No Compromises

PHPStan is a great tool, but if you're not careful it might push you to write code in a way you wouldn't normally write it. How can you balance a tool's strengths with your team's style of writing code? (00:00) - We really like PHPStan (01:30) - Can you go too far with a tool, though? (03:40) - Things to consider if you're newer to Laravel or PHP (05:30) - PHPStan has helped us find bugs (06:25) -...

It is so exciting to watch a conference talk announcing some new tool or feature. Now you're back at work and your fingers are itching to type `composer install` - What do you do? (00:00) - Post-conference excitement is a real thing (01:11) - The reality of how conferences are structured (03:50) - Talks share things you could do not things you should do (05:00) - How to apply new ideas in your dai...

Programmers have opinions on things. Shocking, I know! How can we tell someone we think there's a better way to do something, without being counterproductive and causing needless confrontation? (00:00) - Programmers have opinions on a lot of topics (02:25) - Start by asking questions (03:45) - Get smart with leading questions (05:25) - Do you always have to call out something you think is wrong? (...

We get a bit nerdy here and dive deep on a few different ways to test record creation. (00:00) - We like testing (01:20) - One way to test creating a record (03:00) - Limitations of fetch the record with first() (05:30) - Considerations when using latest() in tests (07:00) - An approach for using auto-increment IDs (08:05) - Silly bit Read more of our thoughts at masteringlaravel.io

Do you maintain laser focus when you work, or are you a normal human being? How do you balance use of email and social media for legitimate work reasons without going down the rabbit hole of distraction? Stop your work and listen to this episode for answers. It's not a distraction, it's an investment. (00:00) - Feeling the pull of distraction when trying to focus on work (01:30) - Email - the bigg...

The discussion of final classes was a hot topic recently. We had planned on discussing this even before it came up on Twitter, but here is our unsolicited opinion. Is there some use case we missed? Aaron wants to hear about it. Show notes (00:00) - Final classes, the hot topic on Twitter (01:00) - Aaron's opinion has evolved over the years (03:15) - Packages vs applications (04:00) - What about ma...

We always write tests, and can't imagine working without them. But is there ever a time where it might make sense to delay writing some tests until later in the project? Let us tell you a story about a recent project where we made that decision. (00:00) - Our secret podcast agenda (01:00) - Project setup (02:30) - Tests are good, but they do add time (03:15) - Some ambiguity on "is this what the u...

Show notes: (00:00) - Relationships and trashed records (02:00) - One-to-one relationship (02:39) - Are soft-deletes bad then? (03:30) - Balancing end user and developer experience (05:00) - One-to-many relationships are even more problematic (08:00) - Does the specific domain matter? (10:15) - Agree on the rule as a team (10:50) - Silly bit Get a free ebook of Laravel security tips

Some interviewing techniques can be pretty disrespectful of the applicant's time or humanity. On today's episode we talk about some ways of approaching an interview to put the person at ease and help them to do their best. Show notes: 00:00 Our different work backgrounds 01:00 How to kick off a technical discussion in an interview 03:45 How to leverage their existing experience 04:50 Learn about t...

Maybe you're a solo dev or working on a small team. What benefits are there in widening your circle of developers? We talk through our own personal experiences in this episode. Show notes: (00:00) - Topic intro: the benefits of working with someone else (02:46) - Code review can actually be nice (04:45) - The benefits of being "challenged" (06:20) - Picking up tips just seeing how someone else wor...

We'll admit it: sometimes we change our mind. In this episode, we discuss how we used to setup queues in Laravel tests, and why we changed it. Show Notes 00:00 Sometimes we change our mind over time 02:00 Changing queue from sync to null in tests 03:45 Feature versus integration tests 04:40 Where do you test job logic? 05:30 White box versus black box testing 07:15 Laravel queue drivers and how fa...

Rules in programming can be extremely helpful, especially on a team. But is it possible to go too far with rules? We discuss a couple recent scenarios where we could have made a rule, but decided not to. 00:00 I like rules 01:20 Maybe going too far with rules - the scenario 03:05 Bug explanation 05:03 A tangent on test setup 06:30 A possible rule to prevent this bug 07:17 Why this rule went too fa...

