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Workflow Automation with PHP and Laravel

One of the more abstract concepts you'll handle when building your business is what the workflow will look like.

At its core, setting up a standardized workflow is about enabling your service providers (agents, hosts, customer service reps, administrators, and the rest of the gang) to better serve your customers.

To illustrate a very real-world example, today we'll build a PHP and Laravel webapp for finding and booking vacation properties — tentatively called Airtng.

Here's how it'll work:

A host creates a vacation property listing
A guest requests a reservation for a property
The host receives an SMS notifying them of the reservation request. The host can either Accept or Reject the reservation
The guest is notified whether a request was rejected or accepted

Learn how Airbnb used Twilio SMS to streamline the rental experience for 60M+ travelers around the world.

Workflow Building Blocks

We'll be using the Twilio REST API to send our users messages at important junctures. Here's a bit more on our API:

Sending Messages with Twilio API

Routes for handling reservations or Twilio webhooks


_118<?php
_118
_118/*
_118|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
_118| Web Routes
_118|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
_118|
_118| Here is where you can register web routes for your application. These
_118| routes are loaded by the RouteServiceProvider within a group which
_118| contains the "web" middleware group. Now create something great!
_118|
_118*/
_118
_118Route::get(
_118    '/', ['as' => 'home', function () {
_118        return response()->view('home');
_118    }]
_118);
_118
_118// Session related routes
_118Route::get(
_118    '/auth/login',
_118    ['as' => 'login-index', function () {
_118        return response()->view('login');
_118    }]
_118);
_118
_118Route::get(
_118    '/login',
_118    ['as' => 'login-index', function () {
_118        return response()->view('login');
_118    }]
_118);
_118
_118Route::post(
_118    '/login',
_118    ['uses' => 'SessionController@login', 'as' => 'login-action']
_118);
_118
_118Route::get(
_118    '/logout',
_118    ['as' => 'logout', function () {
_118        Auth::logout();
_118        return redirect()->route('home');
_118    }]
_118);
_118
_118// User related routes
_118Route::get(
_118    '/user/new',
_118    ['as' => 'user-new', function () {
_118        return response()->view('newUser');
_118    }]
_118);
_118
_118Route::post(
_118    '/user/create',
_118    ['uses' => 'UserController@createNewUser', 'as' => 'user-create', ]
_118);
_118
_118// Vacation Property related routes
_118Route::get(
_118    '/property/new',
_118    ['as' => 'property-new',
_118     'middleware' => 'auth',
_118     function () {
_118         return response()->view('property.newProperty');
_118     }]
_118);
_118
_118Route::get(
_118    '/properties',
_118    ['as' => 'property-index',
_118     'middleware' => 'auth',
_118     'uses' => 'VacationPropertyController@index']
_118);
_118
_118Route::get(
_118    '/property/{id}',
_118    ['as' => 'property-show',
_118     'middleware' => 'auth',
_118     'uses' => 'VacationPropertyController@show']
_118);
_118
_118Route::get(
_118    '/property/{id}/edit',
_118    ['as' => 'property-edit',
_118     'middleware' => 'auth',
_118     'uses' => 'VacationPropertyController@editForm']
_118);
_118
_118Route::post(
_118    '/property/edit/{id}',
_118    ['uses' => 'VacationPropertyController@editProperty',
_118     'middleware' => 'auth',
_118     'as' => 'property-edit-action']
_118);
_118
_118Route::post(
_118    '/property/create',
_118    ['uses' => 'VacationPropertyController@createNewProperty',
_118     'middleware' => 'auth',
_118     'as' => 'property-create']
_118);
_118
_118// Reservation related routes
_118Route::post(
_118    '/property/{id}/reservation/create',
_118    ['uses' => 'ReservationController@create',
_118     'as' => 'reservation-create',
_118     'middleware' => 'auth']
_118);
_118
_118Route::post(
_118    '/reservation/incoming',
_118    ['uses' => 'ReservationController@acceptReject',
_118     'as' => 'reservation-incoming']
_118);

Let's boldly go to the next step! Hit the button below to begin.

