🔗 Laravel Tip: cleaner OR queries using whereAny()

When building search functionality in Laravel, developers often write long chains oforWhere() conditions. While effective, these queries can become repetitive and difficult to maintain. Laravel now offers a more elegant solution: whereAny().

Traditional Approach: VerboseorWhere() Chains

Before whereAny(), a typical multi-column search looked like this:

User::where('name', 'LIKE', "%{$search}%")
    ->orWhere('email', 'LIKE', "%{$search}%")
    ->orWhere('phone', 'LIKE', "%{$search}%")
    ->get();

Modern Approach: Clean & Elegant whereAny()

Laravel simplifies this pattern dramatically:

User::whereAny([
    'name',
    'email',
    'phone'
], 'LIKE', "%{$search}%")
    ->get();

WhywhereAny() Is a Game-Changer

• Cleaner and shorter code — no repeated OR conditions.
• Easier to maintain — simply add or remove fields in the array.
• Better readability — the query's intention is instantly clear.
• More elegant and expressive — fits Laravel’s philosophy perfectly.

Bonus Tip: Combine with Request Input

A practical example when building a search function:

$search = request('q');

$users = User::whereAny(['name', 'email', 'phone'], 'LIKE', "%{$search}%")
    ->get();

Final Thoughts

The whereAny() method may seem like a small improvement, but it greatly boosts readability and maintainability. If you’re still chaining multiple orWhere() calls, now is a great time to modernize your queries and take advantage of Laravel’s expressive syntax.