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The StoredWorkflowLog model records each activity execution within a workflow. Each log entry represents a single activity invocation with its result and timestamp.

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Database Table

Table: workflow_logs

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Model Attributes

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id
integer
required
Primary key for the log entry
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stored_workflow_id
integer
required
Foreign key reference to the parent workflow in the workflows table
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index
integer
required
Sequential index of this activity within the workflow execution. Combined with stored_workflow_id, this is unique.
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now
timestamp
required
The workflow’s logical timestamp when this activity was executed (microsecond precision)
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class
string
required
Fully qualified class name of the activity that was executed (e.g., App\Activities\SendEmail)
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result
string
Serialized result/output returned by the activity execution
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created_at
timestamp
required
Real-world timestamp when this log entry was created (microsecond precision)

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Special Behavior

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No updated_at Timestamp

This model does not use the updated_at timestamp: 
public const UPDATED_AT = null;
Log entries are immutable once created and are never updated.

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Relationships

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workflow()

While not explicitly defined in the model, you can access the parent workflow via: 
$log = StoredWorkflowLog::find($id);
$workflow = $log->workflow; // Implicit belongsTo relationship
This is an implicit BelongsTo relationship to StoredWorkflow.

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Querying Activity Logs

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Get all logs for a workflow

use Workflow\Models\StoredWorkflow;

$workflow = StoredWorkflow::find($workflowId);
$logs = $workflow->logs; // Ordered by ID

foreach ($logs as $log) {
    echo "[{$log->index}] {$log->class} executed at {$log->now}\n";
    if ($log->result) {
        $result = unserialize($log->result);
        echo "Result: " . json_encode($result) . "\n";
    }
}

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Find a specific log by index

$workflow = StoredWorkflow::find($workflowId);
$log = $workflow->findLogByIndex(3);

if ($log) {
    echo "Activity {$log->class} at index {$log->index}\n";
}

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Get logs for a specific activity class

use Workflow\Models\StoredWorkflowLog;

$emailLogs = StoredWorkflowLog::where('stored_workflow_id', $workflowId)
    ->where('class', 'App\\Activities\\SendEmail')
    ->orderBy('index')
    ->get();

foreach ($emailLogs as $log) {
    echo "Email sent at index {$log->index}\n";
}

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Get recent activity executions across all workflows

$recentLogs = StoredWorkflowLog::orderBy('created_at', 'desc')
    ->limit(100)
    ->get();

foreach ($recentLogs as $log) {
    echo "[Workflow {$log->stored_workflow_id}] {$log->class}\n";
}

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Count activities executed by workflow

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB;

$activityCounts = StoredWorkflowLog::select('stored_workflow_id', DB::raw('count(*) as activity_count'))
    ->groupBy('stored_workflow_id')
    ->orderBy('activity_count', 'desc')
    ->get();

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Get logs with their parent workflows

$logs = StoredWorkflowLog::with('workflow')
    ->where('class', 'App\\Activities\\SendEmail')
    ->get();

foreach ($logs as $log) {
    echo "Workflow {$log->workflow->class} executed {$log->class}\n";
}

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Understanding the Index

The index field is crucial for workflow execution:
  • Each activity invocation gets a unique index within its workflow
  • Indexes are sequential: 0, 1, 2, 3…
  • During replay, the workflow uses these indexes to determine which activities have already been executed
  • The combination of stored_workflow_id and index is unique (enforced by database constraint)
// Check if an activity at a specific index has been executed
$workflow = StoredWorkflow::find($workflowId);

if ($workflow->hasLogByIndex(5)) {
    $log = $workflow->findLogByIndex(5);
    echo "Activity at index 5 was {$log->class}\n";
} else {
    echo "Activity at index 5 has not been executed yet\n";
}

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Understanding Workflow Time

The now field represents the workflow’s logical time, not real-world time: 
$log = StoredWorkflowLog::find($id);

echo "Real-world time: {$log->created_at}\n";
echo "Workflow time: {$log->now}\n";
  • created_at - When the log was physically written to the database
  • now - The workflow’s internal logical timestamp
During workflow replay, the now value remains consistent, while created_at would change if the log were recreated.

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Configuration

The model class can be customized in config/workflows.php: 
'stored_workflow_log_model' => Workflow\Models\StoredWorkflowLog::class,

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Usage in Workflow Execution

Logs are automatically created by the workflow engine: 
// In your workflow class
public function execute($input)
{
    // This activity execution will create a log entry
    $result = yield Workflow::newActivity(SendEmailActivity::class, $input);
    
    // The log will contain:
    // - index: sequential number (e.g., 0)
    // - class: 'App\Activities\SendEmailActivity'
    // - result: serialized $result
    // - now: workflow's current logical time
    
    return $result;
}

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Debugging with Logs

Logs are invaluable for debugging workflow execution: 
use Workflow\Models\StoredWorkflow;

$workflow = StoredWorkflow::with('logs')->find($workflowId);

echo "Workflow {$workflow->id} executed {$workflow->logs->count()} activities:\n";

foreach ($workflow->logs as $log) {
    echo sprintf(
        "  [%d] %s at %s\n",
        $log->index,
        $log->class,
        $log->now->format('Y-m-d H:i:s.u')
    );
}

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See Also

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