In Laravel Eloquent, the `firstOrFail()` method is used to retrieve the first record that matches the query criteria. If no matching record is found, it throws a `\Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\ModelNotFoundException` exception[1][2][3].
Here's an example of how to use `firstOrFail()`:
php
$user = User::where('email', '
<script language='JavaScript' type='text/javascript'>
<!--
var prefix = 'mailto:';
var suffix = '';
var attribs = '';
var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '=';
var addy69337 = 'example' + '@';
addy69337 = addy69337 + 'email' + '.' + 'com';
document.write( '<a ' + path + '\'' + prefix + addy69337 + suffix + '\'' + attribs + '>' );
document.write( addy69337 );
document.write( '<\/a>' );
//-->
</script><script language='JavaScript' type='text/javascript'>
<!--
document.write( '<span style=\'display: none;\'>' );
//-->
</script>This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
<script language='JavaScript' type='text/javascript'>
<!--
document.write( '</' );
document.write( 'span>' );
//-->
</script>')->firstOrFail();
In this example, we're trying to retrieve a user by their email address. If no user with the specified email is found, Laravel will throw a `ModelNotFoundException`[2].
The `firstOrFail()` method is useful when you expect the query to return at least one result, and you want to handle exceptions gracefully if no results are found[1][2]. It's commonly used in scenarios where you want to ensure that a record exists before proceeding with further operations.
To handle the `ModelNotFoundException` exception, you can use a `try...catch` block:
php
try {
$user = User::where('email', '
<script language='JavaScript' type='text/javascript'>
<!--
var prefix = 'mailto:';
var suffix = '';
var attribs = '';
var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '=';
var addy5936 = 'example' + '@';
addy5936 = addy5936 + 'email' + '.' + 'com';
document.write( '<a ' + path + '\'' + prefix + addy5936 + suffix + '\'' + attribs + '>' );
document.write( addy5936 );
document.write( '<\/a>' );
//-->
</script><script language='JavaScript' type='text/javascript'>
<!--
document.write( '<span style=\'display: none;\'>' );
//-->
</script>This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
<script language='JavaScript' type='text/javascript'>
<!--
document.write( '</' );
document.write( 'span>' );
//-->
</script>')->firstOrFail();
// Handle the found user
} catch (\Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\ModelNotFoundException $exception) {
// Handle the case where no user is found
// You can return an error message or perform other actions
}
In contrast, the `first()` method will return `null` if no matching record is found, instead of throwing an exception[1][3]. If you need to abort the process when no record is found, you can use `firstOrFail()` instead of manually checking for `null` with `first()`[1][3].
Citations:[1] https://codeanddeploy.com/blog/laravel/laravel-8-eloquent-query-first-and-firstorfail-example
[2] https://www.yellowduck.be/posts/the-difference-between-sole-and-firstorfail-in-laravel
[3] https://dev.to/codeanddeploy/laravel-8-eloquent-query-first-and-firstorfail-example-2h44
[4] https://github.com/laravel/framework/issues/23742
[5] https://laravel.com/docs/11.x/eloquent