Web Development Articles
Laravel Webpack.mix Asset Compilation AND Performance Optimization
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
JavaScript Self-Invoked Functions (IIFEs)
What is a self-invoked function? (IIFE)
A self-invoked function, also called an Immediately Invoked Function Expression (IIFE) is a Javascript function expression that is invoked immediately after its declaration. A self-invoked function can be a valuable tool for creating isolated scopes and managing variable privacy in javascript applications.
Key aspects of IIFEs:
- IIFEs execute immediately when defined
- Allows creation of private scopes without polluting global namespace
- Return values can be assigned to variables
- Parameters can be passed to IIFEs
Basic syntax:
(function() {
// code here
})();
// OR arrow functions (ES6+)
(() => {
// code here
})();
Why are IIFEs Necessary?
Immediate Execution with Parameters
// Immediately logs provided data
(function(date, location) {
console.log(`Date: ${date.toDateString()}`);
console.log(`Location: ${location}`);
})(new Date(), 'Seattle');
// Immediately logs:
// Date: Thu Oct 16 2025
// Location: Seattle
Avoiding Global Namespace Pollution
// if multiple scripts use the same variable names
// they won't conflict
(function() {
const restaurant = "Dairy Queen";
console.log(user); // "Dairy Queen"
})();
(function() {
const restaurant = "Burger King";
console.log(user); // "Burger King"
})();
Data Privacy/Encapsulation
// Problem: counter value is vulnerable.
var counter = 0;
function increment() {
return ++counter;
}
// FIX: keeps variables private. counterModule isn't directly accessible
const counterModule = (function() {
let count = 0;
return {
increment: function() {
return ++count;
},
decrement: function() {
return --count;
},
getCount: function() {
return count;
}
};
})();
counterModule.count = 100; // WONT WORK!!
// count is not accessible directly
console.log(counterModule.getCount()); // 0
counterModule.increment();
console.log(counterModule.getCount()); // 1
// OUPTUT: 0 1
Module Pattern Implementation
const User = (function() {
let memory = 0;
function add(a, b) {
return a + b;
}
function store(value) {
memory = value;
}
function recall() {
return memory;
}
// Only expose public methods
return {
add: add,
store: store,
recall: recall
};
})();
console.log(Calculator.add(5, 3)); // 8
Calculator.store(10);
console.log(Calculator.recall()); // 10
// memory is private and inaccessible
PostgreSQL many-to-many Relationship
In this example we will look at how to work with a many-to-many relationship. So first let’s look at a situation where we can leverage a many-to-many relationship. Imagine we have both Students and Courses. A student can be enrolled in multiple courses and a course can have multiple students. This is called a many-to-many relationship and requires what’s called a pivot table. Although there aren’t any restrictions to the name of a pivot table I will call it “course_student”. The course_student pivot table will have, at minimum, 2 foreign key fields. A reference to courses table and a reference to students table.
CREATE TABLE students (
id INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT,
name VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
phone_number VARCHAR(100) UNIQUE NOT NULL,
);
CREATE TABLE courses (
id INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT,
title VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
description TEXT NOT NULL
);
-- The pivot table has a reference key to each table
CREATE TABLE course_student (
student_id INT,
course_id INT,
PRIMARY KEY (student_id, course_id),
FOREIGN KEY (student_id) REFERENCES students(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
FOREIGN KEY (course_id) REFERENCES courses(id) ON DELETE CASCADE
);
Below are a few useful ways to query this schema. Assuming you are familiar with a LEFT JOIN, these queries specifically use LEFT JOIN for connecting the three tables. courses to course_student to students
# Get all courses that student with id = 2 is enrolled
SELECT c.id course_id, c.title, s.id student_id, s.name
FROM students s
LEFT JOIN course_student cs ON s.id = cs.student_id
LEFT JOIN course c ON c.id = cs.course_id
WHERE s.id = 2;
# Get all students enrolled in course with id = 1
SELECT c.id course_id, c.title, s.id student_id, s.name
FROM courses c
LEFT JOIN course_student cs ON c.id = cs.course_id
LEFT JOIN student s ON s.id = cs.student_id
WHERE c.id = 1;
PHP Match Expression (match)
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.
