🐥 TIL: Arr::get and defaults can be quirky in Laravel

In Laravel, Arr::get() is a convenient way to safely retrieve a value from an array, with the option to specify a default value.

However, the default is only used when the key does not exist—not when the value is null.

$arr = ["data" => null];

// ❌ Not what you might expect
Arr::get($arr, "data", []); // returns null

// ✅ Correct way to ensure a default for null values
Arr::get($arr, "data") ?? []; // returns []

So if you need a fallback even when the value is null, remember to use the null coalescing operator (??) after Arr::get().