auto-migrate-development

name: auto-migrate-development description: Work with Laravel Automatic Migrations, including model creation, schema management, and migration execution.

Laravel Automatic Migrations Development

When to use this skill

Use this skill when working with Laravel Automatic Migrations to create models with built-in schema definitions, run automatic migrations, or manage database schemas through model-based migrations.

Core Concepts

Laravel Automatic Migrations allows you to define database schema directly in your Eloquent models using a static migration method, eliminating the need for separate migration files for most use cases.

Available Commands

make:amodel

Create a new Eloquent model with automatic migration support.

Usage:

php artisan make:amodel {model_name} {options}

Options:

• --force: Overwrite existing model
• --no-factory: Skip factory creation
• --no-soft-delete: Skip soft delete trait and column
• --no-static-migration: Skip migration method generation

Example:

php artisan make:amodel BlogPost

migrate:auto

Execute automatic migrations based on model definitions.

Usage:

php artisan migrate:auto {options}

Options:

• --fresh: Wipe database before migrating
• --seed: Run database seeders after migration
• --force: Run migrations in production environment
• --info: Display additional information

Example:

php artisan migrate:auto --fresh --seed

migrate:auto-discover

Discover and list all models that support automatic migrations.

Usage:

php artisan migrate:auto-discover

Model Structure

Basic Model with Migration

<?php

namespace App\Models;

use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;
use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;

class Product extends Model
{
    public static function migration(Blueprint $table)
    {
        $table->id();
        $table->string('name');
        $table->text('description')->nullable();
        $table->decimal('price', 8, 2);
        $table->boolean('active')->default(true);
        $table->timestamps();
    }
}

Model with Migration Order Control

<?php

namespace App\Models;

use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;
use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\SoftDeletes;
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Factories\HasFactory;

class Category extends Model
{
    use HasFactory, SoftDeletes;
    
    public $migrationOrder = 1; // Run first
    
    public static function migration(Blueprint $table)
    {
        $table->id();
        $table->string('name');
        $table->string('slug')->unique();
        $table->text('description')->nullable();
        $table->timestamps();
        $table->softDeletes();
    }
}

Model with Factory Definition

<?php

namespace App\Models;

use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Factories\HasFactory;
use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
use Faker\Generator as Faker;

class Post extends Model
{
    use HasFactory;
    
    public static function migration(Blueprint $table)
    {
        $table->id();
        $table->string('title');
        $table->string('slug')->unique();
        $table->text('content');
        $table->foreignId('user_id')->constrained();
        $table->foreignId('category_id')->constrained();
        $table->timestamps();
    }
    
    public function definition(Faker $faker): array
    {
        return [
            'title' => $faker->sentence,
            'slug' => $faker->slug,
            'content' => $faker->paragraphs(3, true),
            'user_id' => User::factory(),
            'category_id' => Category::factory(),
            'created_at' => $faker->dateTimeThisMonth(),
        ];
    }
}

Migration Order Control

Use the $migrationOrder property to control the order of table creation, especially important for foreign key constraints:

class User extends Model
{
    public $migrationOrder = 1; // First
    
    public static function migration(Blueprint $table)
    {
        $table->id();
        $table->string('name');
        $table->string('email')->unique();
        $table->timestamps();
    }
}

class Post extends Model
{
    public $migrationOrder = 2; // Second (after User)
    
    public static function migration(Blueprint $table)
    {
        $table->id();
        $table->string('title');
        $table->foreignId('user_id')->constrained(); // References users table
        $table->timestamps();
    }
}

Best Practices

1. Use descriptive table names: The package automatically converts model names to table names (e.g., BlogPost becomes blog_posts)
2. Control migration order: Set $migrationOrder for models with foreign key relationships
3. Include timestamps: Always include timestamps() in your migration methods
4. Use nullable() wisely: Mark optional columns as nullable to avoid errors during migrations
5. Test migrations: Use migrate:auto-discover to verify that your models are being detected
6. Backup in production: Always backup production databases before running migrations

Working with Existing Migrations

The package works seamlessly with traditional Laravel migrations:

• Traditional migrations run first
• Automatic migrations run after traditional ones
• You can mix both approaches in the same project

Common Patterns

Soft Deletes

public static function migration(Blueprint $table)
{
    $table->id();
    $table->string('name');
    $table->timestamps();
    $table->softDeletes(); // Add this for soft delete support
}

Foreign Keys

public static function migration(Blueprint $table)
{
    $table->id();
    $table->string('title');
    $table->foreignId('user_id')->constrained()->cascadeOnDelete();
    $table->timestamps();
}

Indexes and Constraints

public static function migration(Blueprint $table)
{
    $table->id();
    $table->string('email')->unique();
    $table->string('name');
    $table->index('name'); // Additional index
    $table->timestamps();
}

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Foreign key constraint errors: Ensure proper migration order using $migrationOrder
2. Model not discovered: Verify your models extend the correct base Model class and are in the correct namespace
3. Schema changes not applying: Check that your migration method signature matches the expected format

Debugging

Use migrate:auto-discover to list all discoverable models and verify your models are being detected.

Use verbose output with migrations for detailed information:

php artisan migrate:auto --verbose