Deep Dive into get() method in Laravel Collection

If you use Laravel, I am sure that you already used get() method from the collection. Today, I will try to deep dive into get() method in Laravel collection.

#Table of Contents

#Uses

$data = [
    "foo_key" => "foo value",
    "bar_key" => "bar value",
    "baz_key" => "baz value",
];

$getFoo = collect($data)->get("foo_key");

dd($getFoo);
// foo value

#How get() method works?

Illuminate\Support\Collection

/**
 * Get an item from the collection by key.
 *
 * @param  mixed  $key
 * @param  mixed  $default
 * @return mixed
 */
public function get($key, $default = null)
{
    if (array_key_exists($key, $this->items)) {
        return $this->items[$key];
    }

    return value($default);
}

#Investigate:

• It requires a $key.
• It checks the $key in the given array date in collect() method.
• If $key found in the array, then it returns the value

:question: What if the given $key doesn't have any associated value? What should it returns?

Then it will return the default value that is null.

public function get($key, $default = null)
.
.

You can also change the default value. For example-

$data = [];

$getFoo = collect($data)->get("foo", 'Nothing found');

dd($getFoo);    // Nothing found

If given $key doesn't match in the array, then it called another global functions named value()

/**
 * Return the default value of the given value.
 *
 * @param  mixed  $value
 * @return mixed
 */
function value($value, ...$args)
{
    return $value instanceof Closure ? $value(...$args) : $value;
}

#Investigate:

It check if no Closure pass, then just return the given value.

#Can we send the closure also?

Yes, you can do that also. You can manipulate the entire response.

For example-

$data = [];

$getFoo = collect($data)->get("foo", function () {
    return "Response from closure";
});

dd($getFoo);    //Response from closure