CodeIgniter to Laravel Migration Tool

A command-line tool designed to automate the migration of CodeIgniter applications to Laravel.

Table of Contents

• CodeIgniter to Laravel Migration Tool
  • Table of Contents
  • Introduction
  • Features
  • Limitations
  • Requirements
    • For the Migration Tool:
    • For the Source CodeIgniter Project:
    • For the Target Laravel Project:
  • Installation
  • Usage
  • Usage
  • Configuration
  • Troubleshooting
    • Common Issues
    • Bug Reports
  • Future Scope
  • Contributing
  • License
  • Credits

Introduction

The CodeIgniter to Laravel Migration Tool is a command-line application built to streamline the process of migrating existing CodeIgniter (CI) projects to the Laravel framework. While a complete, "one-click" migration is not feasible due to the architectural differences, this tool automates a significant portion of the work, providing clear guidance for the manual adjustments required.

Features

This tool intelligently transforms your CI codebase, covering common patterns:

• Basic Routing Conversion: Maps simple CI routes to Laravel's route definitions.

• Database Schema Generation: Creates Laravel Migration files from your existing CI database schema.

• Simple Model Mapping: Converts basic DB_Active_Record CRUD operations to Eloquent.

• View Syntax Transformation: Converts basic to {{ $var }} and simple control structures to Blade directives.

• Configuration File Conversion: Translates core CI config files to Laravel's .env and config/*.php structure.

• Composer Setup: Generates an initial composer.json and sets up autoloading for your new Laravel project.

• Migration Report: Provides a detailed report highlighting successful conversions, areas needing manual review, and unmigrated components.

Limitations

It's important to understand that some aspects of the migration require manual review and intervention:

• Complex Database Queries: Custom SQL, stored procedures, or highly optimized queries will need manual re-writing.

• Custom CI Helpers, Libraries, Hooks: These have no direct Laravel equivalents and will require manual porting.

• Authentication/Authorization: Requires significant manual rewriting to utilize Laravel's robust Auth system.

• Third-Party CI Packages: Manual compatibility solutions or replacements will be needed.

• Advanced View Logic: Complex inline PHP logic within views may require manual refinement.

• Relationships: Database relationships (e.g., One-to-Many) are often difficult to infer automatically and will largely require manual definition in Eloquent models.

We aim to be transparent about these limitations, guiding you through the necessary manual steps.

Requirements

To run the migration tool and the generated Laravel project, you'll need:

For the Migration Tool:

• PHP 7.4 or higher

• Composer 2.0 or higher

For the Source CodeIgniter Project:

• CodeIgniter 3 (Primary Target)

For the Target Laravel Project:

• Laravel LTS (Long-Term Support) version (e.g., Laravel 10 LTS)

Installation

Instructions for installing the tool will be provided here upon release. Typically, it will involve a Composer global command:

1. Install the tool using Composer:
   composer global require your-vendor/ci-to-laravel-migration

2. Ensure Composer's global bin directory is in your system's PATH.

Usage

Usage

To initiate a migration using the taj-migrate:ci command:

1. Prepare your CodeIgniter project: Ensure it's in a clean state (e.g., without unnecessary temporary files).

2. Run the migration command:

   php artisan taj-migrate:ci --path=/path/to/your_codeigniter_project --output-dir=/path/to/your_new_laravel_project
   

   • Replace /path/to/your_codeigniter_project with the actual path to your CI project (can be a local directory ).

   • Replace /path/to/your_new_laravel_project with the desired path for the new Laravel project. This directory will be created by the tool.

   • The --output-dir option is optional; if omitted, the new Laravel project will be created in the ../test-environment directory.

3. Review the Migration Report: Carefully examine the generated report for areas requiring manual attention.

Configuration

This tool primarily manages internal configurations for the migration process. There is no user-facing config file for the tool itself. All input is provided via command-line arguments.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

• Composer installation fails: Ensure you have the correct version of Composer installed and your internet connection is stable.

• PHP version mismatch: Verify your PHP version meets the tool's requirements.

• Permissions issues: Ensure the tool has read/write permissions for the source and destination directories.

Bug Reports

If you encounter an issue not listed here, please submit a bug report via the project's issue tracker. Include as much detail as possible, including:

• Steps to reproduce the issue.

• The exact command you ran.

• Any error messages or stack traces.

• Your PHP and Composer versions.

Future Scope

We are continuously working to improve the tool. Future plans may include:

• Expanding support for other CodeIgniter versions (e.g., CI4).

• Enhanced automation for complex scenarios.

• Integration with other Laravel development tools.

• Further refinement of the migration report and guidance.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you'd like to contribute, please follow these guidelines:

• Fork the repository and create a new branch for your feature or bug fix.

• Write clear, concise code and ensure existing tests pass.

• Add new tests to cover your changes.

• Submit a pull request with a clear description of your modifications and their purpose.

License

The CodeIgniter to Laravel Migration Tool is released under the MIT License.

Credits

• The CodeIgniter to Laravel Migration Tool was created by Taj .

• Special thanks to the open-source community and the creators of nikic/php-parser for their invaluable tools.