Laravel Collective can still be useful for legacy projects but is not recommended for new ones. 1. It requires installation via Composer and setup in config/app.php for older Laravel versions. 2. You can create forms using Form::open(), Form::text(), Form::email(), and other helpers with automatic CSRF protection. 3. Use Form::model() for editing existing models with auto-filled data. 4. Display validation errors using @error or $errors->has() directives. However, modern Laravel favors Blade with native HTML, reducing dependency overhead and improving compatibility with tools like Inertia and Livewire.

Using Laravel Collective HTML forms can still be helpful if you're working on a legacy project or prefer the syntax it offers. However, it's worth noting that the package is now considered legacy, and newer Laravel projects typically use Blade directives and standard HTML with helper functions instead.

Here’s how to use Laravel Collective for form creation — and when you might want to consider alternatives.

Setting up Laravel Collective

Before you can use the HTML form builder, you need to install the package via Composer. Run this command:

composer require laravelcollective/html

Then, add the service provider and aliases in your config/app.php (only needed for Laravel 5.x and below — newer versions auto-discover packages):

'providers' => [
    // ...
    Collective\Html\HtmlServiceProvider::class,
],

'aliases' => [
    // ...
    'Form' => Collective\Html\FormFacade::class,
    'Html' => Collective\Html\HtmlFacade::class,
],

Once set up, you can start using Form:: helpers in your Blade views.

Creating Basic Forms

Laravel Collective makes it easy to generate form elements with built-in model binding and CSRF protection.

For example, to create a basic form for creating a user:

{{ Form::open(['url' => 'users']) }}
    {{ Form::text('name', null, ['placeholder' => 'Name']) }}
    {{ Form::email('email', null, ['placeholder' => 'Email']) }}
    {{ Form::password('password') }}
    {{ Form::submit('Create User') }}
{{ Form::close() }}

This will generate a <form> with method POST and automatically include a hidden _token field for CSRF protection.

If you're editing an existing model, you can bind it directly:

{{ Form::model($user, ['url' => ['users', $user->id], 'method' => 'PUT']) }}
    {{ Form::text('name') }}
    {{ Form::submit('Update User') }}
{{ Form::close() }}

The Form::model() method auto-fills input fields with the model’s data, which is handy for edit forms.

Handling Form Errors and Validation

One of the strengths of Laravel Collective is how well it integrates with Laravel's validation system.

When a form submission fails validation, you can display errors next to each field like this:

{{ Form::text('name') }}
@if ($errors->has('name'))
    <span class="error">{{ $errors->first('name') }}</span>
@endif

You can also use Blade shorthand:

@error('name')
    <span class="error">{{ $message }}</span>
@enderror

This works whether you're using Form:: or plain HTML inputs.

When to Consider Alternatives

While Laravel Collective is convenient, especially for developers used to Rails-style form builders, there are reasons to look elsewhere:

• Modern Laravel uses Blade more heavily – You can write clean, readable forms using standard HTML and Blade directives like @error, old(), and @selected.
• Less dependency overhead – Removing third-party packages simplifies maintenance.
• Better compatibility with Inertia / Livewire – These tools often rely on native HTML and don’t integrate smoothly with older form builders.

For example, here’s the same form written in modern Blade style:

<form method="POST" action="{{ route('users.store') }}">
    @csrf
    <input type="text" name="name" value="{{ old('name') }}">
    @error('name')
        <span class="error">{{ $message }}</span>
    @enderror

    <input type="email" name="email" value="{{ old('email') }}">
    @error('email')
        <span class="error">{{ $message }}</span>
    @enderror

    <input type="password" name="password">
    @error('password')
        <span class="error">{{ $message }}</span>
    @enderror

    <button type="submit">Create User</button>
</form>

It’s not much longer and avoids any external dependencies.

So, while Laravel Collective can still be useful in legacy apps, most new projects benefit from sticking with standard HTML and Blade features. It’s not complicated — just something to be aware of as Laravel evolves.

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