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Ash Allen

@ashallendesign.co.uk
1.4K followers 82 following 366 posts

🚀 Freelance Laravel Web Developer and Blogger ⚡ battle-ready-laravel.com 🔥 consuming-apis-in-laravel.com ✨ web-dev-freelancing.com

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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 05/09/2026
I've just pushed some updates to Find A PR (findapr.io): ✅ Upgraded to Laravel 13 ✅ Upgraded to Livewire 4 ✅ Added Composer and NPM security GitHub Actions workflows
findapr.io
findapr.io - Find Your First Laravel PR
View a curated list of issues so that you can make your very first contribution to open-source Laravel and PHP projects.
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 03/09/2026
Fixing PHPStan Issues in Livewire Components with Larastan-Livewire 🚀 ashallendesign.co.uk/blog/larasta...
ashallendesign.co.uk
Fixing PHPStan Issues in Livewire Components with Larastan-Livewire
Read about how to use `calebdw/larastan-livewire` package to solve PHPStan issues related to using Livewire computed properties. We look at a real-life example of how I used it to solve my own issue.
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 28/07/2026
The `clamp` Function in PHP 8.6 ashallendesign.co.uk/blog/php-86-...
ashallendesign.co.uk
The `clamp` Function in PHP 8.6
Learn about the new "clamp" function in PHP 8.6 and how it can be used with different data types. We also discuss how to use "clamp" in your PHP and Laravel projects before PHP 8.6 is released.
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 11/06/2026
If you want to learn more about property hooks, I've got a detailed article about them that you might be interested in: ashallendesign.co.uk/blog/php-84-...
ashallendesign.co.uk
PHP 8.4 Property Hooks
Read about the upcoming "property hooks" feature that will be added in PHP 8.4.
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 11/06/2026
🔥 In PHP, you can use the "set" property hook to validate a value before setting it! Have you used property hooks in your PHP projects yet? Here's a simple example of only allowing an enum property to be set to specific enum cases:
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 04/06/2026
You're correct, it'd be 0! Although, I'm not sure whether it'd be a string, I think it'll still be an integer (but I'm happy to be corrected on that if I'm wrong) 😄
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 04/06/2026
Fun PHP question: Without cheating, what does the second line output? 😄
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 21/04/2026
Thanks for sharing! 😄
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Reposted by Ash Allen
MadeWithLaravel @madewithlaravel.com · 17/04/2026
Laravel Exchange Rates by @ashallendesign.co.uk allows you to get exchange rates & convert values between different currencies 💸🔄 - madewithlaravel.com/laravel-exch...
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 09/04/2026
Link to the PR: github.com/laravel/fram...
github.com
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 09/04/2026
I've just made a PR to Laravel! ⚡ It proposes a new "Via" attribute which could be added to notification classes. It can be used to define hardcoded notification channels without requiring a "via" method. Is this something you'd use if it were merged? 😄
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 08/04/2026
You could be right; I've not heard of Jon Potel before, sorry haha! But yeah, I've had a similar train of thought here too. I'm not sure whether it's something I'd enable globally, but rather on a case-by-case basis, on the odd occasion I want to be reeeeally strict 🙂
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 08/04/2026
Alternatively, you can enable the feature on a class-by-class basis like so:
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 08/04/2026
⚡ As of Laravel 13.4.0, you can use "FormRequest::failOnUnknownFields" to enable errors which will be thrown if unknown fields are passed in requests! Is this something you think you'd use in your own projects? 😄
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 03/04/2026
These are always the best emails to see when you start your day! 🎉
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Reposted by Ash Allen
Freek Van der Herten @freek.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
I love seeing Mailcoach being used when I subscribe to a newsletter.
Email confirmation for Artisan Weekly subscription with a prompt to click a button to verify identity.
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 23/03/2026
My Short URL package is really close to hitting 2 MILLION installs! I think it'll hit it at the end of April 😄🎉
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 23/03/2026
Thanks for sharing this! I'm still super proud of this book. I've got it open on my desk most days so I can refer back to it 😄
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 23/03/2026
Likewise Christoph! I hope you have a fantastic week 😄
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 17/03/2026
I've just hit SEND on my latest newsletter issue! It should be landing in your inboxes soon 😄
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 13/03/2026
It's been a busy morning! I've just updated all my Laravel packages to support Laravel 13 (and a few other small updates) 😄
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 22/01/2026
Thanks Ludo! That really means a lot 😄
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 21/01/2026
Reduce Duplicate Cache Queries in Laravel with "Cache::memo()" 🚀 ashallendesign.co.uk/blog/laravel...
ashallendesign.co.uk
Reduce Duplicate Cache Queries in Laravel with "Cache::memo()"
Learn about how to use the "Cache::memo()" method to memoise cache values and improve performance in your Laravel applications.
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Reposted by Ash Allen
Laravel.io @laravel.io · 21/01/2026
How to Send Telegram Messages in Laravel by @ashallendesign.co.uk laravel.io/articles/how-to-send-tel…
laravel.io
How to Send Telegram Messages in Laravel | Laravel.io
The Laravel portal for problem solving, knowledge sharing and community building.
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Reposted by Ash Allen
Laravel.io @laravel.io · 20/01/2026
Memoisation in Laravel Using the "once" Helper by @ashallendesign.co.uk laravel.io/articles/memoisation-in-…
laravel.io
Memoisation in Laravel Using the "once" Helper | Laravel.io
The Laravel portal for problem solving, knowledge sharing and community building.
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 20/01/2026
How to Send Telegram Messages in Laravel 🚀 ashallendesign.co.uk/blog/laravel...
ashallendesign.co.uk
How to Send Telegram Messages in Laravel
In this article, we'll look at how to send Telegram messages from a Laravel application using the "laravel-notification-channels/telegram" package. We'll also look at the different types of Telegram m...
