LaraDumps

Usage

Introduction

To debug with LaraDumps, simply add a ds() in your code.

It's quite similar to using the dump() or dd() functions, but with the benefit of seeing your debug dump in a dedicated Desktop Application.

Try it yourself

Add the ds() function to your routes/web.php main route, just like in the code below:

// File: routes/web.php

Route::get('/', function () {
    ds('Home page accessed!'); //<==========
    return view('home');
});

Now, access your home-page, and you will see the debug dump in the Desktop App:

Output

TIP

💡 Trivia: The "ds()" function is based on the first and last letters of the word dumps, and it is conveniently similar to "dd()". This is not a coincidence! Easy to switch!

Debug Tools

LaraDumps provides you with a set of tools to debug your code and inspect what is happening to your application during the development process.

Dump

To send a dump to the application, just pass one or more values to the ds() function.

$myString = 'Hello World!';

$myArray = ['name' => 'Luan', 'country' => 'BR'];

$myBoolean = false;

//Single value
ds($myString);

//Multiple values
ds($myString, $myArray, $myBoolean);

This function is similar to Laravel's dump() and it will not stop the code execution.

Dump and die

Use the function ds()->die() or its shortcut dsd() to dump and immediately stop the code execution.

$myString = 'Hello World!';

ds($myString)->die(); 
//dsd($myString);

ds('This will never happen');

This function is similar to Laravel's dd().

Quiet dump

By default, LaraDumps Desktop App will be invoked and gain focus whenever a new dump is received.

If this is not what you want, simply disable the Auto-Invoke feature.

Alternatively, just use the dsq() method and send a quiet dump. This will not invoke the App.

// Requires Auto-Invoke to be enabled

$products = [['id' => 1, 'price' => 10], ['id' => 2, 'price' => 50], ['id' => 3, 'price' => -5]];

foreach ($products as $product) {
    dsq('Checking product #' . $product['id']); //Send a dump without invoking the app

    if ($product['price'] < 0) {
        ds('Price error in product #' . $product['id']); //App will be invoked
    }
}

The previous example will quietly dump each product prices and only invoke in case the price is invalid.

Label

You can use the label() method to set a label to your debug dump.

Assigning a label makes it easier to locate the debug dump among other similar results.

$person  = ['name' => 'Luan', 'country' => 'BR'];
$person2 = ['name' => 'Taylor', 'country' => 'US'];

ds($person)->label('Creator of Laradumps');

ds($person2)->label('Creator of Laravel');

Screens

You can use the toScreen() or s() methods to send your debug dump to a specific Screen.

By opening different screens, you can better organize your dumps into groups of similar issues.

ds('this is screen 1'); //default screen

ds('this is screen 2')->toScreen('screen 2');

ds('custom value')->s('Custom screen');

To save time, numbered screens can be targeted using aliases:

ds('this is screen 1');

ds2('this is screen 2');

ds3('this is screen 3');

ds4('this is screen 4');

ds5('this is screen 5');

TIP

📌 Click on the pin icon to permanently focus a screen and keep its dumps when clearing all screens.

In the Desktop App:

Output

Clear Screens

You can use the clear() method to delete all previous dumps from all screens.

This will reset your application to the start point.

ds()->clear();

TIP

📝 Note: To clear only the current screen, click on the × at the right end of the screen list.

Color Tag

You can use the color() method to mark a dump with a predefined color or provide a provided Tailwind color.

Read more about Tailwind color palette hereopen in new window.

ds('Info: Just FYI')->info();

ds('Success: IT WORKS!')->success();

ds('Danger: ERROR!!!')->danger();

ds('Warning: Something is not right!')->warning();

ds('Dark: The Dark Side of the Moon')->dark();

//A custom color
ds('Tailwind Custom Color!')->color('border-violet-500');

In the Desktop App:

Output

Laravel Logs

The Desktop App will receive and dump Laravel Logsopen in new window entries whenever you enable the Log feature.

LaraDumps also provides a one-click internet search on Error Log messages. This is very convenient for exceptions and general error messages.

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Log;

Log::info('Your message', ['0' => 'Your Context']);

Log::error('Your message', ['0' => 'Your Context']);

In the Desktop App:

Output

Time

To simply measure the execution time of a block of code, place it within the time($reference) and stopTime($reference) methods.

You must pass the same unique $reference title to both methods. The reference can be any combination of words.

ds()->time('my count');

    for($i=0; $i<100000; $i++){
        //some code
    }

ds()->stopTime('my count');

In the Desktop App:

Output

SQL Queries

To debug SQL queries, you must place the database call within the queriesOn() and queriesOff() methods.

You are required to enable SQL Query Listening for this feature to work properly.

