Resolving the “Declaration of TranslatorInterface Must Be Compatible” Error in Laravel

One of Laravel’s possible issues is the “Declaration of TranslatorInterface Must Be Compatible” error, which can be quite frustrating to resolve. In this article, we will discuss a common solution to this error and an alternative approach if the standard fix doesn’t work for you.

The Error

The error message in question typically looks like this:

Declaration of Symfony\Component\Translation\TranslatorInterface::getLocale() must be compatible with Symfony\Contracts\Translation\LocaleAwareInterface::getLocale(): string in TranslatorInterface.php on line ...

This error occurs when there is a mismatch between the definition of getLocale() in Laravel’s TranslatorInterface and the one in Symfony’s LocaleAwareInterface. Laravel relies on Symfony’s translation component, which can lead to this compatibility issue.

The Common Solution

A common solution found on forums like Stack Overflow suggests forcing a specific version of the “symfony/translation” package in your Laravel project’s composer.json file. The solution often looks like this:

  1. Open your composer.json file.
  2. Add the following line to require a specific version of Symfony’s translation package: "symfony/translation": "4.3.8"
  3. Run the following command to update your project’s dependencies:bashCopy codecomposer update

An Alternative Approach

While the above solution has worked for many developers, it may not work in all cases. In some situations, you might find that the “symfony/translation” package version specified in your composer.json file does not exist or is still causing the error.

If you encounter this issue, consider an alternative approach:

  1. Remove the vendor directory from your Laravel project. You can do this by running the following command:

    rm -rf vendor

    Note: Be cautious when deleting the vendor directory, as it contains all your project’s dependencies.
  2. After removing the vendor directory, run the following command to reinstall your project’s dependencies:

    composer install

This alternative approach essentially clears out your existing dependencies and reinstalls them from scratch. It can be particularly useful when you’re dealing with complex dependency issues that the standard package version pinning doesn’t resolve.

Conclusion

The “Declaration of TranslatorInterface Must Be Compatible” error can be a roadblock in your Laravel project, but with the right approach, you can overcome it.

Start with the common solution of specifying a compatible version of Symfony’s translation package in your composer.json file. If that doesn’t work, try the alternative approach of removing the vendor directory and reinstalling your project’s dependencies.

Use on your own responsibility. Remember to back up your project and exercise caution when making changes to your project’s dependencies. While these solutions have helped many Laravel developers, they may not be suitable for all situations. Use them at your own discretion and ensure you test your application thoroughly after applying any fixes.

Why Laravel Is Not Always Fun Anymore Due To Its Upgrading Cycle

I used to develop projects with PHP only, without a framework.

Different classes, functions, etc.

Until it became a mess and I was looking for something more structural.

Laravel came onto my journey and I love(d) it.

Finally having a structured way of writing projects with Model, View and Controller structures with the Blade engine and the elegant Eloquent Model.

The problem

The problem is: the projects that I built before 2015 with PHP4 and PHP5, they basically still run and work (only having switched from mysql to mysqli or PDO). Even if I upgrade them to PHP7 or PHP8.

My Laravel projects have turned into monsters that require self-care every six months in the tight update schemes of Laravel and PHP.

  • Updating to a new version of Laravel takes 15 minutes to 1-2 hours, according to Laravel.
  • In reality, things break. Especially, third-party packages can’t keep up with the tight upgrade schedule of Laravel.
  • An example is when upgrading from Laravel 6 to Laravel 7. Laravel 7 supports PHP8, while some first-party packages like Telescope version 3.* only work with PHP7. And some third-party packages only work with Laravel 7 and with PHP8. This makes the hopping from version to version very hard.
  • Even first party packages phase out quickly. The required substitute is not always the best. For example Laravel Breeze instead of the laravel/ui package.

This is not sustainable for an indie or sole entrepreneur.

It is also probably one of the reasons that this Laravel developer estimates that more than 60% of Laravel sites run a version that is older than 2 years.

Everything running with subfunctionalities that change.

E.g. compiling your stylesheets needs to happen with: Gulp/Elixir in 2015, then with Mix, now with Laravel Vite.

When running npm run, it usually gives an error that you need to debug.

I see the point, Laravel is still fun for big projects and organizations.

And yes, for most projects it is probably still easier to build on a great boilerplate, than the start from scratch.

But for small organizations that have little developers, it is pretty tough to update everything.

Is Laravel Shift the solution?

Laravel Shift could help, but with a price of $29 per upgrade, this is not too expensive if you take expensive western business programming prices into account.

For less developed countries and people that have less financial resources, upgrading an app a few versions to the newest Laravel version can easily cost a few hundred dollars.

The awesome of Laravel

I don’t want to let this article sound too negative.

