What is the use of Route Name?

@alpha To give it a friendly name to refer to it, that's all.

Names Routes for use with things like the URL Helper Method.

Named routes allow you to conveniently generate URLs or redirects for a specific route. You may specify a name for a route using the as array key when defining the route:

Route::get('user/profile', ['as' => 'profile', function () {
    //
}]);

You may also specify route names for controller actions:

Route::get('user/profile', [
    'as' => 'profile', 'uses' => 'UserController@showProfile'
]);

So you can do things like:

Assigning it to a variable.

$url = route('profile');

When opening forms so it knows what route to POST to:

{!! Form::open('method' => 'POST', ['route' => 'profile']) !!}

This will generate a full link to the route http://yourdomain.dev/profile

{{ link_to_route('profile') !!}

For instance:

get('/admin/dashboard',                 ['as' => 'backend.dashboard',              'uses' => 'BackendController@dashboard']);

The route itself can change.

get('/cms/dashboard',                 ['as' => 'backend.dashboard',              'uses' => 'BackendController@dashboard']);

In either case.. if you use the named route to create a link in your templates, then you would not have to change it. It als helps as a shortcut, to remember better.

route('backend.dashboard');

also to make it easier to change the uri should the need arise in the future so you don't have to go seek and find threw the views and controllers.

@mstnorris Thank you for the crystal clear explanation, Got it now

but what is the difference between

Route::get('articles',  ['as' => 'foo', 'uses' => 'ArticlesController@index']);

• and

Rotue::get('articles', ['uses' => 'ArticlesController@index', 'as' => 'foo']);

and thanks everyone for the ansers ~

@alpha nothing, personal preference. From what I have seen though, people usually put the name before the controller.

@alpha as @Kryptonit3 says, nothing but I think it is more readable in your first example, like so:

Route::get('articles',  ['as' => 'foo', 'uses' => 'ArticlesController@index']);

Read as: "A GET request made to "articles" is referred to by "foo" uses ArticlesController@index.

@mstnorris ahh, very clear :D thanks alot