What are invokable controllers?
Invokable controllers are a special type of controller in Laravel that allow you to define a single __invoke() method to handle a route instead of defining multiple action methods.
In Laravel, a controller is a PHP class that handles HTTP requests and manages the application's response. An invokable controller is a special type of controller in Laravel that allows you to define a single __invoke() the method instead of defining multiple action methods like index(), store(), show() etc.
Invokable controllers are supported in Laravel 5.3 or later versions. So, if you're using a version of Laravel earlier than 5.3, you won't be able to use invokable controllers.
Using an invokable controller, you can define a single action for a particular route, and Laravel will automatically call the __invoke() method when that route is requested. This can be useful when you have a simple action to perform, and you don't want to create a separate method in your controller for it.
To create an invokable controller, you need to define a class with a __invoke() method. Here's an example:
<?php
namespace App\Http\Controllers;
use Illuminate\Http\Request;
class ExampleController extends Controller
{
public function __invoke(Request $request)
{
return "Hello, World!";
}
}
In the example above, we have created an invokable controller called ExampleController. It has a single __invoke() method that returns the string "Hello, World!".
To use this controller, you can define a route like this:
Route::get('/example', ExampleController::class);
In this route definition, we have specified the ExampleController class as the controller for the /example route. When a user visits this route, Laravel will automatically call the __invoke() method on the ExampleController class and return the "Hello, World!" string.
In conclusion, an invokable controller in Laravel is a convenient way to define a single action for a particular route, without having to create multiple methods in your controller. It can make your code more concise and easier to read, and can help you build applications more quickly.
