How to check if a Laravel collection is empty?

Before checking if a Laravel collection is empty, let's understand what collections are in Laravel. Collection in Laravel is an API wrapper that helps you deal with different operations on arrays. It uses the class Illuminate\Support\Collection to handle arrays in Laravel.

To create a collection from an array, use the collect() helper method that returns a collection instance. You can then chain methods like converting to lowercase and sorting on the collection.

Installation: Make sure you have Laravel installed and create a controller using:

php artisan make:controller UserController

Using the isEmpty() Method

The isEmpty() method returns true when the collection is empty and false if it's not ?

<?php
namespace App\Http\Controllers;
use Illuminate\Http\Request;
use Illuminate\Support\Collection;

class UserController extends Controller {
   public function index() {
      $mynames = collect([]);
      if ($mynames->isEmpty()) {
         return "Collection is Empty";
      } else {
         return "Collection is Not Empty";
      }
   }
}

Collection is Empty

Using the isNotEmpty() Method

The isNotEmpty() method returns true if the collection is not empty and false if empty ?

<?php
namespace App\Http\Controllers;
use Illuminate\Http\Request;
use Illuminate\Support\Collection;

class UserController extends Controller {
   public function index() {
      $mynames = collect([]);
      if (!$mynames->isNotEmpty()) {
         return "Collection is Empty";
      } else {
         return "Collection is Not Empty";
      }
   }
}

Collection is Empty

Using the count() Method

The count() method returns the number of items inside the collection ?

<?php
namespace App\Http\Controllers;
use Illuminate\Http\Request;
use Illuminate\Support\Collection;

class UserController extends Controller {
   public function index() {
      $mynames = collect([]);
      if ($mynames->count() === 0) {
         return "Collection is Empty";
      } else {
         return "Collection is Not Empty";
      }
   }
}

Collection is Empty

Using the first() Method

The first() method returns the first element from the collection. For empty collections, it returns null ?

<?php
namespace App\Http\Controllers;
use Illuminate\Http\Request;
use Illuminate\Support\Collection;

class UserController extends Controller {
   public function index() {
      $mynames = collect([]);
      if (!$mynames->first()) {
         return "Collection is Empty";
      } else {
         return "Collection is Not Empty";
      }
   }
}

Collection is Empty

Comparison

Conclusion

The isEmpty() method is the most direct and readable way to check if a Laravel collection is empty. Use count() when you need the exact number of items, and isNotEmpty() for checking non-empty conditions.