Http Request - Should I reload the eloquent model information inside a Http Request Life Cycle?

Question

https://laravel.com/docs/9.x/eloquent#refreshing-models

If you already have an instance of an Eloquent model that was retrieved from the database, you can " refresh " the model using the fresh and refresh methods. The fresh method will re-retrieve the model from the database. The existing model instance will not be affected:

$flight = Flight::where('number', 'FR 900')->first();
$freshFlight = $flight->fresh();

The refresh method will re-hydrate the existing model using fresh data from the database . In addition, all of its loaded relationships will be refreshed as well:

$flight = Flight::where('number', 'FR 900')->first();
$flight->number = 'FR 456';
$flight->refresh();
$flight->number; // "FR 900"

All the time (regularly) I make my requests by querying the models and relations only once for a normal http request (eg post-redirect-get or simply for a get).

When should I reload the relation or model information?

I feel that I have done my requests wrong after seeing this part of the Laravel documentation.

Could you give me some use cases for fresh ()/ refresh ()? Please

Is there something that escapes my knowledge?

Answer 1

Fresh and refresh are used when your model might have been change since it's first query

exemple:

// The passenger is in the FR 900 Flight
$passenger = Passenger::with('flight')->find(1);

// dd($passenger->flight->number); => FR 900

$flight = Flight::where('number', 'FR 900')->first();
$flight->number = 'FR 456';
$flight->save();

// dd($passenger->flight->number); => FR 900


$passenger->flight->fresh(); // Refresh Only the flight
// OR
$passenger->refresh(); // Refresh The Passenger AND ALL his relationships (his flight)

// dd($passenger->flight->number); => FR 456

The fresh method will get only the model it's been called The refresh method will make a fresh() on the model and all it's loaded relationships