Attempt to run PHP code inside JavaScript file fails (Laravel)

When attempting to run PHP code inside a JavaScript file in a Laravel application, you will encounter an error because JavaScript and PHP are two different programming languages that run in different environments. PHP is a server-side language, while JavaScript is a client-side language.

To understand why this attempt fails, let's first explore how these languages work together in a web application.

PHP is executed on the server-side, meaning that the code is run on the server before the response is sent to the client's browser. Once the PHP code is executed, the server sends the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files to the client's browser. The JavaScript code is then executed on the client-side, meaning that it runs in the user's web browser.

Attempting to run PHP code inside a JavaScript file is not possible because JavaScript does not have the ability to execute PHP code. PHP code requires a server environment to run, while JavaScript runs in the user's web browser.

Instead, you should use AJAX to communicate between the client and server to accomplish the desired functionality. AJAX allows you to send and receive data asynchronously between the client and server without requiring a full page refresh.

Here's an example of how to use AJAX to call a PHP script from JavaScript:

Create a new route in your routes/web.php file for the PHP script:

Route::get('/api/example', 'ExampleController@index');

Create a new controller ExampleController.php to handle the PHP logic:

namespace App\Http\Controllers;

use Illuminate\Http\Request;

class ExampleController extends Controller
{
    public function index()
    {
        $data = ['message' => 'Hello from PHP'];
        return response()->json($data);
    }
}

In your JavaScript file, use the fetch function to make an AJAX request to the PHP script:

fetch('/api/example')
    .then(response => response.json())
    .then(data => {
        console.log(data.message);
    });

This example demonstrates how to call a PHP script from JavaScript using AJAX. The PHP script returns a JSON response, which is then parsed and used in the JavaScript code.

By using AJAX, you can accomplish the desired functionality without attempting to run PHP code inside a JavaScript file.