User and Session Management

Our workflow will require allowing users to create accounts and log-in in order to attempt to reserve properties.

Each User will need to have a phone_number which will be required to send SMS notifications later.

User table migration

database/migrations/2014_10_12_000000_create_users_table.php


_36<?php
_36
_36use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
_36use Illuminate\Database\Migrations\Migration;
_36
_36class CreateUsersTable extends Migration
_36{
_36    /**
_36     * Run the migrations.
_36     *
_36     * @return void
_36     */
_36    public function up()
_36    {
_36        Schema::create('users', function (Blueprint $table) {
_36            $table->increments('id');
_36            $table->string('name');
_36            $table->string('email')->unique();
_36            $table->string('password', 60);
_36            $table->string('phone_number');
_36            $table->string('country_code');
_36            $table->rememberToken();
_36            $table->timestamps();
_36        });
_36    }
_36
_36    /**
_36     * Reverse the migrations.
_36     *
_36     * @return void
_36     */
_36    public function down()
_36    {
_36        Schema::drop('users');
_36    }
_36}

Next up, we will create a table that represents a Vacation Rental property.

Vacation Property

We're going to need a way to create the property listings for Airtng to be a success.

The VacationProperty model belongs to a User who created it (we'll call this user the host moving forward) and contains only two properties: a description and an image_url.

It has two associations: it has many reservations and many users through those reservations.

VacationProperty table migration

database/migrations/2015_10_23_193814_create_vacation_properties_table.php


_37<?php
_37
_37use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
_37use Illuminate\Database\Migrations\Migration;
_37
_37class CreateVacationPropertiesTable extends Migration
_37{
_37    /**
_37     * Run the migrations.
_37     *
_37     * @return void
_37     */
_37    public function up()
_37    {
_37        Schema::create('vacation_properties', function (Blueprint $table) {
_37            $table->increments('id');
_37            $table->integer('user_id')->unsigned();
_37            $table->foreign('user_id')
_37                  ->references('id')->on('users')
_37                  ->onDelete('cascade');
_37            $table->string('description');
_37            $table->string('image_url');
_37
_37            $table->timestamps();
_37        });
_37    }
_37
_37    /**
_37     * Reverse the migrations.
_37     *
_37     * @return void
_37     */
_37    public function down()
_37    {
_37        Schema::drop('vacation_properties');
_37    }
_37}

Next at the plate: how we will model a reservation.

Our Reservation Model

The Reservation model is at the center of the workflow for this application. It is responsible for keeping track of:

The guest who performed the reservation
The vacation_property the guest is requesting (and associated host )
The status of the reservation: pending , confirmed , or rejected

Since the reservation can only have one guest in this example, we simplified the model by assigning phone_number directly to the model (but you'll want to move it out).

Reservations table migration

database/migrations/2015_10_23_194614_create_reservations_table.php


_43<?php
_43
_43use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
_43use Illuminate\Database\Migrations\Migration;
_43
_43class CreateReservationsTable extends Migration
_43{
_43    /**
_43     * Run the migrations.
_43     *
_43     * @return void
_43     */
_43    public function up()
_43    {
_43        Schema::create('reservations', function (Blueprint $table) {
_43            $table->increments('id');
_43            $table->string('status')
_43                  ->default('pending');
_43            $table->string('respond_phone_number');
_43            $table->text('message');
_43            $table->integer('vacation_property_id')->unsigned();
_43            $table->foreign('vacation_property_id')
_43                  ->references('id')->on('vacation_properties')
_43                  ->onDelete('cascade');
_43            $table->integer('user_id')->unsigned();
_43            $table->foreign('user_id')
_43                  ->references('id')->on('users')
_43                  ->onDelete('cascade');
_43
_43            $table->timestamps();
_43        });
_43    }
_43
_43    /**
_43     * Reverse the migrations.
_43     *
_43     * @return void
_43     */
_43    public function down()
_43    {
_43        Schema::drop('reservations');
_43    }
_43}

Our tables are ready, now let's see how we would create a reservation.

Reservation Creation

The reservation creation form holds only a single field: the message that will be sent to the host user when reserving one of her properties.

