Laravel eloquent model encoding json error - php

Question

I am getting a encoding error with eloquent and i don't understand how to fix it
this is the the error:
Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\JsonEncodingException: Error encoding model [App\Models\UserIp] with ID [] to JSON: Recursion detected in file
this is the the function :
/**
* #param string $ip the user ipaddress
* #param string $status failed or succeeded ?
* #param string $type the type of action performed
*
* #throws \JsonException
*/
function logUserIp(string $ip, string $status, string $type)
{
$user = UserIp::where('ip', '=', $ip)->where('user_id', '=', auth()->user()->id)->first();
$position = Location::get($ip);
if (null == $user && false !== $position) {
$ip = new UserIp();
$ip->user_id = auth()->user()->id;
$ip->ip = $ip;
$ip->country = $position->countryName;
$ip->country_code = $position->countryCode;
$ip->status = $status;
$ip->type = $type;
$ip->device = json_encode([
'platform' => Agent::platform(),
'browser' => Agent::browser(),
'user_agent' => \request()->server('HTTP_USER_AGENT')
], JSON_THROW_ON_ERROR);
$ip->save();
}
}

Answer 1

There error is occuring from this line:
$ip->ip = $ip;
You have a parameter named $ip in your function signature (string $ip) but you're then overriding that value later with $ip = new UserIp(), so $ip is no longer a string but is now an instance of UserIp.
Later in your code you then assign the new $ip of type UserIp to your $ip->ip property. You're basically assigning the $ip instance of UserIp to the ip property on itself. I assume you actually mean to be the original string $ip.
Change the name of your new UserIp() variable and you should be good.

Answer 2

I saw you fixed your problem, but let me give you some small tips about your code, see my code and compare it with yours:
/**
* #param string $ip the user ipaddress
* #param string $status failed or succeeded ?
* #param string $type the type of action performed
*
* #throws \JsonException
*/
public function logUserIp(string $ip, string $status, string $type): void
{
$user = auth()->user();
if ($position = Location::get($ip) &&
!$user->userIp()->where('ip', $ip)->exists()
) {
$userIp = new UserIp();
$userIp->ip = $ip;
$userIp->country = $position->countryName;
$userIp->country_code = $position->countryCode;
$userIp->status = $status;
$userIp->type = $type;
$userIp->device = [
'platform' => Agent::platform(),
'browser' => Agent::browser(),
'user_agent' => request()->server('HTTP_USER_AGENT')
];
$user->associate($userIp);
$user->save();
}
}
See how I changed the code. Also, for $userIp->device to save without the need of json_encode, you will have to add this to your UserIp model:
/**
* The attributes that should be cast.
*
* #var array
*/
protected $casts = [
'device' => 'array',
];
So you can later consume $userIp->device as an array, no need to do json_decode($userIp->device).
Also, related to $user->associate, read this.