Web Development Articles

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

 



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.

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.

 

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

 



PHP Access Modifiers (public, private, protected)

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 PHP
 LAMP

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