Before you vent some frustration on another tool or programming community, take a deep breath and think about why you're irritated? We talk about our own reactions to some technologies and how it's good to keep an open mind or, at a minimum, to not be a jerk. 00:00 It's easy to hate on tools you don't use 01:02 Why are there different kinds of tools? 03:30 Is it "bad" because we don't understand i...

We have such a rich ecosystem of packages in the Laravel and PHP community. But can there be too much of a good thing? What do we consider before adding a small package to our projects? 00:00 A healthy ecosystem of packages 01:02 Too much of a good thing? 02:48 Risks to consider 04:13 Other ways to share 05:34 Think before you promote 08:02 Consider the friction 08:39 Silly bit Would you like help...

Laravel has a vibrant community of people teaching and sharing what they've learned. What makes a good tip? Should you tweet or blog or both? 00:00 Why blogging is beneficial 02:43 Slowing down before you publish 04:30 Tips that provide value 08:11 Platforms can go away 09:36 Silly bit Check out the new articles section on masteringlaravel.io

New PHP version! New Laravel version! So exciting! But when does it make sense to upgrade, and when does it make sense to start using new language or framework features? PHP marches forward (00:00) Upgrade strategy depends on team size (01:20) Considerations for new language features (02:33) Performance gains (03:27) Readability (04:56) How to adopt new features (06:16) Depends on the project's ma...

How can a bug be fun, and not frustrating? When you treat it like a puzzle. Let's walk through a recent bug with CSV mime type validation and go deep down the rabbit hole. Think of a bug like a fun code puzzle (00:00) Don't get stuck for too long (01:22) The confusing CSV bug (02:35) Diffing the files (06:05) Digging deeper into Symfony and PHP (08:07) Getting stubborn about fixing this (11:29) Si...

User experience is a term we hear a lot as developers, but it can mean different things depending on the context. We discuss a recent project where decisions around which HTTP status code to return was focused on improving the user's experience and trust in the application. 00:16 Why do we write code? 01:39 The importance of user experience 02:54 A specific example of user-focused thinking 04:34 C...

We discuss two "interesting" patterns we've observed in a number of Laravel projects. Let's take a step back and think about why we write tests the way we do. 1:06 - One weird pattern we’ve seen in Laravel project tests 2:23 - Can you explain why you’re doing this? 3:50 - “It’s more readable” 5:55 - Principle: learn a thing, do a thing, dissect a thing 6:30 - Is it okay to have code duplication in...

We've all been there: a thorny piece of code works, but it seems like there must be a better way to simplify it or make it more readable. We share one example when this happened to us, and how code review led to a better solution. Want another set of eyes on your code? We can help! Visit our site and schedule a free call with us today. 00:16 The problem: this code works, but I don't like it 01:17...

Hear about some cool new tool or coding technique on Twitter? Great, jump right in and use it on your biggest production app! Or . . . maybe don't. We share some thoughts on how to evaluate things critically for your particular circumstances. Do you want to blindly take our advice? Great idea! Check out our book on Laravel validation rules .

Do you always finish everything you plan on doing? Probably not, very few developers do. The problem isn't always how you work. Some of it is how you plan. We discuss several tips on how to plan for a more successful week. Want to get notified when we release new tools, books, and articles? Sign up for our newsletter !

What do you do when you're stuck? Aaron shares a tip on how he breaks down a problem when he's feeling stuck. Are you stuck with your Laravel/PHP project? We can help! Book a free call .

We all know we should write tests, but what should we test? Is there anything it doesn't make sense to test? We talk through a high-level approach to how we do feature testing in Laravel. Need some help or advice on your Laravel project? We can help !

There are different ways to structure your translation assets in Laravel. We discuss how we approached this on a recent project, and why we chose the method we did. Check out the validation worksheet we built. It may help jump start your Laravel validation rules.