The tap() Helper for Fluent Code

The tap() helper allows you to perform operations on an object and return the object itself:

Without tap()

$user = User::create($request->validated());
$user->assignRole('member');
$user->sendWelcomeEmail();
return $user;

With tap()

return tap(User::create($request->validated()), function ($user) {
    $user->assignRole('member');
    $user->sendWelcomeEmail();
});

Even Shorter with Arrow Functions

return tap(User::create($request->validated()))
    ->assignRole('member')
    ->sendWelcomeEmail();

This is especially useful when you want to update and return a model in one line:

return tap($user)->update(['last_login' => now()]);