Mastering Controllers in Laravel: A Deeper Dive

public function saveBulkDraft(Request $request)
    {
        try {
            // Relaxed validation to handle string JSON and boolean strings from frontend
            $request->validate([
                'draft_id' => 'nullable|integer|exists:rfqs,id',
                'category_id' => 'required|integer|exists:item_categories,id',
                'require_attachment' => 'nullable',
                'selected_items' => 'required|string',
                'quantities' => 'required|string',
                'descriptions' => 'required|string',
                'require_attachment_items' => 'required|string',
            ]);

            // Decode JSON strings safely
            $selectedItems = json_decode($request->selected_items, true) ?? [];
            $quantities = json_decode($request->quantities, true) ?? [];
            $descriptions = json_decode($request->descriptions, true) ?? [];
            $reqAttachItems = json_decode($request->require_attachment_items, true) ?? [];

            // Validate decoded data
            if (! is_array($selectedItems) || ! is_array($quantities) || ! is_array($descriptions) || ! is_array($reqAttachItems)) {
                throw new \Exception('Invalid JSON data received');
            }

            // Validate selected items exist
            if (! empty($selectedItems)) {
                $validItems = Item::whereIn('id', $selectedItems)->pluck('id')->toArray();
                $invalid = array_diff($selectedItems, $validItems);
                if (! empty($invalid)) {
                    throw new \Exception('Invalid items selected: '.implode(', ', $invalid));
                }
            }

            $userId = auth()->id();

            // Get or create draft
            if ($request->draft_id) {
                $draft = Rfq::findOrFail($request->draft_id);

                if (Schema::hasColumn('rfqs', 'created_by') && $draft->created_by !== $userId) {
                    return response()->json(['error' => 'Unauthorized'], 403);
                }

                if (! $draft->is_draft) {
                    return response()->json(['error' => 'Not a draft'], 400);
                }
            } else {
                $draft = Rfq::create([
                    'order_id' => 'DRAFT-'.str_pad(mt_rand(0, 999999), 6, '0', STR_PAD_LEFT),
                    'order_date' => now(),
                    'expected_submission' => now()->addDay()->setTime(17, 0, 0),
                    'status' => 'draft',
                    'is_draft' => true,
                    'draft_expires_at' => now()->addDays(7),
                    'message' => 'Bulk order draft',
                    'require_attachment' => false,
                    'created_by' => Schema::hasColumn('rfqs', 'created_by') ? $userId : null,
                ]);
            }

            // Cast require_attachment safely
            $requireAttachment = filter_var($request->require_attachment, FILTER_VALIDATE_BOOLEAN);

            $draft->require_attachment = $requireAttachment;
            $draft->draft_expires_at = now()->addDays(7);
            $draft->save();

            // Pre-load item names
            $items = Item::whereIn('id', $selectedItems)->pluck('name', 'id');

            $attach = [];
            foreach ($selectedItems as $itemId) {
                $qty = max(1, (int) ($quantities[$itemId] ?? 1));
                $desc = trim($descriptions[$itemId] ?? '');
                $req = in_array((string) $itemId, $reqAttachItems) ? 1 : 0;

                $attach[$itemId] = [
                    'quantity' => $qty,
                    'specification' => $items[$itemId] ?? 'Unknown Item',
                    'kh_specification' => $desc ?: ($items[$itemId] ?? 'Unknown Item'),
                    'require_attachment' => $req,
                    'created_at' => now(),
                    'updated_at' => now(),
                ];
            }

            $draft->items()->sync($attach);

            return response()->json([
                'status' => 'saved',
                'draft_id' => $draft->id,
            ]);

        } catch (\Exception $e) {
            Log::error('saveBulkDraft failed', [
                'user_id' => auth()->id(),
                'input' => $request->all(),
                'error' => $e->getMessage(),
                'trace' => $e->getTraceAsString(),
            ]);

            return response()->json([
                'error' => 'Save failed: '.$e->getMessage(),
            ], 500);
        }
    }