We use cookies on this site to enhance your user experience
By clicking the Accept button, you agree to us doing so. More info on our cookie policy
Creating multi-worksheet Excel files with Simple Excel
Recently I had to create a large data export for a project. I like using Spatie’s Simple Excel package to do this as it is very simple to use and works well when exporting large amounts of data to a CSV or Excel file with the ability to stream a download to the browser. This particular project had an additional requirement though, exporting multiple worksheet’s of data at once. Luckily, this package allows you to do this too.
The PHP foreach loop
An alternative to the for loop, the foreach loop is used to iterate or loop over an array. The foreach loop allows you to loop through the items in the array without setting a limit for it to stop like you do in a for loop.
The PHP for loop
If you have something you want to repeat then consider using a PHP for loop, saving you from copying and pasting the same code multiple times. Adding the code into a loop means you only have to write it once, and you also only have to maintain the code in one place in future.
Refactoring to Laravel 8 Class Model Factories
Laravel 8 introduced new class based model factories and if you have an existing project you can use the legacy factories package to keep using the old factories. I have tended to keep the factories as they were and continue development, but after working on a fresh Laravel 8 project and using the new class based syntax I decided to go back and update the factories in the older Laravel apps. This article explains how I went about refactoring the factories to classes.
The PHP array
Arrays are a useful toolt to store multiple values. You can access a specific value in an array using a key. By default, if you don’t specify keys, they will be numeric and start at zero (not one);
Run Laravel artisan commands in PHP Storm
PHP Storm has a built in terminal window which you can use to run Laravel artisan commands, but there is a quick configuration change that you can do to make it even easier to run artisan commands.
