parse an excel file in php with laravel

parse.php

                    // Turn XLS file into an array
                    require_once 'bundles/laravel-phpexcel/PHPExcel/IOFactory.php';

                    $objPHPExcel = PHPExcel_IOFactory::load($file_path);
                    $rows = $objPHPExcel->getActiveSheet()->toArray(null,true,true,true);

                    // get the column names
                    $xls_fields = isset($rows[1]) ? $rows[1] : array();
                    if (! empty($xls_fields))
                        unset($rows[1]);

                    // xls returns $value = array('A' => 'value'); so you have to remove keys
                    $fields = array();
                    foreach ($xls_fields as $field) {
                        $fields[] = strtolower($field);
                    }

                    // find each column's position from available data set
                    $name_pos = array_search('name', $fields);
                    $first_pos = array_search('first', $fields);
                    $last_pos = array_search('last', $fields);
                    $email_pos = array_search('email', $fields);
                    $phone_pos = array_search('phone', $fields);
                    $address_1_pos = array_search('address 1', $fields);
                    $address_2_pos = array_search('address 2', $fields);
                    $city_pos = array_search('city', $fields);
                    $state_pos = array_search('state', $fields);
                    $zip_pos = array_search('zip', $fields);

                    $birthday_pos = array_search('birthday', $fields);

                    if ($birthday_pos === false)
                        $birthday_pos = array_search('birthdate', $fields);

                    foreach ($rows as $row) {
                        // remove keys again
                        $data = array();
                        foreach ($row as $key => $value) {
                            $data[] = $value;
                        }

                        // construct the name for contact out of 'name' or 'first' & 'last'
                        if ($name_pos !== false) {
                            $name = explode(' ', $data[$name_pos]);
                            $first = isset($name[0]) ? $name[0] : '';
                            $last = isset($name[1]) ? $name[1] : '';
                        } else {
                            $first = $data[$first_pos];
                            $last = $data[$last_pos];
                        }

                        // Only use birthday if exists
                        if ($birthday_pos !== false) {
                            $birthday = date('Y-m-d 00:00:00', strtotime($data[$birthday_pos]));
                        } else {
                            $birthday = '0000-00-00 00:00:00';
                        }

                        // fix birthdays 4/19/56 >> 4/19/2056 >> 4/19/1956
                        if (strtotime($birthday) > time()) {
                            $birthday = date('19y-m-d 00:00:00', strtotime($birthday));
                        }


                        // getting data read for insertion
                        $email = $data[$email_pos];
                        $phone = $data[$phone_pos];
                        $address_1 = $data[$address_1_pos];
                        $address_2 = $data[$address_2_pos];
                        $city = $data[$city_pos];
                        $state = $data[$state_pos];
                        $zip = $data[$zip_pos];


                        $contact = Contact::create(array(
                            'user_id' => $this->user_id,
                            'account_user_id' => $this->account_user_id,
                            'duel_id' => $this->duel_id,
                            'queue_id' => $this->id,
                            'dashboard_id' => 0,
                            'first' => $first != null ? $first : '',
                            'last' => $last != null ? $last : '',
                            'phone' => preg_replace("/[^0-9]/", "", $phone),
                            'email' => $email != null ? $email : '',
                            'address_1' => $address_1 != null ? $address_1 : '',
                            'address_2' => $address_2 != null ? $address_2 : '',
                            'city' => $city != null ? $city : '',
                            'province' => $state != null ? $state : '',
                            'zip' => $zip != null ? $zip : '',
                            'birthday' => $birthday != null && $birthday != 0 ? $birthday : '',
                        ));

                        DB::table('contact_dashboard')->insert(array(
                            'user_id' => $this->user_id,
                            'account_user_id' => $this->account_user_id,
                            'duel_id' => $this->duel_id,
                            'dashboard_id' => $this->dashboard_id,
                            'contact_id' => $contact->id
                        ));
                    }

                    $this->contact_count = count($rows);
                    unset($rows);
                    unset($objPHPExcel);