View Models

Controllers should be thin. Models should not contain presentation logic. So where do you prepare the data that a complex view needs?

Consider a dashboard page that shows a user's recent orders, their subscription status, a list of recommended products, and some statistics. Without a View Model, the controller becomes a data-fetching mess:

// Bad: the controller is doing too much data preparation
public function index(Request $request): View
{
    $user = $request->user();
    $recentOrders = $user->orders()->latest()->limit(5)->get();
    $subscription = $user->subscription;
    $isTrialing = $subscription?->onTrial() ?? false;
    $daysLeft = $isTrialing ? now()->diffInDays($subscription->trial_ends_at) : null;
    $recommendedProducts = Product::recommended($user)->limit(8)->get();
    $orderStats = [
        'total_spent' => $user->orders()->sum('total'),
        'order_count' => $user->orders()->count(),
        'average_order' => $user->orders()->avg('total'),
    ];
    $notifications = $user->unreadNotifications()->limit(10)->get();

    return view('dashboard', compact(
        'user', 'recentOrders', 'subscription', 'isTrialing',
        'daysLeft', 'recommendedProducts', 'orderStats', 'notifications',
    ));
}

This controller is not handling business logic — it is preparing view data. That is a different responsibility, and it deserves its own class.

Another common anti-pattern is putting presentation logic on the model itself — methods like formattedPrice(), statusBadgeColor(), or displayName() on an Eloquent model. Models should represent data and relationships, not know how a specific page wants to display them. A product might show its price differently on an invoice than on a catalog page. That formatting logic belongs in a View Model, not on the model.

#What Is a View Model?

A View Model is a class that prepares all the data a specific view needs. It encapsulates the queries, calculations, and transformations required to render a page. The controller creates the View Model, and the view consumes it.

namespace App\ViewModels;

use App\Models\Product;
use App\Models\User;
use Illuminate\Support\Collection;

class DashboardViewModel
{
    public function __construct(
        private readonly User $user,
    ) {}

    public function recentOrders(): Collection
    {
        return $this->user->orders()
            ->with('items.product')
            ->latest()
            ->limit(5)
            ->get();
    }

    public function isTrialing(): bool
    {
        return $this->user->subscription?->onTrial() ?? false;
    }

    public function trialDaysLeft(): ?int
    {
        if (! $this->isTrialing()) {
            return null;
        }

        return now()->diffInDays($this->user->subscription->trial_ends_at);
    }

    public function recommendedProducts(): Collection
    {
        return Product::recommended($this->user)->limit(8)->get();
    }

    public function totalSpent(): float
    {
        return $this->user->orders()->sum('total');
    }

    public function orderCount(): int
    {
        return $this->user->orders()->count();
    }

    public function averageOrderValue(): float
    {
        return $this->user->orders()->avg('total') ?? 0;
    }

    public function unreadNotifications(): Collection
    {
        return $this->user->unreadNotifications()->limit(10)->get();
    }
}

Now the controller is clean:

public function index(Request $request): View
{
    return view('dashboard', [
        'view' => new DashboardViewModel($request->user()),
    ]);
}

And the Blade template accesses data through the View Model:

<h2>Recent Orders</h2>
@foreach ($view->recentOrders() as $order)
    <div>{{ $order->id }} — ${{ $order->total }}</div>
@endforeach

@if ($view->isTrialing())
    <div class="alert">
        Your trial ends in {{ $view->trialDaysLeft() }} days.
    </div>
@endif

<div class="stats">
    <span>Total Spent: ${{ number_format($view->totalSpent(), 2) }}</span>
    <span>Orders: {{ $view->orderCount() }}</span>
    <span>Average: ${{ number_format($view->averageOrderValue(), 2) }}</span>
</div>

#Using Spatie's View Models Package

spatie/laravel-view-models adds a convenient base class. View Models that extend it can be returned directly from controllers:

composer require spatie/laravel-view-models

namespace App\ViewModels;

use Spatie\ViewModels\ViewModel;

class OrderIndexViewModel extends ViewModel
{
    public function __construct(
        private readonly User $user,
        private readonly ?string $status = null,
    ) {}

    public function orders(): LengthAwarePaginator
    {
        return $this->user->orders()
            ->when($this->status, fn ($q, $status) => $q->where('status', $status))
            ->with('items.product')
            ->latest()
            ->paginate(15);
    }

    public function statusOptions(): array
    {
        return OrderStatus::cases();
    }

    public function currentStatus(): ?string
    {
        return $this->status;
    }
}

With Spatie's package, every public method becomes a variable in the view. The controller returns the View Model directly:

public function index(Request $request): OrderIndexViewModel
{
    return new OrderIndexViewModel(
        user: $request->user(),
        status: $request->query('status'),
    );
}

The view automatically receives $orders, $statusOptions, and $currentStatus as variables — one for each public method.

