Php versions – Trying to access array offset on value of type null when using RefreshDatabase in Laravel

I am writing tests in a fresh installation of Laravel 6.15 (with Spark 9). My PHP version is PHP 7.4.2. My testing environment is Laravel Valet on MacOS.

I am facing an issue where whenever I use the RefreshDatabase trait as part of a test, all tests fail with the trying to access array offset on value of type null error message.

From reading around the suggestion seems to be to downgrade to PHP 7.3 whenever this error is encountered, however there is no mention in the official documentation that PHP 7.4 isn’t supported – is there any other way to resolve the error?

It triggers even if the trait is interested into the Laravel example test:

namespace TestsFeature;

use IlluminateFoundationTestingRefreshDatabase;
use TestsTestCase;

class ExampleTest extends TestCase
{

    Use RefreshDatabase;

    /**
     * A basic test example.
     *
     * @return void
     */
    public function testBasicTest()
    {
        $response = $this->get('/');

        $response->assertStatus(200);
    }
}

Gives

PHPUnit 8.5.2 by Sebastian Bergmann and contributors.

.EE                                                                 3 / 3 (100%)

Time: 212 ms, Memory: 22.00 MB

There were 2 errors:

1) TestsFeatureExampleTest::testBasicTest
ErrorException: Trying to access array offset on value of type null

/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/telescope/src/Watchers/QueryWatcher.php:46
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Events/Dispatcher.php:369
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Events/Dispatcher.php:218
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Database/Connection.php:833
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Database/Connection.php:687
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Database/Connection.php:640
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Database/Connection.php:338
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Database/Connection.php:309
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Database/Schema/Builder.php:75
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Database/Migrations/DatabaseMigrationRepository.php:169
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Database/Migrations/Migrator.php:590
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Database/Console/Migrations/MigrateCommand.php:91
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Database/Console/Migrations/MigrateCommand.php:63
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Container/BoundMethod.php:32
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Container/Util.php:36
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Container/BoundMethod.php:90
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Container/BoundMethod.php:34
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Container/Container.php:590
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Console/Command.php:134
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/symfony/console/Command/Command.php:255
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Console/Command.php:121
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/symfony/console/Application.php:1012
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/symfony/console/Application.php:272
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/symfony/console/Application.php:148
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Console/Application.php:93
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Console/Application.php:185
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Foundation/Console/Kernel.php:273
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Foundation/Testing/PendingCommand.php:139
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Foundation/Testing/PendingCommand.php:238
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Foundation/Testing/Concerns/InteractsWithConsole.php:56
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Foundation/Testing/RefreshDatabase.php:40
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Foundation/Testing/RefreshDatabase.php:17
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Foundation/Testing/TestCase.php:115
/Users/rory/sites/landlord/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Foundation/Testing/TestCase.php:82

phpunit.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<phpunit xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
         xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="./vendor/phpunit/phpunit/phpunit.xsd"
         backupGlobals="false"
         backupStaticAttributes="false"
         bootstrap="vendor/autoload.php"
         colors="true"
         convertErrorsToExceptions="true"
         convertNoticesToExceptions="true"
         convertWarningsToExceptions="true"
         processIsolation="false"
         stopOnFailure="false">
    <testsuites>
        <testsuite name="Unit">
            <directory suffix="Test.php">./tests/Unit</directory>
        </testsuite>

        <testsuite name="Feature">
            <directory suffix="Test.php">./tests/Feature</directory>
        </testsuite>
    </testsuites>
    <filter>
        <whitelist processUncoveredFilesFromWhitelist="true">
            <directory suffix=".php">./app</directory>
        </whitelist>
    </filter>
    <php>
        <server name="APP_ENV" value="testing"/>
        <server name="BCRYPT_ROUNDS" value="4"/>
        <server name="CACHE_DRIVER" value="array"/>
        <server name="DB_CONNECTION" value="sqlite"/>
        <server name="DB_DATABASE" value=":memory:"/>
        <server name="MAIL_DRIVER" value="array"/>
        <server name="QUEUE_CONNECTION" value="sync"/>
        <server name="SESSION_DRIVER" value="array"/>
    </php>
</phpunit>