The rest of the information necessary to create a reservation is taken from the user that is logged into the system and the relationship between a property and its owner.

A reservation is created with a default status pending, so when the host replies with a confirm or reject response the system knows which reservation to update.

Create a new reservation

app/Http/Controllers/ReservationController.php


_109<?php
_109namespace App\Http\Controllers;
_109use Illuminate\Http\Request;
_109use App\Http\Requests;
_109use App\Http\Controllers\Controller;
_109use Illuminate\Contracts\Auth\Authenticatable;
_109use App\Reservation;
_109use App\User;
_109use App\VacationProperty;
_109use Twilio\Rest\Client;
_109use Twilio\TwiML\MessagingResponse;
_109
_109class ReservationController extends Controller
_109{
_109    /**
_109     * Store a new reservation
_109     *
_109     * @param  \Illuminate\Http\Request  $request
_109     * @return \Illuminate\Http\Response
_109     */
_109    public function create(Client $client, Request $request, Authenticatable $user, $id)
_109    {
_109        $this->validate(
_109            $request, [
_109                'message' => 'required|string'
_109            ]
_109        );
_109        $property = VacationProperty::find($id);
_109        $reservation = new Reservation($request->all());
_109        $reservation->respond_phone_number = $user->fullNumber();
_109        $reservation->user()->associate($property->user);
_109
_109        $property->reservations()->save($reservation);
_109
_109        $this->notifyHost($client, $reservation);
_109
_109        $request->session()->flash(
_109            'status',
_109            "Sending your reservation request now."
_109        );
_109        return redirect()->route('property-show', ['id' => $property->id]);
_109    }
_109
_109    public function acceptReject(Request $request)
_109    {
_109        $hostNumber = $request->input('From');
_109        $smsInput = strtolower($request->input('Body'));
_109
_109        $host = User::getUsersByFullNumber($hostNumber)->first();
_109        $reservation = $host->pendingReservations()->first();
_109
_109        $smsResponse = null;
_109
_109        if (!is_null($reservation))
_109        {
_109            if (strpos($smsInput, 'yes') !== false || strpos($smsInput, 'accept') !== false)
_109            {
_109                $reservation->confirm();
_109            }
_109            else
_109            {
_109                $reservation->reject();
_109            }
_109
_109            $smsResponse = 'You have successfully ' . $reservation->status . ' the reservation.';
_109        }
_109        else
_109        {
_109            $smsResponse = 'Sorry, it looks like you don\'t have any reservations to respond to.';
_109        }
_109
_109        return response($this->respond($smsResponse, $reservation))->header('Content-Type', 'application/xml');
_109    }
_109
_109    private function respond($smsResponse, $reservation)
_109    {
_109        $response = new MessagingResponse();
_109        $response->message($smsResponse);
_109
_109        if (!is_null($reservation))
_109        {
_109            $response->message(
_109                'Your reservation has been ' . $reservation->status . '.',
_109                ['to' => $reservation->respond_phone_number]
_109            );
_109        }
_109        return $response;
_109    }
_109
_109    private function notifyHost($client, $reservation)
_109    {
_109        $host = $reservation->property->user;
_109
_109        $twilioNumber = config('services.twilio')['number'];
_109        $messageBody = $reservation->message . ' - Reply \'yes\' or \'accept\' to confirm the reservation, or anything else to reject it.';
_109
_109        try {
_109            $client->messages->create(
_109                $host->fullNumber(), // Text any number
_109                [
_109                    'from' => $twilioNumber, // From a Twilio number in your account
_109                    'body' => $messageBody
_109                ]
_109            );
_109        } catch (Exception $e) {
_109            Log::error($e->getMessage());
_109        }
_109    }
_109}

Let's take a look at how the SMS notification is sent to the host when the reservation is created.

Notify the Host

When a reservation is created for a property, we want to notify the owner of that property that someone has requested a reservation.

This is where we use Twilio's Rest API to send an SMS message to the host, using our Twilio phone number. Sending SMS messages using Twilio takes just a few lines of code.

Now we just have to wait for the host to send an SMS response to 'accept' or 'reject', notify the guest, and update the reservation.

