First Laravel application - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is Laravel in simple terms?

Laravel is a tool that helps you build websites easily by giving you ready-made parts and rules to follow, like building blocks for a house.

beginner

What command do you use to create a new Laravel project?

You use composer create-project laravel/laravel project-name to start a new Laravel website project.

beginner

What file do you edit to set up your website's homepage route in Laravel?

You edit the routes/web.php file to tell Laravel what to show when someone visits your homepage.

beginner

How do you start the Laravel development server to see your app in the browser?

Run php artisan serve in your project folder, then open http://localhost:8000 in your browser.

beginner

What is the purpose of the resources/views folder in Laravel?

It holds the files that decide what your website pages look like, like the design and text visitors see.

Which command creates a new Laravel project?

A npm init laravel myapp

B laravel new project

C php artisan new myapp

D composer create-project laravel/laravel myapp

The correct command to create a new Laravel project is composer create-project laravel/laravel myapp.

Where do you define routes for your Laravel application?

A resources/views

B routes/web.php

C app/Http/Controllers

D public/index.php

Routes are defined in routes/web.php to tell Laravel how to respond to web requests.

What command starts the Laravel development server?

A php artisan serve

B npm start

C laravel serve

D php serve

Use php artisan serve to start the built-in Laravel server for development.

Which folder contains the view files in Laravel?

A routes

B app/Models

C resources/views

D storage

The resources/views folder holds the templates that show the website pages.

What does the php artisan command do?

A Runs Laravel helper commands

B Starts the database

C Compiles CSS files

D Creates a new Laravel project

php artisan runs helpful Laravel commands like starting the server or making files.

Explain the steps to create and run your first Laravel application.

Think about setup, routing, running, and viewing your app.

Describe the role of routes and views in a Laravel application.

Consider how Laravel connects web addresses to what users see.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of the routes/web.php file in a new Laravel application?

easy

A. To configure server settings for deployment

B. To store database connection settings

C. To write CSS styles for the application

D. To define the URLs and what they should return when visited

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the role of routes in Laravel

   Routes tell Laravel which URL should show which content or run which code.

2. Step 2: Identify what routes/web.php does

   This file is where you write those URL rules for web pages.

3. Final Answer:

   To define the URLs and what they should return when visited -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Routes = URL rules [OK]

Hint: Routes file maps URLs to responses [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing routes with database settings
• Thinking routes handle CSS or server configs
• Assuming routes are for backend logic only

2. Which command starts the built-in Laravel development server?

easy

A. php artisan serve

B. php serve artisan

C. php artisan start

D. php start artisan

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall the Laravel command to run the server

   The correct command is php artisan serve to start the local server.

2. Step 2: Check the options for correct syntax

   Only php artisan serve matches the exact command syntax.

3. Final Answer:

   php artisan serve -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Start server = php artisan serve [OK]

Hint: Remember: 'serve' runs the server in Laravel [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Swapping command order
• Using 'start' instead of 'serve'
• Adding extra words in the command

3. Given this route in routes/web.php:

Route::get('/', function () {
    return 'Hello, Laravel!';
});

What will you see when you visit http://localhost:8000/ in your browser?

medium

A. A blank page

B. An error message

C. The text 'Hello, Laravel!'

D. A JSON object

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the route definition

   The route listens for a GET request at '/' and returns the string 'Hello, Laravel!'.

2. Step 2: Predict the browser output

   Visiting the root URL will display exactly the returned string as plain text.

3. Final Answer:

   The text 'Hello, Laravel!' -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Route returns string = 'Hello, Laravel!' [OK]

Hint: Route returns string shown in browser [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting JSON or HTML page instead of plain text
• Thinking it shows an error or blank page
• Confusing route URL with different path

4. What is wrong with this route code in routes/web.php?

Route::get('/', function {
    return 'Welcome!';
});

medium

A. Missing semicolon after return statement

B. Missing parentheses after function keyword

C. Route method should be post, not get

D. The string should be in double quotes

Solution

1. Step 1: Check the function syntax

   Anonymous functions in PHP require parentheses even if no parameters are passed.

2. Step 2: Identify the syntax error

   The code misses parentheses after function, causing a syntax error.

3. Final Answer:

   Missing parentheses after function keyword -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Anonymous function needs () [OK]

Hint: Always add () after function for anonymous functions [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Forgetting parentheses after function
• Thinking semicolon is missing after return
• Confusing HTTP methods get/post
• Believing string quotes cause error

5. You want to create a new Laravel route that returns the current year dynamically. Which code snippet correctly does this in routes/web.php?

hard

A. Route::get('/year', function () {
return date('Y');
});

B. Route::get('/year', function () {
echo "date('Y')";
});

C. Route::get('/year', function () {
return "Year is date('Y')";
});

D. Route::get('/year', function () {
return date(d);
});

Solution

1. Step 1: Use PHP date function correctly

   The date('Y') function returns the current year as a string.

2. Step 2: Return the year string properly in the route

   Using return date('Y'); inside the route's closure sends the year as response.

3. Step 3: Identify errors in other options

   The echo option outputs literal "date('Y')"; another returns literal "Year is date('Y')"; the last uses date(d) without quotes, returning the day of the month instead of the year.

4. Final Answer:

   Route::get('/year', function () { return date('Y'); }); -> Option A

5. Quick Check:

   Return date('Y') for current year [OK]

Hint: Use return with date('Y') inside route function [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using echo instead of return in route
• Forgetting quotes around 'Y' in date()
• Returning a string that does not evaluate PHP
• Confusing syntax for PHP date function