Harris Raftopoulos

Custom Eloquent query builders in Laravel used to require overriding the newEloquentBuilder method on every model. The new UseEloquentBuilder attribute makes this relationship explicit and eliminates boilerplate code. The Old Override Pattern vs. The New Attribute Approach Previously, registering a custom query builder meant adding a method override to your

HTTP exception messages in Laravel get automatically truncated to prevent log bloat, but this can hide crucial debugging information. New truncation controls let you adjust this behavior globally or per-request. Understanding the Default Behavior Laravel automatically truncates RequestException messages to 120 characters when logging or reporting errors. This prevents your

Ever needed to use a different policy than Laravel's naming convention suggests, or wanted to make policy assignments crystal clear in your codebase? The UsePolicy attribute solves both challenges elegantly. Convention vs. Explicit Declaration Laravel's policy auto-discovery follows a simple naming convention: a Post model automatically

Laravel's make:job command now includes a --batched option that automatically scaffolds everything you need for job batching. Gone are the days of remembering which traits to import and which methods to implement. The Old Manual Process vs. The New Streamlined Approach Previously, setting up a batchable job

String encryption in Laravel used to require breaking out of fluent chains or using verbose pipe() workarounds. The new encrypt() and decrypt() methods change that game completely. The Old Way vs. The New Way Previously, if you wanted to encrypt a string while maintaining a fluent chain, you had to

Testing redirects to specific controller actions used to require brittle URL matching, but Laravel's new assertRedirectToAction() method makes redirect assertions as clean as your route definitions. Writing robust tests for HTTP redirects has always presented a challenge: do you test against hardcoded URLs that break when routes change,

Database seeders often need to share created records, but traditional approaches lead to messy code and tight coupling. Laravel's Context provides a clean solution for seeder data flow. When building complex database seeders, you frequently encounter scenarios where later seeders need access to records created by earlier ones.

Laravel's validation system just got more consistent with the addition of Rule::contains() for arrays, matching the fluent interface pattern you're already familiar with from other validation rules. The Laravel ecosystem has always prioritized consistency and developer experience, and the new Rule::contains() method exemplifies this

Ever needed to validate that a configuration array contains at least one authentication method without requiring all of them? Laravel's new in_array_keys rule solves this exact problem. When building applications that handle multiple authentication methods or flexible configuration options, you often encounter scenarios where users must