document channel classes

broadcasting.md

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 - [Authorizing Channels](#authorizing-channels)
     - [Defining Authorization Routes](#defining-authorization-routes)
     - [Defining Authorization Callbacks](#defining-authorization-callbacks)
+    - [Defining Channel Classes](#defining-channel-classes)
 - [Broadcasting Events](#broadcasting-events)
     - [Only To Others](#only-to-others)
 - [Receiving Broadcasts](#receiving-broadcasts)
@@ -352,6 +353,55 @@ Just like HTTP routes, channel routes may also take advantage of implicit and ex
         return $user->id === $order->user_id;
     });
 
+<a name="defining-channel-classes"></a>
+### Defining Channel Classes
+
+If your application is consuming many different channels, your `routes/channels.php` file could become bulky. So, instead of using Closures to authorize channels, you may use channel classes. To generate a channel class, use the `make:channel` Artisan command. This command will place a new channel class in the `App/Broadcasting` directory.
+
+    php artisan make:channel OrderChannel
+
+Next, register your channel in your `routes/channels.php` file:
+
+    use App\Broadcasting\OrderChannel;
+
+    Broadcast::channel('order.{order}', OrderChannel::class);
+
+Finally, you may place the authorization logic for your channel in the channel class' `join` method. This `join` method will house the same logic you would have typically placed in your channel authorization Closure. Of course, you may also take advantage of channel model binding:
+
+    <?php
+
+    namespace App\Broadcasting;
+
+    use App\User;
+    use App\Order;
+
+    class OrderChannel
+    {
+        /**
+         * Create a new channel instance.
+         *
+         * @return void
+         */
+        public function __construct()
+        {
+            //
+        }
+
+        /**
+         * Authenticate the user's access to the channel.
+         *
+         * @param  \App\User  $user
+         * @param  \App\Order  $order
+         * @return array|bool
+         */
+        public function join(User $user, Order $order)
+        {
+            return $user->id === $order->user_id;
+        }
+    }
+
+> {tip} Like many other classes in Laravel, channel classes will automatically be resolved by the [service container](/docs/{{version}}/container). So, you may type-hint any dependencies required by your channel in its constructor.
+
 <a name="broadcasting-events"></a>
 ## Broadcasting Events
 

structure.md

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
     - [The `tests` Directory](#the-tests-directory)
     - [The `vendor` Directory](#the-vendor-directory)
 - [The App Directory](#the-app-directory)
+    - [The `Broadcasting` Directory](#the-broadcasting-directory)
     - [The `Console` Directory](#the-console-directory)
     - [The `Events` Directory](#the-events-directory)
     - [The `Exceptions` Directory](#the-exceptions-directory)
@@ -110,6 +111,11 @@ A variety of other directories will be generated inside the `app` directory as y
 
 > {tip} Many of the classes in the `app` directory can be generated by Artisan via commands. To review the available commands, run the `php artisan list make` command in your terminal.
 
+<a name="the-broadcasting-directory"></a>
+#### The Broadcasting Directory
+
+The `Broadcasting` directory contains all of the broadcast channel classes for your application. These classes are generated using the `make:channel` command. This directory does not exist by default, but will be created for you when you create your first channel. To learn more about channels, check out the documentation on [event broadcasting](/docs/{{version}}/broadcasting).
+
 <a name="the-console-directory"></a>
 #### The Console Directory