Web Development Articles

A Quick HowTo of PHP Operators

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 LAMP

Math Operators

Addition:
Caculate the sum of two numbers using the + operator.

$sum = 1 + 3;
The value of $sum is 4.

Subtraction:
Caculate the difference of two numbers using the - operator.

$diff = 3 - 2;
The value of $diff is 1.

Division:
Calculate the quotient of two numbers using the / operator.

$quotient = 4 / 2;
The value of $quotient is 2.

Multiplication:
Calculate the product using the * operator.

$product = 4 * 5;
The value of $product is 20.

Modulo:
Gives the remainder after dividing two numbers the % operator.

$remainder = 10 % 3;
The value of $remainder is 1.

Laravel Webpack.mix Asset Compilation AND Performance Optimization

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 Laravel
 VueJS
 Javascript
 Blade

Getting Started with webpack.mix


This is an essential must know for Laravel developers.  This tutorial will go through the basics of webpack.mix and preparing live CSS stylesheets and Javascript includes.


Locate webpack.mix.js and the /resources and /public directories.  I will define a few ways to specify the files from resources compiled to the live public directory.  Check out these 2 examples…  they should cover necessary usage for 99% of projects.

 

Example: Combine multiple files into a single file.

In this example I’ll define a simple way to combine multiple custom javascript files into a single file.  Let’s take 4 custom stylesheets and 4 javascript files.  We will combine all specified stylesheets from /resources/css into a single stylesheet named /public/css/custom-all.css.  Also let’s combine the specified javascript files from /resources/js into a single javascript file named /public/js/custom-all.js  


All files that can be edited directly are located in the resources directory.  All compiled files will be placed in the public directory where the code can be accessed live.

 

 mix.js('resources/js/app.js', 'public/js')

    .vue()

    .sass('resources/sass/app.scss', 'public/css');

 

 // Combine all custom JS into one file

 mix.scripts([

    'resources/js/custom/main.js',

    'resources/js/custom/helpers.js',

    'resources/js/custom/components/*.js'

 ], 'public/js/custom-all.js');

 

 // Combine all custom CSS into one file

 mix.styles([

    'resources/css/custom/main.css',

    'resources/css/custom/components/buttons.css',

    'resources/css/custom/pages/*.css'

 ], 'public/css/custom-all.css');

 

  

Let’s see how to use things in a blade template:

 

 <!DOCTYPE html>

 <html lang="en">

 <head>

    <meta charset="UTF-8">

    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">

    <title>Your Laravel Application</title>

   

    <!-- Compiled CSS -->

    <link href="{{ mix('css/app.css') }}" rel="stylesheet">

    <link href="{{ mix('css/custom-all.css') }}" rel="stylesheet">

 </head>

 <body>

    <div id="app">

        <!-- Your application content -->

    </div>

 

    <!-- Compiled JavaScript -->

    <script src="{{ mix('js/app.js') }}"></script>

    <script src="{{ mix('js/custom-all.js') }}"></script>

 </body>

 </html>

 



Example: Prepare several files.


This example is very similar to the example above.  The only difference is in this example we are generating individual files in the public directory for each file specified from the resources directory. 

 

 // Webpack-compiled JS and CSS

 mix.js('resources/js/app.js', 'public/js')

   .vue({ version: 2 })

   .sass('resources/sass/app.scss', 'public/css') // Or .css() if not using Sass

   .css('resources/css/app.css', 'public/css');

 

 // Custom JS files (separate from Webpack bundle)

 mix.js('resources/js/custom/main.js', 'public/js/custom.js')

   .js('resources/js/custom/helpers.js', 'public/js/helpers.js');

 

 // Custom CSS files (separate from Webpack bundle)

 mix.css('resources/css/custom/main.css', 'public/css/custom.css')

   .css('resources/css/custom/components/buttons.css', 'public/css/components/buttons.css');

 


Notice in webpack.mix.js the definitions for mix.js and mix.css methods.  Each of the javascript files and stylesheets from the resources directory has a corresponding file in the public directory.