For example:

use App\Models\User;

ds()->queriesOn('checking a user query');

    User::query()->where('id', 20)->get();

ds()->queriesOff();

Query inspection Macro

You can also chain a ds() method before the query execution and, it will be dumped in the Desktop App:

use App\Models\User;

User::query()->where('id', 20)
    ->ds()
    ->get();

TIP

📝 Note: The macro feature doesn't require SQL Queries to be enabled in the configuration file.

In the Desktop App:

Output

Model Inspection

You can use the model() method to view Eloquent Model'sopen in new window Attributes and Relationships.

use App\Models\User;

$firstUser = User::first();

ds()->model($firstUser);

In the Desktop App:

Output

Mailable

Displays mail details and the HTML preview for an instance of a Illuminate\Mail\Mailable class.

ds()->mailable(new \App\Mail\TestMail());

HTTP Requests

Captures and displays all the properties of HTTP Requests within the httpOn() and httpOff() methods.

use \Illuminate\Support\Facades\Http;

ds()->httpOn();
    Http::get('https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/todos/1');
ds()->httpOff();

Artisan Command

Captures and displays the called Artisan commands with their arguments, options and exit code.

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Artisan;

ds()->commandsOn('running a command');
    Artisan::call('inspire');
ds()->commandsOff();

Jobs

Captures and displays all information of Jobs ran within the showJob() and stopShowingJob() methods.

ds()->jobsOn('Optional-Label');
    dispatch(new \App\Jobs\TestJob());
ds()->jobsOff();

Cache

Captures and displays Cacheopen in new window information loaded within the cacheOn() and cacheOff() methods.

ds()->cacheOn('My cache');

    // SET
    cache()->set('feature', 'Cache Observer');

    cache()->remember('name', 10, function() {
        return 'Anand Pilania';
    });

    // HIT
    cache()->get('name');

    // FORGET
    cache()->forget('feature');

    // MISSED
    cache()->get('feature');

ds()->cacheOff();

Stringable Macro

Displays the current string in a Stringable Macroopen in new window

use Illuminate\Support\Str;

Str::of('Hello')
    ->append(' World')
    ->ds();

Collection Macro

Displays the current state of a Collection Macroopen in new window

collect(['hello', 'world'])
    ->ds('original input')
    ->map(fn($string) => ucfirst($string))
    ->ds('capitalize result');

Routes

You can use the routes() method to list all Routes in a table format.

You may configure LaraDumps to exclude specific routes from the dump output.

ds()->routes();

Table

You can use the table() method to display dumps in a table with a built-in search bar.

To build a table, you must pass an iterable $data as the first argument, followed by an optional string $name for the table name.

use App\Models\User;

// Using an iterable
$allUsers = [
        ['id' => 1, 'name' => 'David', 'email' => 'david@example.com'],
        ['id' => 2, 'name' => 'Julia', 'email' => 'julia@example.com'],
        //...
];

// Using Elloquent
$allUsers = User::all(['id', 'name', 'email']);

ds()->table($allUsers, 'my users table');

In the Desktop App:

Output

Diff

You can use diff() to see how two values compare to each other.

$userBefore = ['name' => 'Luan', 'last_name' => 'Freitas', 'is_active' => false];

// The values are altered by some code...

$userAfter = ['name' => 'Luan', 'last_name' => 'Freitas', 'is_active' => true];

ds($userBefore)->diff($userAfter, true);

In the Desktop App:

Output

JSON

Use the isJson() method to validate and display JSON strings in human-readable format.

This is very helpful for checking JSON content sent from an API or front-end app.

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Http;

// Json from API
$moviesJson = Http::get('https://api.tvmaze.com/search/people?q=lauren')->body();
        
ds($moviesJson)->isJson();

//Invalid JSON
ds('{"name: Luan}')->isJson();

In the Desktop App:

Output

Contains

You can use the contains() method to verify if a given string appears in the dump.

This is particularly useful when working with longer strings that require a lot of time to inspect and debug.

$html   = '<select name="select-choice" id="select-choice"><option value="Choice 1">Choice 1</option><option value="Choice 2">Choice 2</option><option value="Choice 3">Choice 3</option></select>';

ds($html)->contains('Choice 3')->label('Must be there');

ds($html)->contains('Choice 29')->label('Should not contain');

For a stricter search, you can activate Case Sensitive or Whole word parameters:

$json = '{"name":"Mariana", "country":"Brazil"}';

//Will not match "Brazil"
ds($json)->contains('brazil', caseSensitive: true);

//No match for "Maria" in "Mariana" 
ds($json)->contains('Maria', wholeWord: true);

In the Desktop App:

Output

Markdown

Displays the markdown rendered as HTML.

ds()->markdown('# Hi, Anand Pilania!');

PHPInfo

Displays the current PHP settings in table format.

ds()->phpinfo();