Navigate Collections Easily in Laravel Using before() and after()

Laravel Collection's before() and after() methods allow you to retrieve items immediately before or after a given value. These methods simplify navigation through ordered collections without worrying about array indexes.

Imagine a ticket status workflow:

$statuses = collect([
    'Open',
    'Assigned',
    'In Progress',
    'Resolved',
    'Closed',
]);

Current status:

$current = 'In Progress';

Previous status:

$statuses->before($current);

Result:

Assigned

Next status:

$statuses->after($current);

Result:

Resolved

Using a Callback

You may also use a callback:

$users = collect([
    ['id' => 1, 'name' => 'John'],
    ['id' => 2, 'name' => 'Jane'],
    ['id' => 3, 'name' => 'Mike'],
]);
$users->after(fn ($user) => $user['id'] === 2);

Result:

[
    'id' => 3,
    'name' => 'Mike',
]

Why Use before() and after()?

They help you:

• Avoid manual array indexes
• Navigate workflows easily
• Build multi-step forms
• Handle previous and next records cleanly

When to Use Them

Use these methods for:

• Order statuses
• Workflow steps
• Navigation menus
• Multi-step processes
• Timeline events