Laravel 4/5 search form like
Stefan Bogdanescu
Founder & Senior Architect · 2026-06-29
Introduction
In this comprehensive guide, we will discuss how to implement a search feature using Eloquent queries in your Laravel 4 or 5 application. We'll cover the basics of working with search forms and functions in controllers and views. By the end of this tutorial, you should have a solid understanding of building efficient search functionalities within your Laravel project.The Search Form
First things first, we need to create a custom form for searching, which will include an input field where users can input their desired search query and a submit button. Here's an example HTML code you could use in your view: ```html ``` This form will send the search query to the `search()` function in our controller when submitted. The input parameter, character, allows us to pass the user's entered text as a search term.Controller Function: Search()
The custom controller function is responsible for handling the search request and returning the relevant results based on the search query. Here's an example implementation: ```php public function search() { $name = Input::get('character'); $searchResult = Player::where('name', '=', $name)->paginate(1); return View::make('search.search') ->with('name', $name) ->with('searchResult', $searchResult); } ``` In this code, we first retrieve the search query from the input field using `Input::get()`. Then, we use Eloquent's where clause to filter players by their name, which will be equal to the user-entered string. Finally, we call `paginate(1)` to display a maximum of 1 player per page, making it easier for users to browse through search results.View: Displaying Search Results
Lastly, we need to create the view that will display our search results. With Laravel's Blade template engine, this is a simple task. Here's an example view code for showing search results: ```htmlSearch Results
@foreach ($searchResult as $player)Name: {{ $player->name }} - {{ $player->class }}
... (add more relevant player details here) @endforeach