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 19/01/2026
Memoisation in Laravel Using the "once" Helper 🚀 ashallendesign.co.uk/blog/laravel...
ashallendesign.co.uk
Memoisation in Laravel Using the "once" Helper
In this article, we'll discuss how to use the "once" helper in Laravel to memoise data. We'll also look at how the "once" helper works with Laravel Octane applications and alternative approaches you c...
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 16/01/2026
⚡ You can use the "once" helper to memoise data in Laravel! The result of the closure will be stored on the first call. Then all future calls will return the stored result. When used in the right places, this can lead to some nice performance gains.
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 16/01/2026
I've just finished writing an article about memoisation in Laravel which covers: 👉 Using the "once" helper 👉 Using "once" in methods and static methods 👉 How "once" is handled in Octane apps 👉 Alternatives to "once" Hoping to publish it on Monday 😄
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 15/01/2026
My latest freelance contract has just come to an end this week. So I'm now available to take on new Laravel projects/work! If you're on the lookout for a Laravel dev with plenty of experience, feel free to give me a shout! 😎
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 15/01/2026
Nice! 😄
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 15/01/2026
Nice! I think I install those 3 first too 😄
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 14/01/2026
What's the first package you install when you start a new Laravel project? For me, it's usually Rector or PHPStan 😄
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 14/01/2026
Building a Laravel Feature with Junie in PhpStorm 🚀 P.s. - Please excuse the poor audio quality. I only realised during editing that I'd been using my Mac's mic rather than my actual mic. Ooops haha! youtu.be/9HYYpuu_nXc?...
youtu.be
Building a Laravel Feature with Junie in PhpStorm
YouTube video by Ash Allen
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 13/01/2026
How AI Will Impact My Job as a Freelance Web Developer in 2026 🚀 ashallendesign.co.uk/blog/web-dev...
ashallendesign.co.uk
How AI Will Impact My Job as a Freelance Web Developer in 2026
Read my opinions about how I think AI will impact my job as a freelance web developer and content creator in 2026. I discuss how I'm currently using AI in my workflow and how I think that might change...
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 08/01/2026
Yeah, I always stick to DateTimeImmutable and CarbonImmutable now whenever I'm working with dates. So much safer! If anyone else is reading this and wants to know the difference between the mutable and immutable versions, I've got an article covering it 😄 ashallendesign.co.uk/blog/php-dates
ashallendesign.co.uk
Immutable and Mutable Dates in PHP
Read about the difference between immutable and mutable dates in PHP. We'll also look at a common gotcha I've experienced when using mutable dates and how to avoid it.
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 08/01/2026
🔥 If you're using job batches in Laravel, the "job_batches" database table can grow quite quickly. To solve this, you can schedule the "queue:prune-batches" command. I've just added this to @findapr after I noticed the table contained a ton of old rows (approx 28k rows) 😄
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 08/01/2026
No, you're right, the answer's 2026-01-02. But I always used to forget that DateTime and Carbon were both mutable. In the past, I'd have guessed that the answer was 2026-01-01 haha! So it caught me out more times than I'd like to admit 😂
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 07/01/2026
Fun little quiz: Without cheating, what will the last line output in PHP? This is something which used to catch me out all the time! 👀
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Reposted by Ash Allen
Laravel.io @laravel.io · 18/12/2025
Formatting PHP Code with PHP CS Fixer by @ashallendesign.co.uk laravel.io/articles/formatting-php-…
laravel.io
Formatting PHP Code with PHP CS Fixer | Laravel.io
The Laravel portal for problem solving, knowledge sharing and community building.
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 18/12/2025
Formatting PHP Code with PHP CS Fixer 🚀 ashallendesign.co.uk/blog/php-cs-...
ashallendesign.co.uk
Formatting PHP Code with PHP CS Fixer
Read about how to use PHP CS Fixer to automate the formatting of your PHP code. We'll also explore how to use PHP CS Fixer in parallel mode and create a GitHub Actions workflow which checks the code s...
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 10/12/2025
Thanks Karl! 😄
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 09/12/2025
Nice! 🔥
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 09/12/2025
What level do you run PHPStan at in your projects? I've personally found level 5 or 6 to be the sweet spot (especially when adding it to existing projects) 😄
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 09/12/2025
I've just hit a mini-milestone with my Email Utilities package: It's crossed 100 stars on GitHub! ⭐ It's really close to hitting its first 1,000 downloads, too. I've just checked and it's been installed 995 times 👀
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 03/12/2025
Huge thank you to Philip Lezzi for your contributions and help with this release. I really appreciate it! Release notes: github.com/ash-jc-allen... [2/2]
github.com
Release v1.1.0 · ash-jc-allen/email-utilities
What's Changed Added an email-utilities:fetch-disposable-domains Artisan command to fetch the latest disposable email domains list by @onlime and @ash-jc-allen in #12 and #20 Added a static cache ...
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 03/12/2025
I've just released Email Utilities for Laravel v1.1.0! 🎉 This release includes: ✅ Artisan command that can be used to update the disposable domain list (shown in the screenshot) ✅ Caching to improve performance ✅ An updated list of disposable domains (4932 domains!) [1/2]
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 03/12/2025
The PR didn't get merged! But I'm planning on writing an article soon to show how you can use Mailtrap for: 👉 Sending single emails in Laravel 👉 Sending bulk emails in Laravel 👉 Testing Laravel emails using Mailtrap sandboxes Aiming to publish it next week 😄
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 02/12/2025
I've just made a PR to Laravel to propose first-party support for sending transactional email with Mailtrap! Is this something you might use? 😄 👉 PR: github.com/laravel/fram...
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Ash Allen @ashallendesign.co.uk · 25/11/2025
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it 😄
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