Tailor Module

Tailor is October CMS's headless content engine. It allows developers to define content structures using YAML blueprints, and October automatically generates the database tables, backend forms, lists, navigation, and permissions -- no PHP code, no migrations, no controllers. Where traditional CMS platforms require writing models, controllers, and admin views for every content type, Tailor lets you define a complete content management interface in a single YAML file. Content is queryable via Eloquent models, renderable with CMS components, and fully extensible through the plugin system.

Architecture Overview

The Tailor workflow:

1. Define content structures in YAML blueprint files
2. Migrate - Tailor creates database tables and columns from the blueprint definitions
3. Manage - backend controllers are auto-generated for content entry
4. Display - CMS components render content on the frontend

Blueprint Types

Blueprints are YAML files stored in app/blueprints/ (or plugin blueprint directories). Each blueprint defines a content structure.

Blueprint Example

This single YAML file produces a fully functional blog post manager in the backend -- complete with a database table, form fields, list columns, navigation menu entry, and CRUD permissions:

uuid: edcd102e-0525-4e4d-b07e-633ae6d3b7de
handle: Blog\Post
type: entry
name: Blog Post

fields:
    title:
        label: Title
        type: text

    content:
        label: Content
        type: richeditor

    featured_image:
        label: Featured Image
        type: fileupload
        mode: image
        maxItems: 1

    category:
        label: Category
        type: entries
        source: Blog\Category
        maxItems: 1

navigation:
    parent: Blog
    icon: icon-file-text-o
    order: 100

Mixins

Mixins define reusable field groups that can be included in other blueprints:

# Mixin definition
uuid: ...
handle: Fields\Seo
type: mixin
name: SEO Fields

fields:
    meta_title:
        label: Meta Title
        type: text
    meta_description:
        label: Meta Description
        type: textarea

# Usage in another blueprint
fields:
    seo:
        type: mixin
        source: Fields\Seo

Content Field Types

Content fields extend Tailor\Classes\ContentFieldBase and map blueprint field definitions to form widgets and database columns.

Registering Custom Content Fields

In your plugin's Plugin.php:

public function registerContentFields()
{
    return [
        \Acme\Blog\ContentFields\MyField::class => 'myfield',
    ];
}

Custom content fields extend Tailor\Classes\ContentFieldBase and implement methods for defining the database column, configuring the form widget, and configuring the list column.

CMS Components

Tailor provides four CMS components for rendering content on the frontend:

Usage Example

[section post]
handle = "Blog\Post"
slug = "{{ :slug }}"
==
<h1>{{ post.title }}</h1>
{{ post.content_html|raw }}

[collection posts]
handle = "Blog\Post"
postsPerPage = 10
==
{% for post in posts %}
    <h2>{{ post.title }}</h2>
{% endfor %}
{{ posts.render|raw }}

Models

Querying Entries

use Tailor\Classes\BlueprintIndexer;

// Get the model class for a blueprint
$model = BlueprintIndexer::instance()->findSectionModel('Blog\Post');

// Query entries
$posts = $model->where('is_enabled', true)->orderBy('published_at', 'desc')->get();
$post = $model->where('slug', $slug)->first();

Key Features

All of these features are available automatically for every blueprint -- no additional configuration or code required:

• Drafts and Versions - full draft/publish workflow with change history
• Multisite - content per-site with sync options
• Soft Delete - trash and restore functionality
• Search and Filter - built-in list filtering and search
• Bulk Actions - publish, delete, and export multiple items
• Import/Export - batch operations via CSV/JSON

Key Classes

Auto-Generated Navigation and Permissions

Blueprints can define their backend navigation placement:

navigation:
    parent: Content          # Primary nav item
    icon: icon-file-text-o
    order: 100

# Or as a settings page
navigation:
    category: Content
    icon: icon-cog

Permissions are auto-generated per blueprint:

• {handle}.read - View entries
• {handle}.create - Create entries
• {handle}.update - Edit entries
• {handle}.delete - Delete entries
• {handle}.publish - Publish/unpublish entries

Database

Tailor creates one table per blueprint (except mixins). Table names follow the pattern tailor_{type}_{handle}, with join tables for relationships and repeater tables for repeater fields.

The SchemaBuilder class handles all table creation and migration. Running BlueprintIndexer::instance()->migrate() (or php artisan october:migrate) applies any pending schema changes.

Extension Points

Events

Custom Content Fields

Extend Tailor\Classes\ContentFieldBase and register via registerContentFields() in your plugin. A content field controls:

• Database column creation (extendDatabaseTable)
• Form widget configuration (extendFormField)
• List column configuration (extendTableColumn)
• Validation rules (extendValidationRules)

Extending Models

Event::listen('model.extendBlueprint', function ($model, $blueprint) {
    if ($blueprint->handle === 'Blog\Post') {
        $model->addDynamicMethod('scopeFeatured', function ($query) {
            return $query->where('is_featured', true);
        });
    }
});

Editor Integration

Tailor registers an Editor extension for editing blueprint YAML files directly in the October Editor IDE, with schema validation and intellisense for field types.