How to Set the Default Value of a DATE Column to the Current Date in Laravel Migrations

Описание: Learn how to set the default value of a `DATE` column to the current date using Laravel migrations, including practical solutions and best practices.
---
This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/75873127/ asked by the user 'E. Galdamez' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/8653939/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/75874881/ provided by the user 'Khang Tran' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/11085413/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: How Can I Set the Default Value of a DATE Column to the Current date with Laravel Migrations?

Also, Content (except music) licensed under CC BY-SA https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/l...
The original Question post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license, and the original Answer post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license.

If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com.
---
Setting the Default Value of a DATE Column to the Current Date with Laravel Migrations

Laravel migrations are an essential part of building robust applications. They provide a way to define and manage your database schema over time. However, a common problem arises when developers want to set a default value for a DATE column to the current date. This guide will answer that question and guide you through the steps to resolve it effectively.

The Issue

You might have encountered the following issue when trying to create a migration with a DATE column where you want the default value to be the current date:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Each of these attempts may result in errors similar to:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This situation can be frustrating, so let's explore the solution.

The Solution

Understanding MySQL Limitations

First, it's crucial to understand that in MySQL, you cannot directly set a DATE column's default value to the current date using the syntax that you might expect. However, there is a workaround that involves using a TIMESTAMP field instead of a DATE field.

Changing the Column Type

Modify Your Migration: Change the column type from date to timestamp. This allows you to set the default to the current timestamp. Here’s how you can do it:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Update Your Model: To ensure that your request_date is correctly handled as a DATE, you can cast it in your model. Here's how to do that:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Benefits of This Approach

Flexibility: Using a timestamp gives you the flexibility to retrieve the time if needed in the future. This can be particularly useful if your application requirements evolve.

Simplicity: This method simplifies the migration syntax and avoids potential SQL errors related to default values.

Conclusion

In summary, setting the default value of a DATE column to the current date in Laravel migrations can be tricky due to MySQL limitations. By changing your column type to TIMESTAMP and using the useCurrent() method, you can successfully achieve your goal. Additionally, using casts in your model allows you to keep the data format you need. This approach not only solves the problem at hand but also prepares your application for future needs.

Follow these steps, and you should have no trouble setting up your DATE columns in Laravel migrations. If you have any more questions or need further assistance, feel free to reach out!