Notify the host of a new reservation request

app/Http/Controllers/ReservationController.php


_109<?php
_109namespace App\Http\Controllers;
_109use Illuminate\Http\Request;
_109use App\Http\Requests;
_109use App\Http\Controllers\Controller;
_109use Illuminate\Contracts\Auth\Authenticatable;
_109use App\Reservation;
_109use App\User;
_109use App\VacationProperty;
_109use Twilio\Rest\Client;
_109use Twilio\TwiML\MessagingResponse;
_109
_109class ReservationController extends Controller
_109{
_109    /**
_109     * Store a new reservation
_109     *
_109     * @param  \Illuminate\Http\Request  $request
_109     * @return \Illuminate\Http\Response
_109     */
_109    public function create(Client $client, Request $request, Authenticatable $user, $id)
_109    {
_109        $this->validate(
_109            $request, [
_109                'message' => 'required|string'
_109            ]
_109        );
_109        $property = VacationProperty::find($id);
_109        $reservation = new Reservation($request->all());
_109        $reservation->respond_phone_number = $user->fullNumber();
_109        $reservation->user()->associate($property->user);
_109
_109        $property->reservations()->save($reservation);
_109
_109        $this->notifyHost($client, $reservation);
_109
_109        $request->session()->flash(
_109            'status',
_109            "Sending your reservation request now."
_109        );
_109        return redirect()->route('property-show', ['id' => $property->id]);
_109    }
_109
_109    public function acceptReject(Request $request)
_109    {
_109        $hostNumber = $request->input('From');
_109        $smsInput = strtolower($request->input('Body'));
_109
_109        $host = User::getUsersByFullNumber($hostNumber)->first();
_109        $reservation = $host->pendingReservations()->first();
_109
_109        $smsResponse = null;
_109
_109        if (!is_null($reservation))
_109        {
_109            if (strpos($smsInput, 'yes') !== false || strpos($smsInput, 'accept') !== false)
_109            {
_109                $reservation->confirm();
_109            }
_109            else
_109            {
_109                $reservation->reject();
_109            }
_109
_109            $smsResponse = 'You have successfully ' . $reservation->status . ' the reservation.';
_109        }
_109        else
_109        {
_109            $smsResponse = 'Sorry, it looks like you don\'t have any reservations to respond to.';
_109        }
_109
_109        return response($this->respond($smsResponse, $reservation))->header('Content-Type', 'application/xml');
_109    }
_109
_109    private function respond($smsResponse, $reservation)
_109    {
_109        $response = new MessagingResponse();
_109        $response->message($smsResponse);
_109
_109        if (!is_null($reservation))
_109        {
_109            $response->message(
_109                'Your reservation has been ' . $reservation->status . '.',
_109                ['to' => $reservation->respond_phone_number]
_109            );
_109        }
_109        return $response;
_109    }
_109
_109    private function notifyHost($client, $reservation)
_109    {
_109        $host = $reservation->property->user;
_109
_109        $twilioNumber = config('services.twilio')['number'];
_109        $messageBody = $reservation->message . ' - Reply \'yes\' or \'accept\' to confirm the reservation, or anything else to reject it.';
_109
_109        try {
_109            $client->messages->create(
_109                $host->fullNumber(), // Text any number
_109                [
_109                    'from' => $twilioNumber, // From a Twilio number in your account
_109                    'body' => $messageBody
_109                ]
_109            );
_109        } catch (Exception $e) {
_109            Log::error($e->getMessage());
_109        }
_109    }
_109}

Let's see how we would handle incoming messages from Twilio and accept or reject reservations.