It is just a desire for Laravel users and developers to perhaps start a brainstorm if there is a way to keep the core less variable or more resilient to future PHP-upgrades, that would hopefully result in more up-to-date sites with the latest PHP (and Laravel) version.

Anyway, I do not see the perfect solution. I understand that a web app takes some care.

Perhaps an easier long-term support (LTS) version that doesn’t break every half year with more robust core functionalities.

Just to recap, there are many pros about Laravel:

  • Less spaghetti-code
  • Great structure
  • So much options and first party packages. Like Vapor for serverless, Cashier for billing, etc.
  • Large community

Have any other suggestions? Don’t hesitate to dropping them in the comment.

Setting a Cookie on a Subdomain from an AJAX Request with PHP

Cross-domain requests have always been a challenging aspect of web development. When it comes to sending AJAX requests from a subdomain to another subdomain, managing cookies can be even more complex. However, with the right techniques and configurations, it’s possible to set cookies on subdomains securely and efficiently. In this article, we’ll explore how to achieve this using PHP, while ensuring proper security measures are in place.

Understanding the Cross-Domain Cookie Challenge

Cross-domain requests can pose a security risk, as they might allow malicious websites to access sensitive data. To mitigate this risk, web browsers enforce a security mechanism known as the “Same-Origin Policy.” This policy restricts web pages from making requests to a domain that is different from the one that served the web page. However, there are legitimate use cases where cross-domain requests are necessary.

In this scenario, we want to set a cookie on a subdomain (e.g., app.yourdomain.com) from an AJAX request originating from another subdomain (e.g., www.yourdomain.com). To achieve this, we need to configure both the server-side and client-side components correctly.

Server-Side Configuration with PHP

On the server side, we need to handle incoming requests and respond with the appropriate headers to allow cross-origin requests and cookie setting. Here’s a PHP code snippet that demonstrates the necessary server-side configuration:

<?php // Enable CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing) to allow requests from other domains.
header('Access-Control-Allow-Credentials: true');
header('Access-Control-Allow-Origin: https://www.yourdomain.com');
// Replace with your domain. // Set the cookie on the subdomain.
$cookieName = 'myCookie'; 
$cookieValue = 'Hello from the subdomain!';
$cookieDomain = '.yourdomain.com'; 
// Notice the leading dot for subdomains.
$cookiePath= '/';
$cookieSecure = true;
// Set to true if using HTTPS.
$cookieHttpOnly = true; // Improve security by preventing JavaScript access.
setcookie($cookieName, $cookieValue, 0, $cookiePath, $cookieDomain, $cookieSecure, $cookieHttpOnly);
// Return a response to the AJAX request.
echo 'Cookie set on subdomain!';

This PHP code snippet does the following:

  1. Enables CORS by setting appropriate headers to allow cross-origin requests.
  2. Sets a cookie with the specified name, value, and configuration.
  3. Responds with a message to confirm that the cookie has been set.

Client-Side Configuration with JavaScript/jQuery

On the client side, you must configure your AJAX request to handle credentials and cross-origin requests properly. Below are two examples: one using jQuery and the other using the Fetch API.

Using jQuery:

$.ajax({ url: 'https://app.yourdomain.com/api.php', 
// Replace with your subdomain API URL.
xhrFields: { 
withCredentials: true // Allow cookies in cross-origin requests. 
},
success: function(response) { console.log(response); // Output: "Cookie set on subdomain!" } });

Using the Fetch API:

fetch('https://app.yourdomain.com/api.php', { credentials: "include" }) .then(response => response.text()) .then(data => {console.log(data); });

In both examples, the key is to include the withCredentials option in your AJAX request configuration. This tells the browser to include any cookies associated with the subdomain when making the request.

Security Considerations

When working with cookies and cross-origin requests, security should be a top priority. Here are some security considerations to keep in mind:

  1. Secure Communication: Ensure that your subdomain uses HTTPS to encrypt data in transit.
  2. HTTP-Only Cookies: Set the HttpOnly flag on cookies to prevent client-side JavaScript access, which can help mitigate XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) attacks.
  3. Domain Scope: Be cautious when setting cookies at a broad domain scope (e.g., .yourdomain.com). Only do this if necessary, as it can expose cookies to other subdomains.
  4. Access Control: Restrict the origins allowed to access your subdomain using the Access-Control-Allow-Origin header.
  5. Authentication and Authorization: Implement proper authentication and authorization mechanisms to ensure that sensitive data is not exposed to unauthorized parties.

By following these best practices, you can safely set cookies on subdomains from AJAX requests, allowing your web applications to work seamlessly while maintaining security.

