` | Added hero slider CSS |
| `public/js/frontend.js` | NEW — slider auto-advance + dots |
| `resources/views/layouts/frontend.blade.php` | Added slider JS; navbar looped then REVERTED |
| `app/Http/Controllers/FrontController.php` | Pass `$heroSlides` |
| `app/Providers/AppServiceProvider.php` | Expose `$navMenus` / `$navPages` |
| `app/Http/Controllers/Admin/PageController.php` | Added `preview()` |
| `database/seeders/SiteSeeder.php` | Added `seedHeroSlides()` (+ import) |

---

## 6. Useful commands

```bash
# Migrate + reseed local SQLite
php artisan migrate --force
php artisan db:seed --force

# Run local server
php artisan serve --host=127.0.0.1 --port=8899

# Admin login (seeded)
# email: admin@skylineksa.org  password: password

# Lint a PHP file
php -l path/to/File.php

# List routes
php artisan route:list | grep hero-slides
```

### Environment notes to remember
- Keep DB on **SQLite** locally (`database/database.sqlite`). `.env.example` is set to MySQL for deployment.
- Do **not** re-create `public/downloads/` (it shadows the `/downloads` route on the PHP built-in server).
- Catch-all `/{slug}` route uses `where('slug', '(?!admin$)[a-z0-9-]+')` to avoid shadowing `/admin`.
- `FileUploadService::url()` falls back to `public/images/` and `public/`.

---
*End of chat backup / session notes.*