Handle Incoming Messages

We're zoomed in for a closer look at the acceptReject method. This method handles our incoming Twilio request and does three things:

Checks for a pending reservation from the incoming user
Updates the status of the reservation
Responds to the host and sends a notification to the guest

Accept or reject a reservation logic

app/Http/Controllers/ReservationController.php


_109<?php
_109namespace App\Http\Controllers;
_109use Illuminate\Http\Request;
_109use App\Http\Requests;
_109use App\Http\Controllers\Controller;
_109use Illuminate\Contracts\Auth\Authenticatable;
_109use App\Reservation;
_109use App\User;
_109use App\VacationProperty;
_109use Twilio\Rest\Client;
_109use Twilio\TwiML\MessagingResponse;
_109
_109class ReservationController extends Controller
_109{
_109    /**
_109     * Store a new reservation
_109     *
_109     * @param  \Illuminate\Http\Request  $request
_109     * @return \Illuminate\Http\Response
_109     */
_109    public function create(Client $client, Request $request, Authenticatable $user, $id)
_109    {
_109        $this->validate(
_109            $request, [
_109                'message' => 'required|string'
_109            ]
_109        );
_109        $property = VacationProperty::find($id);
_109        $reservation = new Reservation($request->all());
_109        $reservation->respond_phone_number = $user->fullNumber();
_109        $reservation->user()->associate($property->user);
_109
_109        $property->reservations()->save($reservation);
_109
_109        $this->notifyHost($client, $reservation);
_109
_109        $request->session()->flash(
_109            'status',
_109            "Sending your reservation request now."
_109        );
_109        return redirect()->route('property-show', ['id' => $property->id]);
_109    }
_109
_109    public function acceptReject(Request $request)
_109    {
_109        $hostNumber = $request->input('From');
_109        $smsInput = strtolower($request->input('Body'));
_109
_109        $host = User::getUsersByFullNumber($hostNumber)->first();
_109        $reservation = $host->pendingReservations()->first();
_109
_109        $smsResponse = null;
_109
_109        if (!is_null($reservation))
_109        {
_109            if (strpos($smsInput, 'yes') !== false || strpos($smsInput, 'accept') !== false)
_109            {
_109                $reservation->confirm();
_109            }
_109            else
_109            {
_109                $reservation->reject();
_109            }
_109
_109            $smsResponse = 'You have successfully ' . $reservation->status . ' the reservation.';
_109        }
_109        else
_109        {
_109            $smsResponse = 'Sorry, it looks like you don\'t have any reservations to respond to.';
_109        }
_109
_109        return response($this->respond($smsResponse, $reservation))->header('Content-Type', 'application/xml');
_109    }
_109
_109    private function respond($smsResponse, $reservation)
_109    {
_109        $response = new MessagingResponse();
_109        $response->message($smsResponse);
_109
_109        if (!is_null($reservation))
_109        {
_109            $response->message(
_109                'Your reservation has been ' . $reservation->status . '.',
_109                ['to' => $reservation->respond_phone_number]
_109            );
_109        }
_109        return $response;
_109    }
_109
_109    private function notifyHost($client, $reservation)
_109    {
_109        $host = $reservation->property->user;
_109
_109        $twilioNumber = config('services.twilio')['number'];
_109        $messageBody = $reservation->message . ' - Reply \'yes\' or \'accept\' to confirm the reservation, or anything else to reject it.';
_109
_109        try {
_109            $client->messages->create(
_109                $host->fullNumber(), // Text any number
_109                [
_109                    'from' => $twilioNumber, // From a Twilio number in your account
_109                    'body' => $messageBody
_109                ]
_109            );
_109        } catch (Exception $e) {
_109            Log::error($e->getMessage());
_109        }
_109    }
_109}

In order to route an SMS messages to and from the host, we need to setup Twilio webhooks. The next pane will show you the way.

Handle Incoming Twilio Requests

This method handles the Twilio request triggered by the host's SMS and does three things:

Checks for a pending reservation from a user
Updates the status of the reservation
Responds to the host and sends a notification to the user

Setting Up Incoming Twilio Requests

In the Twilio console, you should change the 'A Message Comes In' webhook to call your application's endpoint in the route /reservation/incoming:

One way to expose your machine to the world during development is to use ngrok. Your URL for the SMS web hook on your phone number should look something like this:


_10http://<subdomain>.ngrok.io/reservation/incoming

An incoming request from Twilio comes with some helpful parameters. These include the From phone number and the message Body.