#View Models for Forms

View Models are especially useful for forms that need dropdown data, defaults, and existing values:

class OrderEditViewModel extends ViewModel
{
    public function __construct(
        private readonly Order $order,
    ) {}

    public function order(): Order
    {
        return $this->order;
    }

    public function statusOptions(): array
    {
        return OrderStatus::cases();
    }

    public function shippingAddresses(): Collection
    {
        return $this->order->user->addresses()
            ->orderBy('is_default', 'desc')
            ->get();
    }

    public function availableCoupons(): Collection
    {
        return Coupon::where('expires_at', '>', now())
            ->where('is_active', true)
            ->get();
    }
}

Without a View Model, all of this data-fetching would clutter the controller's edit() method. Notice how OrderStatus is an enum — View Models pair naturally with enums to provide type-safe options for dropdowns and filters.

#View Models vs. View Composers

Laravel also has View Composers — callbacks that inject data into a view every time it renders. They solve a different problem:

View Composers are best for data that appears on every page — the logged-in user's name in the navbar, a global notification count, or footer links. If you find yourself registering a View Composer for a single view, use a View Model instead.

The two patterns complement each other. Use View Composers for global, shared data. Use View Models for page-specific data preparation.

#Testing View Models

Because View Models are plain PHP classes, they are straightforward to test. No HTTP requests needed — just instantiate the class and call its methods:

it('returns the correct trial days remaining', function (): void {
    $user = User::factory()
        ->has(Subscription::factory()->state([
            'trial_ends_at' => now()->addDays(7),
        ]))
        ->create();

    $viewModel = new DashboardViewModel($user);

    expect($viewModel->isTrialing())->toBeTrue();
    expect($viewModel->trialDaysLeft())->toBe(7);
});

it('returns null trial days when not trialing', function (): void {
    $user = User::factory()->create();

    $viewModel = new DashboardViewModel($user);

    expect($viewModel->isTrialing())->toBeFalse();
    expect($viewModel->trialDaysLeft())->toBeNull();
});

This is one of the main benefits of View Models over putting data preparation in controllers — you can test the logic in isolation without making HTTP requests or asserting against rendered HTML.

#Organizing View Models

View Models sit at the end of the data flow: Controllers call Actions, Actions return domain objects or DTOs, and View Models transform that data for the view.

Place View Models in app/ViewModels, organized by feature or page:

app/ViewModels/
├── DashboardViewModel.php
├── Order/
│   ├── OrderIndexViewModel.php
│   ├── OrderShowViewModel.php
│   └── OrderEditViewModel.php
└── User/
    ├── UserProfileViewModel.php
    └── UserSettingsViewModel.php

#When to Use View Models

The rule of thumb: if your controller method needs more than two lines of data preparation, extract it into a View Model. Your controllers stay thin, your views stay clean, and your data preparation logic is testable in isolation.

#The View Model Checklist

1. One View Model per page — name it after the view: DashboardViewModel, OrderEditViewModel
2. Keep presentation logic off models — methods like statusBadgeColor() or formattedPrice() belong in View Models, not on Eloquent models
3. Pass dependencies via the constructor — the controller creates the View Model with the data it needs
4. Use View Composers for shared data — navigation, auth user, footer links. View Models are for page-specific data
5. Test in isolation — instantiate the class and call methods directly. No HTTP requests needed

#Summary

• A View Model is a class that prepares all the data a specific view needs — queries, calculations, and transformations live here, not in the controller.
• Keep presentation logic out of Eloquent models. Methods like statusBadgeColor() or formattedPrice() belong in a View Model, not on the model itself.
• spatie/laravel-view-models turns public methods into view variables automatically and supports returning View Models directly from controllers.
• View Composers inject data into every render of a view (navbar, footer). View Models prepare data for one specific page. Use both when appropriate.
• View Models are plain PHP classes, making them easy to unit test without HTTP requests or rendered HTML.
• Use a View Model when your controller needs more than two lines of data preparation. For simple pages with one model, pass the model directly.

#References

• View Models in Laravel — Brent Roose
• Laravel View Models vs. View Composers — Brent Roose
• spatie/laravel-view-models — Spatie, GitHub
• Laravel View Models — Laravel News
• Adding View Models to a Laravel Project — David Llop
• Views: View Composers — Laravel Documentation