Lary “Quickdraw” A.I. is an AI Assistant at Laracasts. Laracasts has a feature to chat with Lary. I often use this feature to improve my knowledge and write better code. I ask from simple questions to complicated test cases to Lary and it often comes with good answers. Scrolling through all the old answers is overwhelming. So, I decided to write separate posts for all the questions I have asked Lary so that everyone can access them easily here.

I noticed Session::get('error') in a Laravel view file. Using classes directly in the view is not a good practice. So, I asked Lary to confirm.

Q: Is accessing sessions in Laravel views with Session::get('error') good or is there any better way?

Lary:

In Laravel, accessing the session in views using Session::get('error') is a valid approach. However, Laravel provides a more convenient and expressive way to access session data directly in views using the session() helper function.

Instead of using Session::get('error'), you can simply use session('error') to retrieve the value of the ‘error’ key from the session. This helper function provides a more concise syntax and is the recommended way to access session data in views.

Here’s an example of how you can use the session() helper function in a Laravel view:

@if(session('error'))
    <div class="alert alert-danger">
        {{ session('error') }}
    </div>
@endif

In this example, the session('error') function is used to check if the ‘error’ key exists in the session. If it does, it will display the error message within a div with the “alert-danger” class.

Using the session() helper function not only provides a cleaner syntax but also makes your code more readable and easier to understand.

Therefore, it is recommended to use the session() helper function to access session data in Laravel views.

The post Recommended way to access session in Laravel Views appeared first on Debiprasad.

Recently, my client asked me to add a feature to attach a file to the emails they send from the application. As I use Laravel in the application, I simply added a file input to the form and added a few lines of code to attach the file to the email. It worked fine in my local env.

I deployed it on the live servers and I did not test this feature there as I thought I need to send an email to someone else to test it. I have forgotten that I also have an account on the production app which can be used for testing. 

Apart from that, I thought that this works on my machine and I don’t need to test it on production for such a small feature addition. But no one realized that I have broken the complete feature.

We don’t track all the error logs on this project. Whenever there is some complaint that something is not working, I check the logs to find out the issue and fix it. 

While working on another feature, I ended up seeing the log and saw that it was full of errors.

When I investigated I realized that client had tried to send a bulk email to many users with an attachment. As the emails are added to a queue, she did not see any error. But when the queue started to run the jobs, it did not work and threw errors. 

The error was

[Swift_IoException]
Unable to open file for reading [/tmp/phphwnWbB]

First I thought it might be an issue with permissions. But file uploads work fine on the app. It should not be an issue with permission. I tried to find the file in /tmp/ but did not get it.

It took me really long to understand why it was not working. I suspected that the temp file might not be available when the job executes from the queue even though it runs pretty quickly. Soon, I realized that I have made a blunder by designing a feature like this.

I should not depend on a temp file to be used by jobs that run on a separate process. First, I need to handle the temp file and then make it usable by other processes. But I was still thinking about how does it work in my local dev environment. 

Then I realized that in my local dev environment, I don’t run a real queue. The queue is sync. It runs in the same request cycle. Then I tried to find how much time the file stays in the temporary storage. I realized that the file is deleted at the end of the request.

The file will be deleted from the temporary directory at the end of the request if it has not been moved away or renamed.

https://www.php.net/manual/en/features.file-upload.post-method.php

I did not know that even though it was basic. As a result, I end up programming the feature badly and we ended up with the issue.

The post Bad programming due to lack of basic knowledge appeared first on Debiprasad.

In the morning, I started journaling a dream I saw last night. After writing the dream when I tried to save it, it showed me an alert that I have not selected the dream type. I could not find where to select the dream type. But I discovered that I can add additional informations like characters, emotions and activities. I added the characters and selected emotions and activities from a lot of options. But when I tried to save it, it showed the same alert that I have to select the dream type. As I could not find it in the UI, out of frustration I tapped on the back button. It did not ask me whether I would like to store it as a draft. It even did not alert me that I will lose what have written so far. I lost everything I had written.

Then I tried to add a new journal again. Then I realised that there is a drop down list disguised as a label or help-text. Look at the screenshots below.

On that UI (image 1), “Select dream type” is a label for Dream Type drop down list. But I mistook it as a label/help-text for the title, which already have its label as the placeholder text. Now, when I tapped on the label “Select dream type”, it showed me the options for the drop down list (image 2).