We'll use the From parameter to look up the host and check if he or she has any pending reservations. If she does, we'll use the message body to check for the message 'accepted' or 'rejected'. Finally, we update the reservation status and send an SMS to the guest telling them the host accepted or rejected their reservation request.

TwiML Response

In our response to Twilio, we'll use Twilio's TwiML to command Twilio to send an SMS notification message to the host.

Finding a reservation from an incoming Twilio request

app/Http/Controllers/ReservationController.php


_109<?php
_109namespace App\Http\Controllers;
_109use Illuminate\Http\Request;
_109use App\Http\Requests;
_109use App\Http\Controllers\Controller;
_109use Illuminate\Contracts\Auth\Authenticatable;
_109use App\Reservation;
_109use App\User;
_109use App\VacationProperty;
_109use Twilio\Rest\Client;
_109use Twilio\TwiML\MessagingResponse;
_109
_109class ReservationController extends Controller
_109{
_109    /**
_109     * Store a new reservation
_109     *
_109     * @param  \Illuminate\Http\Request  $request
_109     * @return \Illuminate\Http\Response
_109     */
_109    public function create(Client $client, Request $request, Authenticatable $user, $id)
_109    {
_109        $this->validate(
_109            $request, [
_109                'message' => 'required|string'
_109            ]
_109        );
_109        $property = VacationProperty::find($id);
_109        $reservation = new Reservation($request->all());
_109        $reservation->respond_phone_number = $user->fullNumber();
_109        $reservation->user()->associate($property->user);
_109
_109        $property->reservations()->save($reservation);
_109
_109        $this->notifyHost($client, $reservation);
_109
_109        $request->session()->flash(
_109            'status',
_109            "Sending your reservation request now."
_109        );
_109        return redirect()->route('property-show', ['id' => $property->id]);
_109    }
_109
_109    public function acceptReject(Request $request)
_109    {
_109        $hostNumber = $request->input('From');
_109        $smsInput = strtolower($request->input('Body'));
_109
_109        $host = User::getUsersByFullNumber($hostNumber)->first();
_109        $reservation = $host->pendingReservations()->first();
_109
_109        $smsResponse = null;
_109
_109        if (!is_null($reservation))
_109        {
_109            if (strpos($smsInput, 'yes') !== false || strpos($smsInput, 'accept') !== false)
_109            {
_109                $reservation->confirm();
_109            }
_109            else
_109            {
_109                $reservation->reject();
_109            }
_109
_109            $smsResponse = 'You have successfully ' . $reservation->status . ' the reservation.';
_109        }
_109        else
_109        {
_109            $smsResponse = 'Sorry, it looks like you don\'t have any reservations to respond to.';
_109        }
_109
_109        return response($this->respond($smsResponse, $reservation))->header('Content-Type', 'application/xml');
_109    }
_109
_109    private function respond($smsResponse, $reservation)
_109    {
_109        $response = new MessagingResponse();
_109        $response->message($smsResponse);
_109
_109        if (!is_null($reservation))
_109        {
_109            $response->message(
_109                'Your reservation has been ' . $reservation->status . '.',
_109                ['to' => $reservation->respond_phone_number]
_109            );
_109        }
_109        return $response;
_109    }
_109
_109    private function notifyHost($client, $reservation)
_109    {
_109        $host = $reservation->property->user;
_109
_109        $twilioNumber = config('services.twilio')['number'];
_109        $messageBody = $reservation->message . ' - Reply \'yes\' or \'accept\' to confirm the reservation, or anything else to reject it.';
_109
_109        try {
_109            $client->messages->create(
_109                $host->fullNumber(), // Text any number
_109                [
_109                    'from' => $twilioNumber, // From a Twilio number in your account
_109                    'body' => $messageBody
_109                ]
_109            );
_109        } catch (Exception $e) {
_109            Log::error($e->getMessage());
_109        }
_109    }
_109}

In the last step, we'll respond to Twilio's request with some TwiML instructing it to send an SMS to both the host and guest.

TwiML Response

After updating the reservation status, we must notify the host that he or she has successfully confirmed or rejected the reservation. If the host has no pending reservation, we'll instead return an error message.

