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Forte: Parse and Rewrite Laravel Blade Templates with a Typed Syntax Tree [Laravel](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles?category=laravel) [Composer Pacakge](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles?category=composer-pacakge) Forte: Parse and Rewrite Laravel Blade Templates with a Typed Syntax Tree ========================================================================== Forte is a PHP 8.2 package that parses Blade templates into a typed syntax tree, lets you query nodes with XPath or collection methods, and rewrites files safely — without touching strings, comments, or attributes you never meant to change. ![](https://cdn.msaied.com/01M22N44A70A5MC2S599JP0MPH.webp) [Mohamed Said](https://www.msaied.com/public#person) Published 1 Sep 2026 · Updated 2 Sep 2026 · 4 min read ShareCopy linkCopied ![Forte: Parse and Rewrite Laravel Blade Templates with a Typed Syntax Tree](https://cdn.msaied.com/623/486e2dce5130f1082093684a345ce5ef.png) On this page +1. [What Is Forte?](#what-is-forte) 2. [Installation](#installation) 3. [Parsing Blade Files](#parsing-blade-files) 4. [Querying the Tree](#querying-the-tree) 5. [Rewriting Templates](#rewriting-templates) 6. [Practical Use Cases](#practical-use-cases) 7. [Auditing Views Before Deleting a Component](#auditing-views-before-deleting-a-component) 8. [Bulk Codemods](#bulk-codemods) 9. [CI Convention Checks](#ci-convention-checks) 10. [Ecosystem: Chisel and Reload](#ecosystem-chisel-and-reload) 11. [Key Takeaways](#key-takeaways) What Is Forte? -------------- Forte (`fortephp/forte`) is a Laravel package written by John Koster that parses `.blade.php` files into a typed syntax tree. Instead of running a regex or a `sed` one-liner that blindly matches every occurrence — including ones inside comments, strings, and unrelated attributes — Forte gives you a structured document you can query and rewrite with precision. Version 3 of `prettier-plugin-blade` (Chisel) is built on Forte, and the project reports it formats complex real-world templates 140 times faster than the previous version. Installation ------------ Forte requires PHP 8.2, the `ext-dom` extension, and Laravel 10–13: ```bash composer require fortephp/forte ``` The service provider auto-registers, so the `Forte` facade is available immediately. Parsing Blade Files ------------------- ```php use Forte\Facades\Forte; $doc = Forte::parse('Hello, {{ $name }}!'); $doc = Forte::parseFile('resources/views/welcome.blade.php'); ``` Both methods run a lexer and a tree builder. If a template has an unclosed tag or an `@if` with no `@endif`, the parser records a diagnostic and returns a partial tree — the other files in your project still parse normally. Rendering a parsed file back without changes produces identical bytes, whitespace included. Querying the Tree ----------------- Query methods return lazy Laravel collections: ```php $forms = $doc->queryElements('form'); $conditionals = $doc->queryBlockDirectives(['if', 'unless']); $components = $doc->queryComponents(['x-alert', 'livewire:*']); ``` Forte builds a `DOMDocument` internally and exposes XPath queries. Blade constructs become elements in a `forte` namespace, so `@if` is `forte:if` and `{{ }}` echoes are `forte:echo`: ```php $divs = $doc->xpath('//div[@class]')->get(); $conditionals = $doc->xpath('//forte:if')->get(); ``` Matches come back as Forte nodes, not raw `DOMElement` objects, so you can pipe them straight into a rewrite. Rewriting Templates ------------------- `rewriteWith()` accepts a closure that receives a `NodePath` — an object that exposes the node's parent, siblings, ancestors, depth, and mutation methods: ```php use Forte\Rewriting\NodePath; $newDoc = $doc->rewriteWith(function (NodePath $path) { if ($path->isTag('a') && str_starts_with($path->getAttribute('href') ?? '', 'http')) { $path->setAttribute('target', '_blank'); $path->setAttribute('rel', 'noopener noreferrer'); } }); echo $newDoc->render(); ``` Edits are queued and applied in a single pass, so a large template produces one new document rather than one per mutation. For longer logic, write a `Visitor` class with `enter()` and `leave()` methods. A `Builder` helper creates new nodes to insert: ```php use Forte\Rewriting\Builders\Builder; Builder::element('div')->class('wrapper')->text('Hello'); Builder::directive('if', '($show)'); ``` Practical Use Cases ------------------- ### Auditing Views Before Deleting a Component ```php $uses = Forte::parseFile($file->getPathname()) ->queryComponents(['x-alert']) ->count(); ``` Unlike `grep`, this count excludes mentions inside comments, `@php` strings, and unrelated class attributes. ### Bulk Codemods Adding `loading="lazy"` to every `` without that attribute across hundreds of views is a single `rewriteWith()` pass. An `` inside a comment parses as a different node kind, so `isTag('img')` is false for it — no accidental matches. ### CI Convention Checks ```php $missing = Forte::parseFile($file->getPathname()) ->xpath('//form[@method="POST"][not(.