I consider this a bad UI. So, what are the takeaways from here? Never design any element of the UI which can create confusion. A drop down list should look like a drop down list. It should not look like a text label. It should not look like a part of another element which is near it. And follow a good design system.

Some other takeaways are here which are not related to the UI but the UX. Alert the user that they may lose the data they have entered but not saved if the try to navigate away. Make it possible to save the unsaved data as draft. Autosave unsaved data as draft.

After losing the data I had entered, I did not have any patient to type those again. My goal was to remember the dream by journaling. And I felt that I achieved it by typing the dream. How I write it, where I write it are not much important. However, I will continue using the app to journal more dreams. I am also planning try other dream journal apps.

The name of the app is Dreamli. I may not use it longer as it’s a costly app. I can journal only 15 dreams for free. Then I need buy “dream cards” to journal more dreams. Also, in the options for dream type dropdown list, they don’t have all the options. If you need those dream types, you need to buy each dream type individually. I guess I am seeing someone selling dropdown options for the first time

The post A bad UI? appeared first on Debiprasad.

Currently, NIFTY 50 is 20% less than its 52 weeks high. Let’s assume that it takes 1 year for it to get that 52 weeks high index. So, if you invest in an index fund today, after 1 year you will get around a 23% return. 

Let’s assume that it takes 2 years for it to get that 52 weeks high index. In that case,​ you are still getting more than a 10% annual return on your investments.

I use Groww to invest in mutual funds, stocks, and (digital) gold. You can also join Groww and start investing in index mutual funds.

Mutual fund investments are subject to market risk. But I am optimistic enough that it will give a better return than FDs in the next 2 years.

The post Investing during COVID-19 Pandemic appeared first on Debiprasad.

When I read the recipe, I tried to ensure that I have all the ingredients available. Or at least all the ingredients are available locally. The recipe has 8 variants. I figured it out that I can easily make at least two variants: Classic Vanilla Overnight Oats and Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats. I tried Classic Vanilla Overnight Oats first and after successful and amazing experience I also tried Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats. It was even better than the previous one. I am interested to try all other variants as well but did not put any efforts towards it. Two of the variants need softened cream cheese. Cream cheese is not easily available in my city Bhubaneswar. Once I found it at a store but it was very costly. So, I am not trying those variants. One variant needs plain pumpkin puree. I guess pumpkin puree is not easily available in India. So, I will skip this too. For the other three variants, I need to buy some ingredients and I am a little lazy for that.

The best thing about the overnight oats is that you can make it in the evening or night and you don’t need to do anything in the morning apart from eating it. So, if you always have a busy morning, having overnight oats won’t let you skip your breakfast. I don’t need to tell you how healthy it is. It’s filled with dietary fibres, complex carbohydrates, good fats and protein. If you make the variants which use good fresh fruits, then you get more vitamins and more dietary fibres. It is important to have a good breakfast in the morning. And a serving of overnight oats is a complete breakfast. The quantity of Classic Vanilla Overnight Oats is around 300 ml. The quantity of Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats is around 350 ml. This is enough for most to keep you full for 3-4 hours, enough time between breakfast and lunch. You can also add a couple of eggs as you prefer to your breakfast to add more protein and keep you full even longer. Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats even has more fibre and protein as compared Classic Vanilla Overnight Oats and it even keeps you full longer as it is more in quantity. My favourite among these two is Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats.

Another good thing is that you can make multiple batches of overnight oats at once and eat it for a week. Saves a lot of time and helps you in your meal prep.

You don’t need to strictly follow the recipes. You can be a little creative and add things which you like and can go well. For example, I sometimes add fruits like bananas, apple, grapes etc., dry fruits like raisins, cashew nuts, almonds, walnuts etc. to the oats and enjoy it.

I think it will be easy you if I will link to all the products and ingredients I use so that you can easily buy most the ingredients sitting at home and enjoy your overnight oats.

You can store your overnight oats in any glass jar or any good reusable plastic container. But I love these borosilicate glass jars. It’s large enough to mix all the ingredients in this jar itself and store.

