Creating notifications in Laravel - Visual Walkthrough

Concept Flow - Creating notifications

Define Notification Class

↓

Set Notification Channels

↓

Create Notification Content

↓

Trigger Notification

↓

Notification Sent to User

↓

User Receives Notification

This flow shows how Laravel creates and sends notifications step-by-step from defining to delivering.

Execution Sample

Laravel

use Illuminate\Notifications\Notification;
use Illuminate\Notifications\Messages\MailMessage;

class InvoicePaid extends Notification {
  public function via($notifiable) { return ['mail']; }
  public function toMail($notifiable) {
    return (new MailMessage)->line('Invoice paid.');
  }
}

$user->notify(new InvoicePaid());

This code defines a notification class and sends an email notification to a user.

Execution Table

Step	Action	Evaluation	Result
1	Define InvoicePaid class extending Notification	Class created	Notification class ready
2	Call via() method	Returns ['mail']	Channels set to mail
3	Call toMail() method	Creates MailMessage with text 'Invoice paid.'	Mail content prepared
4	Call notify() on user with InvoicePaid instance	Notification dispatched	Notification queued for sending
5	Mail system sends email	Email sent to user's email address	User receives notification email
6	End	No more actions	Notification process complete

💡 Notification sent and process ends

Variable Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 2	After Step 3	After Step 4	Final
$notification	null	InvoicePaid instance created	MailMessage prepared	Notification dispatched	Notification sent
$channels	null	['mail']	['mail']	['mail']	['mail']
$mailMessage	null	null	MailMessage with 'Invoice paid.'	MailMessage queued	MailMessage sent

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why do we need the via() method in the notification class?

The via() method tells Laravel which channels to use for sending the notification, as shown in step 2 of the execution_table.

What happens if we forget to call notify() on the user?

Without calling notify(), the notification is never dispatched, so no notification is sent. This is shown by the absence of step 4 in the execution_table.

How does Laravel know what content to send in the notification?

Laravel calls the channel-specific method like toMail() to get the content, as shown in step 3 where MailMessage is prepared.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution_table, what does the via() method return at step 2?

A null

B ['database']

C ['mail']

D ['sms']

💡 Hint

Check the 'Evaluation' column in step 2 of the execution_table.

At which step is the notification actually sent to the user?

A Step 5

B Step 4

C Step 3

D Step 6

💡 Hint

Look for when the mail system sends the email in the execution_table.

If we change via() to return ['database'], what changes in the execution_table?

A Step 5 sends an email as usual

B Step 3 calls toArray() instead of toMail()

C Step 4 is skipped

D Notification is never dispatched

💡 Hint

Consider which channel method Laravel calls based on via() return value.

Concept Snapshot

Laravel notifications:
- Create a Notification class
- Define via() to set channels (mail, database, etc.)
- Define channel methods (toMail, toArray)
- Call notify() on user to send
- Laravel sends notification via chosen channels

Full Transcript

In Laravel, creating notifications involves defining a Notification class with methods to specify channels and content. The via() method returns an array of channels like 'mail'. Laravel calls the corresponding method like toMail() to build the notification content. Then, calling notify() on a user sends the notification through the specified channels. This process ensures users receive messages like emails or database alerts. The execution steps show defining the class, setting channels, preparing content, dispatching, and sending the notification.