Simplify String Checks in Laravel with doesntContain

Need to check if a string doesn’t contain certain words? Laravel’s new doesntContain method for the Str helper makes this task a breeze! Let's explore how this simple yet useful feature works.

Using doesntContain

The doesntContain method is the opposite of contains, returning true when a string doesn't include specific content:

use Illuminate\Support\Str;

$str = 'My favorite food is Pizza';

// Single value check
$result = Str::doesntContain($str, 'Steak');  // true
$result = Str::doesntContain($str, 'Pizza');  // false

Multiple Value Checks

You can also check multiple values at once:

$result = Str::doesntContain($str, ['Steak', 'Spaghetti']);  // true
$result = Str::doesntContain($str, ['Steak', 'Spaghetti', 'Pizza']);  // false

Real-World Example

Here’s how you might use it in a content filtering system:

class ContentFilter
{
    protected array $bannedWords = ['spam', 'scam', 'free money'];

    public function isClean(string $content): bool
    {
        return Str::doesntContain(
            strtolower($content), 
            $this->bannedWords
        );
    }

    public function filterComment(Comment $comment)
    {
        if ($this->isClean($comment->content)) {
            $comment->approve();
        } else {
            $comment->markForReview();
        }
    }
}

The doesntContain method provides a clean, intuitive way to check for the absence of strings in your content. Whether you're filtering content, validating input, or processing text, this method makes your code more readable and maintainable.

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