Trying to get value of checkbox from form to controller - php

Question

I'm trying to do something that allows me to upload photos when I check a checkbox control. I got the client side working correctly such that when the checkbox is checked the upload controls are displayed and the form validates correctly.
However, in my controller I need to take some action if my checkbox was checked (true) calling a certain method. If it isn't checked (false) I perform some other action.
In my html page I have the following:
<form action="/supplier/submit/plan" method="post" role="form" id="plan-form">
...
<input name="checkingPhotos" type="checkbox" id="chkPhotos" />
<label for="chkPhotos">I want to include photos in this plan.</label>
...
</form>
However, in my controller I just want to for now see if I get the correct value in my checkbox. For this I did something simple as:
public function submitPlan(Request $request)
{
$checkboxValue = $request->input('checkingPhotos');
dd($checkboxValue);
}
The result is null is printed whether I check the checkbox or not. My route also looks like this:
Route::post('/submit/plan', 'SupplierController#submitPlan');
Can someone please tell me what I am doing wrong here? I just want to see the value 1 / True or 0 / False in my controller method.

Answer 1

Value
The real issue is that you don't have a value for your check box. Add a value, and your problem is solved. It should be:
<input name="checkingPhotos" type="checkbox" id="chkPhotos" value="1" />
[] creates an array
The answer Dylan Kas submitted about changeing the name to add [] works, but not for the reasons you think. Lets take a look:
<input name="checkingPhotos[]" type="checkbox" id="chkPhotos" />
Will pass in the post string:
checkingPhotos[]=On
Which, in PHP will automatically be turned into an array.
Refernce Frame Challenege
Why do you have a checkbox in the first place? Is the checkbox needed? Why not just check for the existence of the file.
$validated = $request->validate([
//... other fields here.
'image' => 'mime:png,gif,jpeg|max:10000' //set max to file size limit you want
]);
$plan = new SupplierPlan($validated);
if($request->has('image')){
$plan->image = $request->image->store();
}
$plan->save();
// ... flash message, return view or redirect

Answer 2

If it's a checkbox you should modify the name of your input to
<input name="checkingPhotos[]" type="checkbox" id="chkPhotos" />
Then you should be able to get the value as you want it with
$request->input('checkingPhotos');

Answer 3

It seems your problem is in your route, change it to
Route::post('/supplier/submit/plan', 'SupplierController#submitPlan');