whereIn() and orWhereIn()

The whereIn() method allows you to filter rows based on whether a column's value is found within a given list. It safely binds all values via prepared statements and rejects invalid input structures early.

Signature:

public function whereIn(string $column, array $values): self
public function orWhereIn(string $column, array $values): self

Basic Usage

Filter users by multiple IDs:

$db->whereIn('id', [1, 2, 3]);
$users = $db->get('users');

String Lists

Also works for string values:

$db->whereIn('status', ['active', 'pending']);
$results = $db->get('orders');

Empty Arrays Are Not Allowed

If an empty array is passed, an InvalidArgumentException is thrown. This prevents unnoticed logic errors and guarantees query integrity. 

$ids = [];
$db->whereIn('id', $ids); // ❌ Will throw an exception

To avoid this, always check the input beforehand:

if (!empty($ids)) {
    $db->whereIn('id', $ids);
}

orWhereIn()

Works exactly like whereIn() but uses an OR condition instead of AND. 

$db->where('status', 'archived');
$db->orWhereIn('type', ['internal', 'system']);

Allowed Input

  • [1, 2, 3] → ✅ valid integers
  • ['a', 'b', 'c'] → ✅ valid strings
  • [1, 'x'] → ⚠️ mixed types allowed, but discouraged
  • [] → ❌ empty → will throw exception
  • null or scalar → ❌ invalid, must be array

Security

All elements of the array are passed through internal validation and bound using prepared statements. Mixed-type arrays are accepted but discouraged to avoid logic ambiguity.

See Also