Tips and Best Practices

Performance Considerations

Add database indexes to frequently searched columns
Use exact matches when possible to avoid LIKE queries
Consider using Laravel Scout for full-text search on large datasets
Limit the number of searchable relationships to avoid N+1 queries

Handling Empty Search Values

The package automatically handles empty or null search values gracefully - they simply won't add any conditions to your query.

Combining with Other Query Methods

Since search() returns a query builder instance, you can chain any standard Eloquent methods:

$users = User::search($searchQuery, ['%name'])
    ->where('verified', true)
    ->orderBy('created_at', 'desc')
    ->with('country')
    ->paginate(15);

API Reference

`search($value, array $fields)`

Adds search conditions to the query.

Parameters:

$value (mixed) - The search term or value
$fields (array) - Array of searchable fields with optional operators

Returns: Query builder instance for method chaining

`searchDate($value, array $fields, string $operator = '=')`

Adds date-based search conditions to the query.