Laravel Upgrade to PHP 8.1: Attribute value must be of type bool for selected attribute, array given: Laravel Upgrade to PHP 8.1

When upgrading Laravel to PHP 8.1, you could receive the following notice:

Attribute value must be of type bool for selected attribute, array given

The reason:

This should likely be in your theme or Eloquent code. Try adding a new simple temporary route in routes/web.php:

Route::get('/test', function() { return "hi"; });

When opening /test it should probably be working.

That is why it could be something in your theme. Navigate to your blade theme.

Strangely enough, this already seems to be happening before the blade theme when we are doing an Eloquent request, like:

Route::get('/test', function() { return Page::all(); });

Strangely enough, using Laravel 9 with PHP 8.0 instead of PHP 8.1 seems to remove the error.

Does anybody have had this problem as well and know how to fix this?

How To Fix The macOS Grey Folder With Question Mark Shown On Startup?

What Apple says itself on this error:

A folder with a flashing question mark means that your startup disk is no longer available or doesn’t contain a working Mac operating system.

Apple

Apple then shows instructions to use Disk Utility and/or Reinstall macOS (don’t forget to backup before of course).

For me this was not sufficient. On Reddit there are various causes and solutions. Like:

  • Reset NVRAM / PRAM
  • Booting with the option key to select the proper booting hard drive
  • Your Harddisk connection cable is broken. Older MacBooks like the ones before 2012 sometimes have separate connections cables the can be replaced (by an expert or yourself if you’re confident enough – risk of breaking things of course). For newer ones the Logic Board might need to be replaced.
  • Your harddisk is broken / corrupt. For some models like MBP’s of around 2015 and earlier you can let them replace / replace then yourself (if you’re handy enough).

What I did: resetting the NVRAM to get it working again (temporarily)

Reset the NVRAM / PRAM. On older MacBooks this is holding Option + Command + P + R when pressing the power key. Newer Mac Computers don’t have this.

For me it made my computer working for a while.

Then, after a while it turned off again and showed again the question mark folder on startup.

And then, workaround with option key (temporarily)

After that, I tried to check if I can select a boot drive by starting the Mac by pressing the Power button and holding the Option Key. Fortunately, the disk was still found. When selecting it, the laptop booted MacOS again. When switching it off, it booted again without the option key. It seemed like the problem was solved.

Still problems, getting a Panic Error:

After a while the laptop switched off again automatically. When turning on, I received an error like:

panic(cpu 0 caller xxx): AppleAHCIDiskQueueManager::setPowerState(yyy : zzz, aaa -> 0) timed out after bbb ms ...

What I did then:

Various solutions are given on the Apple Forum.

  • Deleting some recent large files, likely that it caused nothing.
  • Installed a recent Software Update
  • Disabled Power Nap.

Unfortunately, all these solutions did not work for me.

How I got it working again:

I screwed open my MacBook, and checked if the SSD was still connected well. You can only do this for older MacBooks. And only do this if you are handy enough. For example check this guide for a 2015 MBP Retina 13″. I found out that a screw under the SSD was loose that perhaps could have made contact with the SSD. When tightening this screw and connecting everything again, the MacBook seemed to work again without warning.

Other possibilities

Fortunately, this worked for me, but it is likely that the reason for showing the question mark in other cases is different.

It could also be the hard drive cable (for even older MacBook that have a loose hard drive cable). See Reddit.

Use these instruction at your own responsibility of course. You might damage your hardware or yourself.

Laravel Tinker remove history

Do you want to remove the Laravel Tinker history when you are in a Laravel Tinker session with

php artisan tinker

You can then run the command:

>>> history --clear

Within Laravel Tinker.

Method 2 to remove Tinker History

There are also traces left behind in the following folder

~/.config/psysh

The file is called psysh_history

If you remove it, you will also remove the Laravel Tinker history of other Laravel instances on your server of Homestead environment. Be aware of this.

Laravel Homestead: Vagrant SSH authentication failure

Sometimes when commanding vagrant up, you can receive this error:

==> homestead: Waiting for machine to boot. This may take a few minutes...
    homestead: SSH address: 127.0.0.1:2222
    homestead: SSH username: vagrant
    homestead: SSH auth method: private key
    homestead: Warning: Connection reset. Retrying...
    homestead: Warning: Authentication failure. Retrying...
    homestead: Warning: Authentication failure. Retrying...
    homestead: Warning: Authentication failure. Retrying...

You can cancel this by entering CTRL+C on a Mac.

One of the ways that seems to help is doing:

vagrant ssh-config

Then, you will see the location of the IdentityFile. For example:

 IdentityFile /Users/YOURNAME/Homestead/.vagrant/machines/homestead/virtualbox/private_key

You can temporarily move/backup this file. When doing a vagrant up or vagrant provision –reload, the private key will be regenerated. And it probably would work again.