 

Now let’s look at how to use this in a blade template:

 

 <!DOCTYPE html>

 <html lang="en">

 <head>

    <meta charset="UTF-8">

    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">

    <title>Your Laravel Application</title>

   

    <!-- Compiled CSS -->

    <link href="{{ mix('css/app.css') }}" rel="stylesheet">

    <link href="{{ mix('css/custom.css') }}" rel="stylesheet">

    <link href="{{ mix('css/components/buttons.css') }}" rel="stylesheet">

 </head>

 <body>

    <div id="app">

        <!-- Your application content -->

    </div>

 

    <!-- Compiled JavaScript -->

    <script src="{{ mix('js/app.js') }}"></script>

    <script src="{{ mix('js/custom.js') }}"></script>

    <script src="{{ mix('js/helpers.js') }}"></script>

 </body>

 </html>

 

 

To generate the public CSS and JS files:

 

 npm install

 npm run dev

 

Defining a Javascript Function

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 NodeJS
 Javascript

How To Define a JavaScript Function

There are a few different ways to declare a function in Javascript applications. I’ve laid out 4 ways below so choose the method that best fits your use case! Function declarations are great for named functions, whereas arrow functions are excellent for callbacks and shorter functions.  

Using Function Declaration

 

 /** Function Declaration */

 function functionName(parameters) {

    // code to be executed

    return value;

 }

 

 // Example

 function greet(name) {

    return "Hello, " + name + "!";

 }

 console.log(`My name is ${greet("Alice")}`); // "Hello, Alice!"

 

 

Using Function Expression

 

 /** Function Expression */

 const functionName = function(parameters) {

    // code to be executed

    return value;

 };

 

 // Example

 const multiply = function(a, b) {

    return a * b;

 };

 console.log(`5 * 3 = ${multiply(5, 3)}`); // 15

 

 

Using Arrow Functions (ES6)

 

 /** Arrow Function (ES6) */

 const functionName = (parameters) => {

    // code to be executed

    return value;

 };

 

 // Examples with different syntax

 const square = (x) => {

    return x * x;

 };

 console.log(`Square of 4: ${square(4)}`); // 16

 

 // Implicit return (for single expressions)

 const squareRoot = x => x ** 0.5;

 console.log(`Square Root of 8: ${squareRoot(8)}`);

 

 // Multiple parameters

 const add = (a, b) => a + b;

 console.log(`2 + 3 = ${add(2, 3)}`); // 5

 

 // No parameters

 const title = () => "Math";

 console.log(`The page title is "${pageTitle()}"`);

 

 

Using the Function Constructor

 

 /** 4. Function Constructor (less common) */

 const functionName = new Function("parameters", "function body");

 

 // Example

 const divide = new Function("a", "b", "return a / b;");

 console.log(divide(10, 2)); // 5

 



PHP Match Expression (match)

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 Laravel
 PHP

PHP Match Expression (match)


The PHP match expression is a powerful feature introduced in PHP 8.0 that provides a more concise and flexible alternative to switch statements.

 

Basic Match Syntax

 

$result = match ($value) {

  pattern1 => expression1,

  pattern2 => expression2,

  // ...

  default => default_expression,

};

 

 

Comparison switch vs match

 

// switch statement

switch ($statusCode) {

   case 200:

       $message = 'OK';

       break;

   case 404:

       $message = 'Not Found';

       break;

   case 500:

       $message = 'Server Error';

       break;

   default:

       $message = 'Unknown';

}

 

// match equivalent

$message = match ($statusCode) {

  200 => 'OK',

   404 => 'Not Found',

   500 => 'Server Error',

   default => 'Unknown',

};

 

 

Various Usage Examples:

 

 // multiple conditions

 $result = match ($httpCode) {

    200, 201, 202 => 'Success',

    400, 401, 403 => 'Client Error',

    500, 501, 502 => 'Server Error',

    default => 'Unknown',

 };

 

 // Match uses strict comparison (===)

 $result = match ($value) {

    0 => 'Integer zero',

    '0' => 'String zero',

    false => 'Boolean false',

    default => 'Other',

 };

 

 // Complex Expressions

 $age = 25;

 $category = match (true) {

    $age < 13 => 'Child',

    $age < 20 => 'Teenager',

    $age < 65 => 'Adult',

    default => 'Senior',

 };

 

 // returning different types

 function processValue($value) {

    return match ($value) {

        'int' => 42,

        'string' => 'Hello World',

        'array' => [1, 2, 3],

        'bool' => true,

        default => null,

    };

 }

 

 // Using with arrays

 $user = [

    'role' => 'admin',

    'status' => 'active'

 ];

 

 $permissions = match ($user['role']) {

    'admin' => ['read', 'write', 'delete'],

    'editor' => ['read', 'write'],

    'viewer' => ['read'],

    default => [],

 };

 

