How long is that going to take?

When you're writing a test it can be so tempting to just "tweak" some app code to make it easier to write that test, but we discuss why that might not be a good idea. We also talk about some app changes while writing tests that are beneficial to the overall project.

• (00:00) - Sometimes changing code makes testing easier
• (01:30) - Different types of code changes
• (02:45) - An example with Laravel jobs
• (04:30) - A time when it's okay to change code while testing
• (08:50) - Avoid problems by writing tests earlier
• (09:30) - Silly bit

Do your eyes glaze over when someone mentions singletons or factories? We'll try to not to be boring as we explain the benefits of design patterns.

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Ever feel like your Blade views are getting too logic-heavy? What logic belongs in the view, and what logic would be better somewhere else? We use a recent PR discussion to talk through these points.

• (00:00) - Trying to keep logic out of the Blade view
• (02:00) - Using the simplest form of logic
• (03:45) - Business logic doesn't belong in the view layer
• (04:15) - Condition moved into the controller
• (05:20) - Secondary benefit of testing

When new tools and packages come out, there is usually some buzz around the launch, and how it solves all the problems of the old tool. Should you switch? How do you know when it's worth it? What are the potential downsides of switching? We talk through a couple examples and share how we approach these decisions

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Seeders seem pretty straightforward. It's a way to generate data. But how should you use them in your app and what different purposes do they serve? We talk through our approach to seeders and how we use them in a few different contexts.

• (00:00) - Diving into how we use seeders in our applications
• (01:40) - Should a seeder create users?
• (04:30) - Using seeders in multiple contexts
• (09:50) - The one time we might use seeders with tests
• (11:50) - Silly bit

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Is there some particular tool or technology that just makes you mad? Maybe it's the way CSS behaves or how some browsers work. Don't just get mad, dig in and learn it thoroughly. We talk about how we've done that and how it helped.

• (00:00) - Once again, Aaron reads the docs
• (02:30) - Recognizing when you don't know something
• (03:30) - Approaches for learning Javascript and CSS
• (04:20) - What is the manual for Javascript/CSS?
• (07:13) - Joel learning CSS hands-on
• (09:55) - Learning through repetition
• (12:00) - Keep an eye on tech that makes you annoyed
• (13:23) - Silly bit

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We see a lot of different projects, but it's pretty rare to find one that's well-documented and internally consistent. Why does that matter? And how can you make things more consistent without spending a lot of time on it?

• (00:00) - We like keeping things tidy in our projects
• (01:20) - Have a README, please
• (03:30) - Is there a business case for consistency across projects?
• (05:30) - An example with Docker build speeds in CI
• (06:50) - Consistency in naming business concepts
• (09:45) - Silly bit

How do you like to upgrade your app when the next new major version of Laravel comes out? Aaron and Joel share two different approaches they've used, and what added benefits you get from doing a version upgrade.

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We're developers, we write code! But sometimes it's worth thinking if we really need to fire up our editor, or if a better solution exists. We talk through some "behind the scenes" podcast workflow, and how we decided we didn't need to write code this time.

• (00:00) - Considering better ways to track topics
• (01:00) - The developer brain kicks in
• (03:05) - Building it in Slack without any code
• (05:15) - Feeling empathy for the non-devs out there
• (06:45) - Deciding not to automate everything
• (09:15) - Another example with a stats dashboard
• (11:25) - Silly bit

Just about every application needs the concept of roles and permissions. Often, there's a desire to allow non-developers to manage roles and permissions in the application interface, but is that a good idea?

• (00:00) - Roles and permissions landscape
• (01:45) - A UI for managing permissions?
• (04:14) - Rolling out new permissions via migrations
• (06:45) - What about managing roles in a UI?
• (09:00) - Covering permissions in tests
• (10:30) - Maybe a read only UI?
• (10:55) - Silly bit