1. Controller Function and Route Setup

Fetch Data and Render View (`AdminController.php`)

Create a function to fetch all existing Categories and Brands needed to populate the product form'sdropdowns:

public function add_product()
{
    $categories = Category::Select("id","name")->orderBy("name")->get();
    $brands = Brand::Select("id","name")->orderBy("name")->get();
    return view("admin.product-add",compact("categories","brands"));
}

Define Route for View (`web.php`)

Create the GET route for accessing the new product form:

Route::get("/admin/product/add",[AdminController::class,"add_product"])->name("admin.product.add’);

Create and Setup View (`product-add.blade.php`)

Create the view file, extend the admin layout, and integrate the form content from the template. Update all navigation and dashboard links:

{{ route(‘admin.index’) }}
{{ route(‘admin.products’) }}

2. Update Form for Data and Validation

Form Action and Method (`product-add.blade.php`)

Update the form to use the correct POST action, `enctype` for file uploads, and include the CSRF token:

<form method="POST" action="{{route("admin.product.store")}}" enctype="multipart/form-data" data-parsley-validate>
    @csrf
    </form>

Populate Dropdowns

Loop through the categories and brands passed from the controller to populate the respective select fields:

<!-- Category Dropdown -->
<select name="category_id" class="form-select" required>
    <option value="">Select Category</option>
    @foreach($categories as $category)
        <option value="{{$category->id}}">{{$category->name}}</option>
    @endforeach
</select>
<!-- Brand Dropdown -->
<select name="brand_id" class="form-select" required>
    <option value="">Select Brand</option>
    @foreach($brands as $brand)
        <option value="{{$brand->id}}">{{$brand->name}}</option>
    @endforeach
</select>

Add Validation and Old Input

For all input fields, add validation error messages and retrieve old input values to maintain form state upon error:

@error("name") <span class="alert alert-danger text-center">{{$message}}</span> @enderror
<input type="text" class="form-control" name="name" placeholder="Enter Product Name" value="{{old("name")}}">

3. Implement Product Store Logic and Route

Store Function (`AdminController.php - product_store`)

Create the function to handle validation, slug generation, main image upload, gallery image upload (comma-separated storage), and database saving:

public function product_store(Request $request)
{
    // ... Validation rules (required, unique slug/SKU, prices, etc.) ...
    $product = new Product();
    $product->name = $request->name;
    $product->slug = Str::slug($request->name);
    // ... [Assign remaining fields] ...
    
    // Handle Main Image Upload
    if ($request->hasFile("image")) {
        $image = $request->file("image");
        $file_extention = $image->extension();
        $file_name = Carbon::now()->timestamp . "." . $file_extention;
        $this->GenerateProductThumbnailImage($image, $file_name);
        $product->image = $file_name;
    }
    // Handle Gallery Images Upload (stored as comma-separated string)
    $gallery_images = "";
    if ($request->hasFile("images")) {
        $gallery_arr = [];
        $counter = 1;
        foreach ($request->file("images") as $gimage) {
            $gfile_extention = $gimage->extension();
            $gfileName = Carbon::now()->timestamp . $counter . "." . $gfile_extention;
            $this->GenerateProductThumbnailImage($gimage, $gfileName);
            array_push($gallery_arr, $gfileName);
            $counter = $counter + 1;
        }
        $gallery_images = implode(",", $gallery_arr);
    }
    $product->images = $gallery_images;
    $product->save();
    return redirect()->route("admin.products")->with("status", "Product has been added successfully!");
}

Image Helper Function (`GenerateProductThumbnailImage`)

Define the helper to resize and save both the main image and gallery images (for example, saving a large version and a thumbnail):

public function GenerateProductThumbnailImage($image, $imageName)
{
    $destinationPathThumbnail = public_path("uploads/products/thumbnails");
    $destinationPath = public_path("uploads/products");
    $img = Image::read($image->getRealPath());
    // Save large image (540x689 cover)
    $img->cover(540, 689, "top");
    $img->resize(540, 689, function ($constraint) {
        $constraint->aspectRatio();
    })->save($destinationPath . "/" . $imageName);
    // Save thumbnail (104x104)
    $img->resize(104, 104, function ($constraint) {
        $constraint->aspectRatio();
    })->save($destinationPathThumbnail . "/" . $imageName);
}

Define Route for Store (`web.php`)

Define the POST route that the form will submit to:

Route::post("/admin/product/store",[AdminController::class,"product_store"])->name("admin.product.store’);

4. Link Update (`products.blade.php`)

Ensure the main products listing page has the correct link to the creation form:

{{ route(‘admin.product.add’) }}