How to Set Default Timestamps and Auto-Update Timestamps in Laravel Migrations?

Setting Current Timestamps as Default for Timestamp Columns in Laravel Migrations

Q: How can I configure a timestamp column in Laravel Migrations to default to the current timestamp with the option to update itself upon value change?

A: Laravel's Schema Builder provides a simple method to achieve this:

$table->timestamp('created_at')->default(DB::raw('CURRENT_TIMESTAMP'));
$table->timestamp('updated_at')->default(DB::raw('CURRENT_TIMESTAMP ON UPDATE CURRENT_TIMESTAMP'));

DB::raw is used to create a raw expression, allowing us to set CURRENT_TIMESTAMP as the default. This solution works effectively across various database drivers.

Enhancements in Laravel:

• useCurrent() (available from Laravel 5.1.25): Simplifies the default value setting to the current timestamp, replacing DB::raw('CURRENT_TIMESTAMP').

$table->timestamp('created_at')->useCurrent();

• useCurrentOnUpdate() (available from Laravel 8.36.0): Adds the ability to update the timestamp upon value change alongside useCurrent().

$table->timestamp('updated_at')->useCurrent()->useCurrentOnUpdate();

Cautions:

MySQL (5.7 and above):

Ensure to assign a valid default value to timestamp columns to avoid potential issues with invalid dates (e.g., 0000-00-00 00:00:00). Use useCurrent() or make the columns nullable.

PostgreSQL with Laravel 4.x:

• The default precision of timestamp columns can lead to unexpected behavior.
• Use CURRENT_TIMESTAMP(0) or update to Laravel 5.0 to use a default precision of zero and avoid these issues.

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