Get expert guidance in a few days with a Laravel code review

Laravel 8.78 Released

Published on by

Laravel 8.78 Released image

Never Miss a Laravel Release 🚀

Sign up and get an email with each new Laravel release

The Laravel team released 8.78 with the ability to add custom rules to default password validation rules, a mergeIfMissing() request method, asserting batch counts in tests, and the latest changes in the v8.x branch.

Define Extra Default Password Validation Rules

Ash Allen contributed the ability to define custom validation rules that will run as part of default password rules using the rules() method:

Password::defaults(function () {
return Password::min(8)
->symbols()
->mixedCase()
->uncompromised()
->rules(new ZxcvbnRule());
});

The rules() method accepts a single rule, an array of rules, or a closure for a closure validation rule.

Merge Request Data if Missing

David Peach contributed a mergeIfMissing() HTTP request method that will merge new input into the request’s input if the key is missing from the request.

For example, if you uncheck a form checkbox input it is not sent to the server. You might have to write something like the following:

if ($request->missing('boolean_setting')) {
$request->merge(['boolean_setting' => 0]);
}

Now you can define values that are merged with the request if missing:

$request->mergeIfMissing(['boolean_setting' => 0])

Assert Batch Count

@Chrysanthos contributed an assertBatchCount() method to the Bus facade, which asserts how many batches have been dispatched:

Bus::assertBatchCount(3);

HTML String Method

Lars Klopstra contributed a toHtmlString() method to Str and Stringable:

// Before
new HtmlString(Str::of($content)->markdown());
 
// After
Str::of($content)
->markdown()
->html();

Release Notes

You can see the complete list of new features and updates below and the diff between 8.77.0 and 8.78.0 on GitHub. The following release notes are directly from the changelog:

v8.78.0

Added

  • Added schedule:clear-mutex command (#40135)
  • Added ability to define extra default password rules (#40137)
  • Added a mergeIfMissing method to the Illuminate Http Request class (#40116)
  • Added Illuminate/Support/MultipleInstanceManager (40913ac)
  • Added SimpleMessage::lines() (#40147)
  • Added Illuminate/Support/Testing/Fakes/BusFake::assertBatchCount() (#40217)
  • Enable only-to-others functionality when using Ably broadcast driver (#40234)
  • Added ability to customize json options on JsonResource response (#40208)
  • Added Illuminate/Support/Stringable::toHtmlString() (#40247)

Changed

  • Improve support for custom Doctrine column types (#40119)
  • Remove an useless check in Console Application class (#40145)
  • Sort collections by key when first element of sort operation is string (even if callable) (#40212)
  • Use first host if multiple in Illuminate/Database/Console/DbCommand::getConnection() (#40226)
  • Improvement in the Reflector class (#40241)

Fixed

  • Clear recorded calls when calling Http::fake() (#40194)
  • Fixed attribute casting (#40245, c0d9735)
Paul Redmond photo

Staff writer at Laravel News. Full stack web developer and author.

Cube

Laravel Newsletter

Join 40k+ other developers and never miss out on new tips, tutorials, and more.

image
Tinkerwell

Enjoy coding and debugging in an editor designed for fast feedback and quick iterations. It's like a shell for your application – but with multi-line editing, code completion, and more.

Visit Tinkerwell
Curotec logo

Curotec

World class Laravel experts with GenAI dev skills. LATAM-based, embedded engineers that ship fast, communicate clearly, and elevate your product. No bloat, no BS.

Curotec
Bacancy logo

Bacancy

Supercharge your project with a seasoned Laravel developer with 4-6 years of experience for just $3200/month. Get 160 hours of dedicated expertise & a risk-free 15-day trial. Schedule a call now!

Bacancy
Tinkerwell logo

Tinkerwell

The must-have code runner for Laravel developers. Tinker with AI, autocompletion and instant feedback on local and production environments.

Tinkerwell
Cut PHP Code Review Time & Bugs into Half with CodeRabbit logo

Cut PHP Code Review Time & Bugs into Half with CodeRabbit

CodeRabbit is an AI-powered code review tool that specializes in PHP and Laravel, running PHPStan and offering automated PR analysis, security checks, and custom review features while remaining free for open-source projects.

Cut PHP Code Review Time & Bugs into Half with CodeRabbit
Get expert guidance in a few days with a Laravel code review logo

Get expert guidance in a few days with a Laravel code review

Expert code review! Get clear, practical feedback from two Laravel devs with 10+ years of experience helping teams build better apps.

Get expert guidance in a few days with a Laravel code review
Kirschbaum logo

Kirschbaum

Providing innovation and stability to ensure your web application succeeds.

Kirschbaum
Shift logo

Shift

Running an old Laravel version? Instant, automated Laravel upgrades and code modernization to keep your applications fresh.

Shift
Harpoon: Next generation time tracking and invoicing logo

Harpoon: Next generation time tracking and invoicing

The next generation time-tracking and billing software that helps your agency plan and forecast a profitable future.

Harpoon: Next generation time tracking and invoicing
Lucky Media logo

Lucky Media

Get Lucky Now - the ideal choice for Laravel Development, with over a decade of experience!

Lucky Media
Lunar: Laravel E-Commerce logo

Lunar: Laravel E-Commerce

E-Commerce for Laravel. An open-source package that brings the power of modern headless e-commerce functionality to Laravel.

Lunar: Laravel E-Commerce
SaaSykit: Laravel SaaS Starter Kit logo

SaaSykit: Laravel SaaS Starter Kit

SaaSykit is a Multi-tenant Laravel SaaS Starter Kit that comes with all features required to run a modern SaaS. Payments, Beautiful Checkout, Admin Panel, User dashboard, Auth, Ready Components, Stats, Blog, Docs and more.

SaaSykit: Laravel SaaS Starter Kit

The latest

View all →
"Don't Remember" Form Helper Added in Inertia.js 2.3.7 image

"Don't Remember" Form Helper Added in Inertia.js 2.3.7

Read article
Fast Laravel Course Launch image

Fast Laravel Course Launch

Read article
Laravel News Partners With Laracon India image

Laravel News Partners With Laracon India

Read article
A new beta of Laravel Wayfinder just dropped image

A new beta of Laravel Wayfinder just dropped

Read article
Ben Bjurstrom: Laravel is the best Vibecoding stack for 2026 image

Ben Bjurstrom: Laravel is the best Vibecoding stack for 2026

Read article
Laravel Altitude - Opinionated Claude Code agents and commands for TALL stack development image

Laravel Altitude - Opinionated Claude Code agents and commands for TALL stack development

Read article