Laravel named query arguments

When writing a query it's common to use closures when using advanced clauses or grouping conditions together in-order for the query to behave as expected.

$users = DB::table('users')
           ->where('name', '=', 'John')
           ->where(function ($query) {
               $query->where('votes', '>', 100)
                     ->orWhere('title', '=', 'Admin');
           })
           ->get();

With more complex queries which have numerous closures the repeated use of the $query argument can make readability awkward.

$users = DB::table('users')
           ->where('name', '=', 'John')
           ->where(function ($query) {
               $query->whereHas('role', function ($query) {
                   $query->whereIn('slug', ['leader', 'deputy'])
                        ->whereHas('team', function ($query) {
                            $query->whereIn(
                               'slug', 
                               ['sales', 'finance'],
                            );
                        });
               });
           })
           ->get();

By replacing the $query arguments with a variable named as per the table's name, eg $teams, the methods then appear prefixed with the table they're operating on which can make things feel more fluent.

$users = DB::table('users')
           ->where('name', '=', 'John')
           ->where(function ($users) {
               $users->whereHas('role', function ($roles) {
                   $roles->whereIn('slug', ['leader', 'deputy'])
                        ->whereHas('team', function ($teams) {
                            $teams->whereIn(
                               'slug', 
                               ['sales', 'finance'],
                            );
                        });
               });
           })
           ->get();

This approach also helps when scanning over many lines or reading things out of context, for example when trying to debug a certain query's conditions.

// Need to add the "senior-managers" 
// to the condition for the teams table

// Could this be the right condition,
// which table's slug is this?
$query->whereIn(
   'slug',
   ['sales', 'finance'],
);

// If the query argument has been named,
// then we immediately know which table it is 🙂
$teams->whereIn(
   'slug',
   ['sales', 'finance'],
);