- What does michael-rubel/laravel-loop-functions do?
- It is a lightweight Laravel micro-package that adds global helper functions for looping over arrays and collections, wrapping iteration and higher-order loop logic so you write less boilerplate than with collect($data)->map(...) chains. It is purely an ergonomic convenience layer and adds no persistence, transport, or container capability of consequence. The entire value proposition is developer experience, so it should be judged as a DX dependency rather than a capability dependency.
- How do I install laravel-loop-functions?
- Run composer require michael-rubel/laravel-loop-functions. Because the last release was January 2023 for the Laravel 9/10 era, expect a version-constraint conflict on current Laravel and avoid forcing it through with --ignore-platform-reqs, which is a smell you should not accept. If the resolve fails, fork the repository or copy the helper file into your application instead.
- Is laravel-loop-functions still maintained?
- No. The GitHub repository is archived, the last release was January 2023, it has roughly 17 stars and zero dependents, and no issues are being triaged. Archived means no security patches, no compatibility releases, and no triage for future Laravel majors. Every upgrade event becomes work you own.
- Does laravel-loop-functions support Laravel 11, Laravel 12, and PHP 8.3 or 8.4?
- The package targets the Laravel 9/10 window and the PHP 8.0/8.1 era, so its php and illuminate/support constraints almost certainly exclude a current runtime. There are no releases for Laravel 11, 12, or 13 and no validation against PHP 8.3 or 8.4. Check the composer.json constraints in the repository before assuming compatibility, and treat a clean composer resolve as a pleasant surprise rather than a baseline.
- Should I use laravel-loop-functions in production?
- Generally no. Abandonment here is already realized rather than forecast, and the package sits at the outermost sugar tier where the alternative is writing a handful of lines yourself. For a DX-only dependency with a dead upstream, the dependency edge costs more than it saves. Vendor the code you actually use into first-party support code under the MIT license instead.
- What are the alternatives to laravel-loop-functions?
- Native Laravel collections, array_map, array_filter, array_reduce, and plain generators cover nearly everything this package offers. Laravel's Collection API, including lazy collections, handles most iteration and early-exit patterns. For anything genuinely missing, a small Support\Loop class in your own codebase gives the same ergonomics with an owner who is still active.
- Can laravel-loop-functions global helpers collide with my own helper functions?
- Yes, that is a real risk for any package that exports global functions. If the functions are wrapped in function_exists guards, a name already declared in app/Support/helpers.php or by another helper package silently wins first, producing a nondeterministic behaviour change that is very expensive to diagnose. Audit every exported function name against your existing helper surface before adopting it.
- Does laravel-loop-functions ship a service provider, facade, or config file?
- Verify this directly in the repository, since the overview does not confirm it. Most micro-packages of this shape are pure global functions with no service provider, facade, or config, which is convenient because you can lift the file without carrying container or bootstrap surface. If a provider with package auto-discovery does exist, inspect what it binds before copying anything.
- How do I test or verify laravel-loop-functions before using it?
- Clone the repository, run its test suite against your target PHP and Laravel matrix, and read every exported function to see what it does that Collection, array_map, array_filter, or a generator does not. If you cannot run the tests on your runtime, you cannot own the code. Also audit the declared php and illuminate/* constraints and check for PHP 8.2+ deprecations such as dynamic properties and implicit nullables.
- How do I fork or vendor laravel-loop-functions into my application?
- Copy the helpers you actually need into app/Support/loop.php and register it under the files autoload key in composer.json, or expose them as static methods on a Support\Loop class if you prefer to avoid globals. Preserve the MIT license header and record the origin commit you copied from. This removes the dependency edge, eliminates the archived-upstream risk, and costs roughly the same effort as forcing an install.