Other method

You can connect directly temporarily with:

ssh vagrant@localhost -p 2222

You can then reinsert the contents of this file:

ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAABIwAAAQEA6NF8iallvQVp22WDkTkyrtvp9eWW6A8YVr+kz4TjGYe7gHzIw+niNltGEFHzD8+v1I2YJ6oXevct1YeS0o9HZyN1Q9qgCgzUFtdOKLv6IedplqoPkcmF0aYet2PkEDo3MlTBckFXPITAMzF8dJSIFo9D8HfdOV0IAdx4O7PtixWKn5y2hMNG0zQPyUecp4pzC6kivAIhyfHilFR61RGL+GPXQ2MWZWFYbAGjyiYJnAmCP3NOTd0jMZEnDkbUvxhMmBYSdETk1rRgm+R4LOzFUGaHqHDLKLX+FIPKcF96hrucXzcWyLbIbEgE98OHlnVYCzRdK8jlqm8tehUc9c9WhQ== vagrant insecure public key

in the file ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

Thanks to this answer: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/22922891/vagrant-ssh-authentication-failure. You can also find more possible solutions here.

Use it all at your own risk.

Laravel Homestead: 502 Bad Gateway after update

When updating Laravel Homestead to a newer version, in some case, there can be a Nginx 502 Bad Gateway error.

You can solve this by:

  1. Go to /var/log/nginx and view your test domain’s .log file.
  2. In our case we saw an error like:

    *10 connect() to unix:/var/run/php/php7.4-fpm.sock failed (2: No such file or directory) while connecting to upstream.
  3. In our case, just a restart of PHP was enough:

    sudo service php7.4-fpm restart

    Replace php7.4 with your PHP version.

This solved it for us.

Did you find another cause and solution? Let us know in the comments.

Laravel Homestead: cannot connect to MySQL database

If you would like to install / upgrade Laravel Homestead, you might encounter that you can not connect to the database anymore via a tool like Sequel Pro / TablePlus.

This can have various causes.

Cause 1. Sequel Pro does not support MySQL 8

Because Sequel Pro does not support MySQL 8, it can not show any databases. You can try to use another piece of software like TablePlus.

Cause 2. You have not enabled port forwarding for MySQL in the Homestead.yaml file

Since Laravel 8’s Homestead version MySQL is not forwarded by default anymore.

That is why you need to add the following code in your Homestead.yaml file.

ports:
    - send: 33060 # MySQL/MariaDB
      to: 3306

This also needs to be done for the following services that were previously standard enabled:

  • ngrok UI: 4040 → Forward To 4040
  • MySQL: 33060 → Forward To 3306
  • PostgreSQL: 54320 → Forward To 5432
  • MongoDB: 27017 → Forward To 27017
  • Mailhog: 8025 → Forward To 8025
  • Minio: 9600 → Forward To 9600
  • SSH: 2222 → Forward To 22

Did you solve this with other causes and solutions? Let us know in the comments

Restore old Homestead box in VirtualBox

Laravel comes with Homestead. When updating Laravel, you sometimes need to update Homestead as well.

What is missing in the upgrade guide of Laravel is to backup essential information from Homestead, like SSH-keys and database information.

Although, Homestead sites are meant to be complete with Laravel Migrations and Database Seeding, you still sometimes might have some relevant database data that you will like to access.

After updating / upgrading Homestead, the previous box is not available anymore.

Check Time Machine Backup

If you are on a Mac and use Time Machine, often old Homestead boxes are stored on your Mac.

Go to Finder => Your Home Directory => Virtual Box VMs. Then click in the top right corner on the Time Machine icon and click on “Activate Time Machine”.

Time Machine Restore Laravel Homestead

You can click on the homestead directory and the “Restore” button.

This will give a box that you can open with Virtualbox.

If you navigate in Finder to the Virtual VMs folder and to the imported old homestead box, you will find a file named: homestead.vbox or something like homestead-7.vbox . If you open this file with Virtualbox it will be imported.

You can then start the old Homestead box in Virtualbox itself. So not in terminal.

Starting the old Homestead Ubuntu Box

You do not need to open Homestead via the command line with “vagrant up”.

Just go to Virtualbox, start the instance and when the terminal screen pops up, you can login with:

username: virtualbox
password: virtualbox

If correct, you can now access the Ubuntu box and you should also be able to connect to the database.

Laravel Homestead restore old box Virtualbox

Note: this is only a guide to temporarily restore Homestead for backup purposes. Use at your own risk.

This guide was written for macOS.