Laravel set default value if request value is null - laravel

Question

I'm trying to set a default value to a laravel migration. I'm using SQLite.
When I try to insert a record with the field where a default value is assigned to, an error returns: SQL error or missing database (table customers has no column named country)
This is the migrationscript:
php
Schema::create('customers', function (Blueprint $table) {
$table->id();
$table->string('name');
$table->string('contact_person_first_name');
$table->string('contact_person_name');
$table->string('contact_person_email_address');
$table->string('address');
$table->string('zipCode');
$table->string('city');
$table->string('country')->default("BELGIË");
$table->string('vat_number')->default("BE");
$table->timestamps();
The controller:
* Store a newly created resource in storage.
*
* #param CreateCustomerRequest $request
* #return \Illuminate\Http\RedirectResponse
*/
public function store(CreateCustomerRequest $request)
{
Customer::create($request->validated());
return response()->redirectTo('/customers');
}
The request:
/**
* Get the validation rules that apply to the request.
*
* #return array
*/
public function rules()
{
return [
'name' => 'required|string|min:2|max:255',
'contact_person_first_name' => 'required|string|min:2|max:255',
'contact_person_name' => 'required|string|min:2|max:255',
'contact_person_email_address' => 'required|email',
'address' => 'required|string|min:2|max:255',
'zipCode' => 'required|string|min:4|max:10',
'city' => 'required|string|min:2|max:255',
'country' => 'nullable|string|min:2|max:255',
'vat_number' => 'nullable|min:12|max:12'
];
}
The sql script I want to execute:
Some screenshots from the database GUI

Answer 1

Another way: Define Mutators in the Model-Class.
With Mutators you can define, what is to set as database-value for a given value.
Look in Laravel/Docs/Eloquent/Mutators: https://laravel.com/docs/8.x/eloquent-mutators
In Customer.php add methods.
public function setCountryAttribute($value)
{
$this->attributes['country'] = $value ?? 'BELGIË';
}
public function setVatNumberAttribute($value)
{
$this->attributes['vat_number'] = $value ?? 'BE';
}

Answer 2

#Case 1: if input is null => store a default value
#Solution 1 - Set default value directly before saving
public function store(CreateCustomerRequest $request)
{
// Retrieve the validated input data...
$validated = $request->validated();
$validated['need_to_have_default_value'] = $validated['need_to_have_default_value'] ?? $defaultValue; // Replace $defaultValue with value that you want to set as default
Customer::create(validated );
#Solution 2 - Set default value in FormRequest => prepareForValidation()
if you are not familiar with laravel form request validation see this link: https://laravel.com/docs/8.x/validation#form-request-validation
/**
* Prepare the data for validation.
*
* #return void
*/
protected function prepareForValidation()
{
$this->merge([
'need_to_have_default_value' => $this->need_to_have_default_value ?? $defaultValue // Replace $defaultValue with value that you want to set as default
]);
}
#Case 2: if input is null => store null
For this case you just need to add nullable() to your migration.
$table->string('set_null_if_null')->nullable();
#Case 3: if input is not set/send => store default value
In this case, the default() will make sense; so it just need to add default() to your field in migration. like below:
$table->string('set_default_if_not_present')->default('any_default_value');
#Case 4: if input is not set/send => store null value
This case is duplicate of case 2
Hope help !

Answer 3

you have set a default value in database layer. but it is not nullable. this is causing the problem here. your request country is null and you are assigning that null value when creating new row. either you have to use nullable to insert null value or you have to set a value when creating.
for database
$table->string('country')->nullable()->default("BELGIË");
this is not a good solution for your case. so you can use something
Customer::create([
'name' => $request->name,
'country' => $request->country ?? 'BELGIË',
//other attributes
]);

Answer 4

I solved it by adding nullable in the migration and then check if value is null.
$customer = Customer::create($request->validated());
if ($customer->country == null) $customer->country= "BELGIË";
if ($customer->vat_number == null) $customer->vat_number= "BE";
$customer->save();
It's less work than putting every value in the create.

Answer 5

Try this if none of the above works
isset(request->requested_value)?requested_value:default_value

Answer 6

like use
public function rules()
{
$rules = [
'column_name' => ['required'], //boolean type
];
return $rules;
}//end of rul
protected function prepareForValidation()
{
$this->merge([
'column_name' => request()->has('column_name') ?? '0',
]);
}//end of fun