Handling Non-Existent Models with Laravel's existsOr Method

Need to handle cases when a model doesn't exist? Laravel's existsOr method provides an elegant way to execute code when a model query returns no results.

Basic Usage

Handle non-existent models with a closure:

Model::where(...)
    ->existsOr(function () {
        // Some logic if the model does not exist
    });

Real-World Example

Here's how you might use it in a product management system:

class ProductController extends Controller
{
    public function checkAvailability($sku)
    {
        return Product::where('sku', $sku)
            ->existsOr(function () use ($sku) {
                Log::info("Product lookup attempted for non-existent SKU: {$sku}");
                
                return response()->json([
                    'available' => false,
                    'message' => 'Product not found in catalog'
                ], 404);
            });
    }

    public function assignToCategory($productId, $categoryId)
    {
        return Product::where('id', $productId)
            ->existsOr(function () {
                throw new ProductNotFoundException(
                    'Cannot assign category to non-existent product'
                );
            });
    }

    public function checkStock($productId)
    {
        return Product::where('id', $productId)
            ->where('status', 'active')
            ->existsOr(function () use ($productId) {
                event(new ProductLookupFailed($productId));
                
                return redirect()
                    ->route('products.index')
                    ->with('error', 'Product not available');
            });
    }
}

The existsOr method simplifies handling cases where your model queries return no results.

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