Laravel - how to calculate the sum of objects in an array in blade view
Stefan Bogdanescu
Founder & Senior Architect · 2026-06-29
# Laravel: How to Calculate the Sum of Objects in an Array in a Blade View
When working with dynamic data in Laravel, especially when iterating over collections in a Blade view, developers frequently run into challenges regarding variable scope and aggregation. The scenario you describedâtrying to calculate a sum inside a `@foreach` loop to display a totalâis a very common requirement. However, the way you attempted it led to an error because of how PHP variables are scoped within Blade directives.
As a senior developer, I can tell you that while you *can* force calculations inside the view layer, the most robust and performant solution always involves shifting the heavy lifting to the backend (the Controller or Eloquent model). This approach keeps your views clean, improves performance, and adheres to Laravel's philosophy of separating concerns.
Letâs break down why your initial attempt failed and explore the correct ways to achieve this summation in a Laravel application.
### The Pitfall: Understanding Blade Scope
Your attempt using `@php($total += $option->pivot->price)` inside the loop resulted in an "Undefined variable: total" error. This happens because variables defined within the scope of a specific iteration (like `$total` inside the loop) are often not automatically accessible or correctly persisted outside that loop's context when trying to reference them directly afterward, especially if they aren't explicitly initialized in a way Blade expects for global state manipulation.
While using `@php` allows you to execute raw PHP code within Blade, it is generally better reserved for simple calculations or data preparation within the view itself, not complex aggregation that should be handled by the data layer.
### Solution 1: Aggregation in the Controller (The Best Practice)
The most idiomatic and efficient way to calculate a sum before rendering is to perform the aggregation in your controller method. This ensures that only the final, calculated result is passed to the view, keeping the Blade file purely responsible for presentation.
If you are fetching transactions, you can use Laravel's Eloquent capabilities to aggregate the data directly. For example, if you have a collection of related options, you can use the `sum()` method on the relationship results.
**Example Controller Logic:**
```php
// In your TransactionController.php
public function show(Transaction $transaction)
{
// Assuming 'options' is a relationship that returns pivot data
$totalPrice = $transaction->options->sum(function ($option) {
return $option->pivot->price;
});
return view('transactions.show', compact('transaction', 'totalPrice'));
}
```
**Example Blade View:**
With the total calculated in the controller, your Blade file becomes incredibly clean and efficient:
```blade