Format Long Method Chains for Readability in Laravel

When working with complex query builders or fluent APIs in Laravel, proper formatting makes a huge difference in code maintainability. Breaking long inline chains into multi-line structures with consistent indentation helps future developers (including you) understand the flow at a glance.

Before: Hard to Read

Single-line method chains are difficult to parse:

$data = Model::fromSub(array_reduce([$query1, $query2, $query3], fn($sub, $q) => $sub ? $sub->union($q->toBase()) : $q->toBase()), 'items')->with('relation1', 'relation2')->get();

After: Much Better

The same logic with proper line breaks:

$data = Model::fromSub(
    array_reduce(
        [$query1, $query2, $query3],
        fn($sub, $q) => $sub 
            ? $sub->union($q->toBase()) 
            : $q->toBase()
    ),
    'items'
)
->with('relation1', 'relation2')
->get();

Key Formatting Principles

1. One logical step per line

// Bad
$users = User::with('posts')->where('active', true)->orderBy('name')->get();

// Good
$users = User::with('posts')
    ->where('active', true)
    ->orderBy('name')
    ->get();

2. Indent nested structures consistently

$results = Report::query()
    ->select([
        'reports.*',
        DB::raw('COUNT(comments.id) as comment_count'),
    ])
    ->leftJoin('comments', function ($join) {
        $join->on('comments.report_id', '=', 'reports.id')
            ->where('comments.approved', true);
    })
    ->groupBy('reports.id')
    ->having('comment_count', '>', 5)
    ->get();

3. Align related parameters vertically

$data = Task::with([
    'project',
    'assignee.department',
    'comments.author',
    'attachments',
])
->whereIn('status', [
    'pending',
    'in_progress',
    'review',
])
->get();

4. Break closures into multiple lines when they contain logic

// Single-line is fine for simple closures
$ids = $collection->map(fn($item) => $item->id);

// Multi-line for complex logic
$formatted = $collection->map(function ($item) {
    return [
        'id' => $item->id,
        'name' => $item->name,
        'status' => $item->getStatusLabel(),
    ];
});

Real-World Example

Extract complex nested structures to variables for clarity:

// Extract the union query for readability
$unionQuery = array_reduce(
    [
        Report::where('type', 'daily'),
        Report::where('type', 'weekly'),
        Report::where('type', 'monthly'),
    ],
    fn($sub, $query) => $sub 
        ? $sub->union($query->toBase()) 
        : $query->toBase()
);

// Now the main query is much clearer
$results = Report::withTrashed()
    ->fromSub($unionQuery, 'reports')
    ->with([
        'author',
        'department',
        'approvals.user',
    ])
    ->orderByDesc('created_at')
    ->paginate(50);

Your IDE’s auto-formatter may not always get this right — sometimes manual formatting wins for clarity. The goal is to make the code’s intent obvious at a glance.