Rolled oats:
True Elements Rolled Oats 1kg pouch – https://amzn.to/2oHEGFO
True Elements Rolled Oats 1.2kg jar – https://amzn.to/2pkVNgQ

Chia seeds or Flaxseeds:
True Elements Raw Chia Seeds, 500g – https://amzn.to/2OVvrgd
24 Mantra Organic Flax Seeds, 200g (Pack of 4) – https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07B18Z58D/
You can use either one of these or both as per your choice.

Vanilla extract:
Ossoro French Vanilla Flavour, 30 ml – https://amzn.to/31hVHUq
If you are using this product, then use 1/4 tsp instead of 1/2 tsp as it is highly concentrated. You may increase or decrease the quantity as per your preference.

Honey and Maple Syrup:
Dabur Honey Squeezy Pack 400g (easy to pour) – https://amzn.to/2VNb7if
Apis Himalaya Honey, 500g – https://amzn.to/2Bbp7ZK
MacDonald’s Maple Syrup, 370 ml – https://amzn.to/32hApHD
Maple Joe Canadian Grade A Maple Syrup, 250g – https://www.amazon.in/dp/B00B5SLEN8/

Peanut Butter:
Buy unsweetened peanut butter.
Pintola All Natural Creamy Peanut Butter, 1Kg  – https://amzn.to/2OOxm63
Alpino Natural Peanut Butter Smooth 1Kg (Unsweetened) – https://amzn.to/2OPkix7
The Butternut Co. Peanut Butter Unsweetened Creamy Jar, 1 kg – https://amzn.to/2qhXiNh
DiSano All Natural Peanut Butter, Creamy, Unsweetened 1 kg – https://amzn.to/2qi5kpv
You can also use organic or crunchy (organic) versions as well.

Unsweetened cocoa powder:
Hershey’s Cocoa Powder, 225g – https://amzn.to/2MjAncV

Measuring Cups and Spoons
Bulfyss Popular Combo – 8Pcs Black Measuring Cups and Spoons Set, Silicone Series Spatula and Brush Set – https://amzn.to/2J4MpEY

I have added affiliate links above. Which means if you buy those products by clicking on the links above, I will earn some commission. But my recommendations are based on my own use and not sponsored.

The post My favorite ​overnight oats recipe appeared first on Debiprasad.

So, Airtel offers iPhone 7 32 GB for a downpayment of Rs. 7,777 and you need to be on a postpaid plan of Rs. 2,499 per month for 24 months. On Airtel website, the cost of the iPhone is Rs. 47,777. As Rs. 7,777 is the downpayment, the loan amount is Rs. 40,000 and you need to pay for it in 24 EMIs. If you get a loan of Rs. 40,000 at 14% interest rate for 24 months EMI then the EMI will be Rs. 1,921. So, here you are paying Rs. 578 for the postpaid plan and Handset Damage Protection which costs Rs. 49. So, you are paying effectively Rs. 529 for the postpaid plan. Normally, that post plan costs Rs. 649. So, that’s a saving of Rs. 120.

But here is the catch. iPhone 7 32 GB are much cheaper than Airtel price. You can get those as low as Rs. 38,999.00 at Amazon.in. You can also buy it on an EMI if you have a credit card or a Bajaj Loan Card. And get a prepaid or postpaid plan as you wish or stay with your current plan. Save money.

The post Should you get iPhone 7 from Airtel? appeared first on Debiprasad.

I don’t agree with the mayor that uberAUTO’s tariff is almost one-third of the Govt. tariff. If you are riding with uberAUTO, then you need to pay Rs. 15 as base fare and pay Rs. 1 per minute during your ride. Only the Rs. 3/KM sounds cheaper. So, uberAUTO’s tariff model is more complicated than normal auto rickshaw tariff prescribed by the Govt. So, it might not be one-third of the Govt. rate. I am trying to find the tariff prescribed by Govt. Once I find that I will update this section. I guess you understand why it’s hard for me to know Govt. prescribed rate. I will talk about it next.

It’s good to know that the mayor has some concerns about auto rickshaw unions and looking for a healthy competition. But when was the last time you saw an auto rickshaw with a working meter? When was the last time an auto rickshaw charged you as per the Govt. tariff? Has the mayor taken any step to make sure that all auto rickshaws use meter and charge customers as per the Govt. tariff? So, the mayor is not concerned about citizens of the city, but the auto rickshaw unions.