If we're modifying a reservation, we'll also send a message to the user who requested the rental delivering the happy or sad news.

We use the Message verb from TwiML to instruct Twilio to send two SMS messages.

Respond to a user with reservation status

app/Http/Controllers/ReservationController.php


_109<?php
_109namespace App\Http\Controllers;
_109use Illuminate\Http\Request;
_109use App\Http\Requests;
_109use App\Http\Controllers\Controller;
_109use Illuminate\Contracts\Auth\Authenticatable;
_109use App\Reservation;
_109use App\User;
_109use App\VacationProperty;
_109use Twilio\Rest\Client;
_109use Twilio\TwiML\MessagingResponse;
_109
_109class ReservationController extends Controller
_109{
_109    /**
_109     * Store a new reservation
_109     *
_109     * @param  \Illuminate\Http\Request  $request
_109     * @return \Illuminate\Http\Response
_109     */
_109    public function create(Client $client, Request $request, Authenticatable $user, $id)
_109    {
_109        $this->validate(
_109            $request, [
_109                'message' => 'required|string'
_109            ]
_109        );
_109        $property = VacationProperty::find($id);
_109        $reservation = new Reservation($request->all());
_109        $reservation->respond_phone_number = $user->fullNumber();
_109        $reservation->user()->associate($property->user);
_109
_109        $property->reservations()->save($reservation);
_109
_109        $this->notifyHost($client, $reservation);
_109
_109        $request->session()->flash(
_109            'status',
_109            "Sending your reservation request now."
_109        );
_109        return redirect()->route('property-show', ['id' => $property->id]);
_109    }
_109
_109    public function acceptReject(Request $request)
_109    {
_109        $hostNumber = $request->input('From');
_109        $smsInput = strtolower($request->input('Body'));
_109
_109        $host = User::getUsersByFullNumber($hostNumber)->first();
_109        $reservation = $host->pendingReservations()->first();
_109
_109        $smsResponse = null;
_109
_109        if (!is_null($reservation))
_109        {
_109            if (strpos($smsInput, 'yes') !== false || strpos($smsInput, 'accept') !== false)
_109            {
_109                $reservation->confirm();
_109            }
_109            else
_109            {
_109                $reservation->reject();
_109            }
_109
_109            $smsResponse = 'You have successfully ' . $reservation->status . ' the reservation.';
_109        }
_109        else
_109        {
_109            $smsResponse = 'Sorry, it looks like you don\'t have any reservations to respond to.';
_109        }
_109
_109        return response($this->respond($smsResponse, $reservation))->header('Content-Type', 'application/xml');
_109    }
_109
_109    private function respond($smsResponse, $reservation)
_109    {
_109        $response = new MessagingResponse();
_109        $response->message($smsResponse);
_109
_109        if (!is_null($reservation))
_109        {
_109            $response->message(
_109                'Your reservation has been ' . $reservation->status . '.',
_109                ['to' => $reservation->respond_phone_number]
_109            );
_109        }
_109        return $response;
_109    }
_109
_109    private function notifyHost($client, $reservation)
_109    {
_109        $host = $reservation->property->user;
_109
_109        $twilioNumber = config('services.twilio')['number'];
_109        $messageBody = $reservation->message . ' - Reply \'yes\' or \'accept\' to confirm the reservation, or anything else to reject it.';
_109
_109        try {
_109            $client->messages->create(
_109                $host->fullNumber(), // Text any number
_109                [
_109                    'from' => $twilioNumber, // From a Twilio number in your account
_109                    'body' => $messageBody
_109                ]
_109            );
_109        } catch (Exception $e) {
_109            Log::error($e->getMessage());
_109        }
_109    }
_109}

Congratulations! We've just automated a rental workflow with Twilio's Programmable SMS, and now you're ready to add it to your own application.

Next, let's take a look at some other easy to add features you might like to add.

What to Next?

PHP + Twilio? Excellent choice! Here are a couple other tutorials for you to try:

Click To Call

Put a button on your web page that connects visitors to live support or salespeople via telephone.

Automated Survey

Instantly collect structured data from your users with a survey conducted over a voice call or SMS text messages.

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