PHP Spaceship Operator (<=>)
PHP Spaceship Operator (<=>)
The PHP Spaceship Operator (<=>) is a comparison operator that provides a three-way comparison between two values. It's also known as the "combined comparison operator."
How it works:
The operator returns -1, 0, or 1 depending on the condition.
-1 => if the left operand is less than the right operand
0 => if both operands are equal
1 => if the left operand is greater than the right operand
Sample Usage:
$a = 1;
$b = 1;
$result = $a <=> $b; // result is 0
$b = 2;
$result = $a <=> $b; // result is -1
$b = 0;
$result = $a <=> $b; // $result is 1
Spaceship Operator vs using if-else:
// using if/else
if ($a < $b) {
return -1;
} elseif ($a > $b) {
return 1;
} else {
return 0;
}
// using spaceship operator
return $a <=> $b;
Benefits:
- Concise: Replaces complex if-else chains
- Readable: Clear intention for comparison
- Consistent: Always returns -1, 0, or 1
- Type-safe: Handles different data types predictably
PHP Null Coalescing Nesting AND Chaining
PHP Null Coalescing Nesting AND Chaining
The null coalescing operator is essential for writing clean, safe PHP code that gracefully handles missing data without generating warnings or errors.
Null Coalescing Assignment Operator (??)
// ternary operator usage
$value = isset($a) ? $a : (isset($b) ? $b : $c);
// null-coalescing shorthand for above solution
$value = $a ?? $b ?? $c;
Null Coalescing Assignment Operator (??=)
// Only assign if variable is null or doesn't exist
$array['key'] ??= 'default value';
$user->name ??= 'Anonymous';
// Equivalent to:
if (!isset($array['key'])) {
$array['key'] = 'default value';
}
Use with error suppression
$value = $object->property->nestedProperty ?: 'default';
echo "Value: ".$value."\r\n"; //Warning is thrown
$value = @$object->property->nestedProperty ?? 'default';
echo "Value: ".$value."\r\n"; // Value: default
PHP Access Modifiers (public, private, protected)
In PHP Object-Oriented programming, public, private, and protected are access modifiers (visibility keywords) used to control how properties (variables) and methods (functions) of a class can be accessed.
They are important in Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) because they enforce encapsulation (controlling how data is exposed and used).
Public
Members declared public can be accessed from inside the class, outside of the class and by subclasses (child classes). If no visibility is specified on a property the default will be public.
class Car {
public $brand;
public function setBrand($brand) {
$this->brand = $brand; // accessible inside the class
}
}
$car = new Car();
$car->brand = "Toyota"; // accessible outside the class
echo $car->brand; // Output: Toyota
Private
Members declared private can only be accessed inside of the class that defines them. They cannot be accessed from outside the class or by subclasses.
class Car {
private $engineNumber;
public function setEngineNumber($num) {
$this->engineNumber = $num; // accessible inside the class
}
public function getEngineNumber() {
return $this->engineNumber; // allowed via public method
}
}
$car = new Car();
$car->setEngineNumber("ENG123");
// echo $car->engineNumber; ERROR: Cannot access private property
echo $car->getEngineNumber(); // Output: ENG123
Protected
Members declared protected can be accessed inside of the class, in child(sub) classes that inherit from it. They cannot be accessed directly from outside of the class… only subclasses.
class Vehicle {
protected $type = "Generic Vehicle";
protected function getType() {
return $this->type;
}
}
class Car extends Vehicle {
public function showType() {
return $this->getType(); // accessible in child class
}
}
$car = new Car();
// echo $car->type; ERROR: Cannot access protected property
echo $car->showType(); // Output: Generic Vehicle