Normally, auto rickshaws in Bhubaneswar charge double the amount of the actual fare as per the Govt. tariff. So, it was very hard to negotiate and hire an auto for anything. So, when Ola launched its service in Bhubaneswar, it was a relief. Even Ola costs cheaper than a traditional auto rickshaw. And it comes with many advantages. Four people can travel comfortably in an air conditioned car. And the best part is you don’t need to go to auto stand and negotiate, pay less than the average auto fare. But auto rickshaw unions never liked this idea. They attacked Ola drivers. Then Uber launched. And then there came Jugnoo. Jugnoo is like Ola/Uber for auto rickshaws only. Jugnoo is cheaper than Ola or Uber.

Now Uber launched its service for auto rickshaws in Bhubaneswar. If the auto rickshaws would have used the meter and charged customers as per the Govt. tariff, the suggestion by the mayor would have made any sense. Almost a year ago, when Uber launched uberAUTO in Delhi, the customer needed to pay the fare as per the Govt. rate in cash directly to the driver. That model could have been applied here in Bhubaneswar without much complaint.

On the other hand, shared auto service works well in Bhubaneswar and no service available now can harm it.

If you have not signed up for Uber yet, then sign up with code debiprasads20ue and get the first ride free up to Rs. 100. Sign up here or download the app.

Yesterday, Ola also launched its auto rickshaw service. It looked like they launched it in a hurry, as Uber launched its uberAUTO. If you are already using Ola, then you can get your first auto ride free*. If not, then sign up with code 7EE6YM and get a Rs. 50 coupon. Download the app here.

Sometimes, you may like to use Jugnoo for some reason or the other instead of using Uber or Ola. If you have not installed Jugnoo, then sign up with code DEBIPRASAD585515 and get 100%* cashback on your ride. Sign up here or download the app.

The post Why uberAUTO is no evil appeared first on Debiprasad.

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Later in the day, I got little suspicious as how I got the invite so soon. Then I checked the email sender and found that it’s from invites@oneplus2.co. Then I clicked on the link and found that it goes to Aliexpress. (I even did not read the email properly then. I read it properly while writing this post. I noticed “We have tied up with Aliexpress and we ship worldwide through Aliexpress only” just while I started writing this post.) I realised that it’s a scam and I have made a mistake by sharing this with my friend. I immediately informed her not to purchase the phone from that link and luckily she had not purchased it by then.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw an ad on Facebook regarding OnePlus Two invites giveaway. I did not feel much suspicious as it looked so legitimate. And I submitted my name and email ID. Normally, I don’t fear spam, so I don’t think much before sharing my email ID. But this one was more of a stupid act of mine. On the next page, when it asked me to share this with my friends on Whatsapp, I got suspicious and realised that it’s a scam and I was so stupid to come this far. But I also saw similar ad on Facebook one more time. I clicked again to see what does it say this time. It recognised me as a returning visitor who has already provided his name and email ID before. So, it showed me some interactive stuff to win OnePlus Two as a prize and share it with more friends. I thought I should write about this scam. But I was so lazy to do that and later I even become more stupid to share the email from them.

Facebook is so greedy that it does not verify ads for scams.

Today I decided to look under the hood as I thought to do previously. I found that this scam is run by a person named Rajesh Patel from Gujarat, India (as per the Whois info of the domain oneplus2.co). So, friends beware of such scams.

The post Beware of OnePlus Two Scams appeared first on Debiprasad.

WikiPedia is perhaps the quickest source of knowledge. Anyone, even your neighbour’s dog or a monkey in the jungle can edit WikiPedia. So, someone had vandalised the information on the WikiPedia page about Marissa Mayer. And Google was too quick to index WikiPedia and update its Knowledge Graph.

As anyone can edit WikiPedia, I undid those couple of vandalisms. But this incident raises some questions. Open Source software can be contributed by anyone. But the community takes care so that no one can harm the software. Similarly, the community of WikiPedia should be stronger to act again vandalism. And Google should get some intelligence, instead of blindly copying content for knowledge. Knowledge can’t be gained by just copying something. You need to understand it.

The post How WikiPedia and Google can fight against vandalism? appeared first on Debiprasad.