 // nested match expressions

 $result = match ($type) {

    'number' => match ($value) {

        $value > 0 => 'Positive',

        $value < 0 => 'Negative',

        default => 'Zero',

    },

    'string' => 'String type',

    default => 'Unknown type',

 };

 

 // Conditional Logic in Patterns

 $score = 85;

 $grade = match (true) {

    $score >= 90 => 'A',

    $score >= 80 => 'B',

    $score >= 70 => 'C',

    $score >= 60 => 'D',

    default => 'F',

 };

 



Advantages Over Switch

- Returns a value - Can be assigned directly to variables
- No fall-through - Prevents accidental bugs
- Strict comparisons - More predictable behavior
- More concise - Less boilerplate code
- Better error handling - Throws UnhandledMatchError for unhandled cases

Important Notes
- Match expressions must be exhaustive or include a default case
- Throws UnhandledMatchError if no pattern matches and no default is provided
- Each arm must be a single expression (use anonymous functions for complex logic)
- Patterns are evaluated in order, first match wins

The match expression is a significant improvement that makes conditional logic more readable, safer, and more expressive in modern PHP code.

 

Using PHP Class Interface

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 PHP

In PHP, an interface defines a contract or blueprint that any class implementing it must follow.

It specifies method signatures (the names, parameters, and visibility of methods), however does  not implement the methods.

A class that implements an interface must define all of the methods declared in the interface.

Interfaces help achieve abstraction and multiple inheritance (since a class can implement multiple interfaces).


Example:


 // Define an interface

 interface Employee {

    public function clockIn(string $message);

 }

 

 // Implement the interface in a class

 class Engineer implements Employee {

    public function clockIn(string $message) {

        echo "Engineer Clock In: " . PHP_EOL;

    }

 }

 

 // Another class implementing the same interface

 class Mechanic implements Employee {

    public function clockIn(string $message) {

        echo "Mechanic Clock In: " . PHP_EOL;

    }

 }

 

 // Usage

 function processTask(Employee $employee) {

    $employee->clockIn("Task has been processed!");

 }

 

 // You can swap implementations easily

 $engineer = new Engineer();

 $mechanic = new Mechanic();

 

 processTask($engineer);  // Clock In Engineer

 processTask($mechanic);    // Clock In Mechanic

 

 

What interfaces can contain:

 - Method declarations (no body/implementation)

 - Constants (e.g. const MAX_LIMIT = 100;)

What interfaces cannot contain:

 - Properties/variables

 - Constructors with implementation

 - Method bodies

Example:

 

 interface ExampleInterface {

    // Allowed

    public function doSomething();

 

    // Allowed

    const VERSION = "1.0";

 

    // Not allowed: properties inside interfaces

    // public $name;   // This will cause an error

 }

 

 

Javascript Spread Operator ...

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 MongoDB

The javascript spread operator ... is a convenient way to insert an array into a second array.  Used mainly when defining the array data.  Consider the following:

/****
 * The x array is placed inside of noSpread as a child array inside.
 * noSpread array is now ['u', Array(2), 3, 7]
 ****/
let x = ['a', 2];
let noSpread = ['u', x, 3, 7];

/***
 * using the spread operator ...x
 * the spread array is now ['u', 'a', 2, 5, 6]
 ***/ 
let x = ['a', 2];
let spread = ['u', ...x, 5, 6];

 

How To Use PHP Late Static Binding

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 Laravel
 PHP

self:: vs static:: in PHP is all about inheritance and late static binding. So what is late static binding. When building a child class there may be a static property that overrides that same static property on the parent. So when extending this class you will potentially need access to the property on both classes. The way to do this is through late static binding. You can use the self:: and static:: operators to accomplish this.

self::

 - Refers to the class where the method is defined.

 - Does not consider inheritance overrides.

static::

 - Refers to the class that is actually called at runtime.

 - This is called late static binding.

 - Allows child classes to override static properties/methods and still be respected.

Example: self:: vs static::

 

 class Animal {

    public static $type = "Generic Animal";

 

    public static function getTypeUsingSelf() {

        return self::$type;  // bound to Animal

    }

 

    public static function getTypeUsingStatic() {

        return static::$type; // late static binding

    }

 }

 

 class Dog extends Animal {

    public static $type = "Dog";

 }

 

 // ------------------- USAGE -------------------

 

 echo Dog::getTypeUsingSelf();   // Output: Generic Animal

 echo "<br>";

 echo Dog::getTypeUsingStatic(); // Output: Dog