//forte:csrf)]') ->count(); ``` That XPath expression finds every `POST` form with no `@csrf` anywhere inside it. Drop it in a Pest or PHPUnit test to fail the build automatically. Ecosystem: Chisel and Reload ---------------------------- - **Chisel** (`prettier-plugin-blade` v3) — Blade formatter built on Forte; requires Node 18+. - **Reload** (`fortephp/reload`) — experimental Vite plugin that patches Blade changes into the page without a full refresh, falling back after a configurable number of incremental patches. Key Takeaways ------------- - Forte parses Blade into a typed syntax tree, avoiding false positives that plague regex-based tools. - XPath queries use a `forte:` namespace for Blade-specific constructs (`forte:if`, `forte:echo`, `forte:csrf`, etc.). - Rewrites are non-destructive: `rewriteWith()` returns a new `Document` and leaves the original intact. - Partial parse results and diagnostics mean one broken template never blocks the rest of your codebase. - Best suited for structure-dependent rules, large-scale codemods, and automated CI checks — not for one-off renames where `sed` is faster. Forte is MIT licensed and currently at v1.1.0. Source and docs: [fortephp.com](https://fortephp.com) | [GitHub](https://github.com/fortephp/forte). --- *Source: [Forte: Parse and Rewrite Laravel Blade Templates — Laravel News](https://laravel-news.com/forte-blade-parser)* - [Laravel](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles?search=Laravel) - [Blade](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles?search=Blade) - [Parser](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles?search=Parser) - [Codemod](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles?search=Codemod) - [PHP](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles?search=PHP) - [Packages](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles?search=Packages) Frequently asked questions --------------------------- How is Forte different from using grep or sed to find and replace Blade template content?Forte parses templates into a typed syntax tree, so queries and rewrites only match real rendered nodes. A grep or sed command also matches occurrences inside comments, PHP strings, and unrelated attributes. Forte's `isTag()` and XPath queries are false for those node kinds, eliminating accidental matches. Does Forte break if a Blade template has a syntax error?No. When the parser encounters an unclosed tag or an unmatched directive like `@if` without `@endif`, it records a diagnostic on the document and returns a partial tree. The rest of your templates parse normally, and you can still query and rewrite the partial tree. When should I use a Visitor class instead of a rewriteWith() closure?Use a closure for short, self-contained changes. Write a Visitor when the logic is longer or needs both `enter()` (before children are visited) and `leave()` (after children are processed) hooks — for example, when a change depends on what happened to a node's children. ![Mohamed Said](https://cdn.msaied.com/01M22N44A70A5MC2S599JP0MPH.webp)About the author ---------------- [Mohamed Said](https://www.msaied.com/public#person)Senior Backend Engineer specializing in Laravel, scalable SaaS platforms, APIs, and cloud infrastructure. I build secure, high-performance web applications that help businesses grow. [About](https://www.msaied.com/public#about) [GitHub ↗](https://github.com/EG-Mohamed) [LinkedIn ↗](https://www.linkedin.com/in/msaiedm/) [WhatsApp ↗](https://wa.me/201094619204) [Email Address ↗](mailto:hello@msaied.com) [My CV ↗](https://drive.google.com/file/u/0/d/1MF20IPRJyzfy32mhEutjL5EpSls0w2Q8/view) [Previous articleMKSine: A Filament CMS with Plugins, Themes, and Blocks for Laravel](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles/mksine-a-filament-cms-with-plugins-themes-and-blocks-for-laravel) [Next articleFilament v3 Table Tricks: Deferred Loading, Live Search, and Custom Filter Forms](https://www.msaied.com/public/articles/filament-v3-table-tricks-deferred-loading-live-search-and-custom-filter-forms) On this page ------------- 1. [What Is Forte?](#what-is-forte) 2. [Installation](#installation) 3. [Parsing Blade Files](#parsing-blade-files) 4. [Querying the Tree](#querying-the-tree) 5. [Rewriting Templates](#rewriting-templates) 6. [Practical Use Cases](#practical-use-cases) 7. [Auditing Views Before Deleting a Component](#auditing-views-before-deleting-a-component) 8. [Bulk Codemods](#bulk-codemods) 9. [CI Convention Checks](#ci-convention-checks) 10. [Ecosystem: Chisel and Reload](#ecosystem-chisel-and-reload) 11. [Key Takeaways](#key-takeaways) ### Have a technical challenge? Tell me what you’re building. I reply within two working days. 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