---

The Sorting feature provides a declarative and customizable way to apply ordering to Eloquent queries via request parameters.

It allows you to control which fields are sortable, set default sorting behavior, define aliases for complex sorting logic, and decide how multiple fields and null values should be handled.

You can apply sorting rules locally per filter or register global sorting logic across multiple filters. Sorting can be configured using closures or invokable classes.

• Control which fields are sortable.
• Apply default sorting automatically.
• Use aliases for common sorting patterns.
• Support multiple fields with ascending/descending directions.

Configuration

The sorting behavior is configured using the following options:

'sorting' => [
    'sort_key' => 'sort', // The request key, e.g., ?sort=name
    'allowed' => [], // List of sortable fields
    'default' => null, // ['field', 'direction']
    'aliases' => [], // Custom named sort definitions
    'multi_sort' => true, // Enable multi-field sorting
    'delimiter' => ',', // Separator for multi-sorting
    'direction_map' => [
        'asc' => 'asc',
        'desc' => 'desc',
        'prefix' => '-', // Prefix for descending fields: ?sort=-created_at
    ],
    'nulls_position' => null, // 'first', 'last', or null (default DB behavior)
],
],

How it Works

• The request parameter sort controls the sorting.
• Fields are separated by delimiter.
• A leading - means descending order.
• Sorting only applies to fields defined in allow().

Local Sorting

You can define sorting behavior directly within a filter instance by chaining the sorting() method.

Example:

GET /posts?sort=title,-id

use Kettasoft\Filterable\Foundation\Contracts\Sortable;

$request = request()->merge(['sort' => 'id,title']);

$filter = PostFilter::create($request)->sorting(function (Sortable $sort) {
    return $sort->allow(['id', 'title']);
});

$posts = Post::filter($filter)->get();

Use allow() to restrict sortable fields and prevent unauthorized sorting.

Global Sorting

You can register sorting logic globally across multiple filters using Filterable::addSorting():

use Kettasoft\Filterable\Foundation\Filterable;
use Kettasoft\Filterable\Foundation\Contracts\Sortable;

Filterable::addSorting(
    [ProductFilter::class, ServiceFilter::class],
    function (Sortable $sort) {
        return $sort->allow(['created_at', 'price', 'id']);
    }
);

This approach is ideal when multiple filters share the same sorting rules.

Using Invokable Sort Classes

Instead of using closures, you can define reusable invokable sorting classes that implement:

Example:

use Kettasoft\Filterable\Foundation\Contracts\Sortable\Invokable;
use Kettasoft\Filterable\Foundation\Contracts\Sortable;

class CustomSort implements Invokable
{
    public function __invoke(Sortable $sort): Sortable
    {
        return $sort->allow(['id'])
            ->default('created_at', 'desc');
    }
}

Then use the class:

PostFilter::create()->sorting(CustomSort::class);

---

Sorting Aliases

You can define aliases for common or complex sort presets. These aliases can be referenced by name in the query string.

Example:

$sort->alias('recent', [['created_at', 'desc']]);
$sort->alias('popular', [['views', 'desc'], ['likes', 'desc']]);

Then in the URL:

/posts?sort=recent

---

Field Mapping

In cases where the request's sorting keys do not match your actual database column names, you can use the map() method to translate input fields to their corresponding database columns.

Usage

$sort->allow(['name', 'created'])
     ->map([
         'name' => 'user_name',
         'created' => 'created_at',
     ]);

Then, when a request like the following is made:

/users?sort=-created,name

It will be translated internally to:

ORDER BY created_at DESC, user_name ASC

✅ This is useful when you want to expose clean or abstract field names via the API, while keeping internal database schema hidden or more flexible.

Important Note

Make sure any field you map is also included in the allow() list. The mapping only affects column translation — it does not automatically validate allowed fields.

✅ Correct

$sort->allow(['created'])->map(['created' => 'created_at']);

⚠️ Incorrect

$sort->map(['created' => 'created_at']); //  Incorrect unless 'created' is also allowed

---

Multi-Sorting

When enabled (multi_sort = true), you can sort by multiple fields:

?sort=name,-created_at

If disabled, only the first field is considered.

Use the delimiter option to control the field separator (default is a comma => ,).

---

Sorting Direction

Direction is controlled via the direction_map config:

• Prefixing a field with - implies descending order.
• No prefix implies ascending.

Examples:

?sort=-created_at   # DESC
?sort=name          # ASC

---

Nulls Position

Control how NULL values are ordered using nulls_position:

• 'first': Nulls appear before non-nulls.
• 'last': Nulls appear after non-nulls.
• null: Use database default behavior.

Example (if supported by DB driver):

ORDER BY created_at ASC NULLS LAST

---

Customizing Instance Settings

In addition to configuring sorting behavior globally via the config file, you can override certain settings per instance when defining sorting logic — whether locally or globally.

This provides greater flexibility when different filters require different query keys or behaviors.

Custom Sort Key

You can override the default sort key (sort) by calling setSortKey():

$sort->setSortKey('s');

This will now expect sorting parameters like: /posts?s=title

---

Custom Sorting Delimiter

You can override the default sorting delimiter (,) by calling setDelimiter():

$sort->setDelimiter('|');

This will now expect sorting parameters like:

/posts?sort=id|title

By default, the delimiter used is a comma (,), but using setDelimiter(), you can define a custom separator for multi-field sorting.

---

Custom NULLs Position

Some databases allow controlling how NULL values are sorted — whether they appear at the beginning or end of the result set.

You can customize this per instance using setNullsPosition():

$sort->setNullsPosition('last');

This would result in a query like:

ORDER BY created_at ASC NULLS LAST

Depending on your database driver and version. Available options:

• 'first' — Puts NULL values at the beginning.
• 'last' — Puts NULL values at the end.
• null — Uses database default behavior (no explicit NULLS FIRST/LAST clause).

Note

Not all databases or database versions support explicit NULLS FIRST/LAST. Use with caution and test on your environment.

---

⚠️ Warnings

Be careful with $sort->allow(['*'])

Using the wildcard ['*'] in the allow() method will enable sorting by all available request fields — including potentially unsafe or sensitive columns.

$sort->allow(['*']); // Not recommended

This effectively removes any restriction on what fields users can sort by, which can:

• Allow unintended fields to be sorted (e.g., password, token, etc.).
• Introduce performance issues if users sort on unindexed or non-optimized fields.
• Expose internal schema or data patterns through error messages.

✅ Recommended: Always whitelist only the fields you explicitly want to allow.

$sort->allow(['id', 'title', 'created_at']); // Safe and intentional

---

Summary

• Use sorting() to apply sorting to filters.
• You can use closures or invokable classes.
• Sorting supports multiple fields, default rules, aliases, and null handling.
• All behavior is configurable via the sorting config section.

Contributors: Abdalrhman Emad Saad

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