Update a model relationship "eloquently" ->associate() doesn't work

I'm trying to figure out a better way to do this. I've tried associate() and associate()->sync and a few other methods found through google.

I am handling an event where we are listening and updating the user's role from unverified to registered after they verify email.

The $event->user is a ````User::class``` model and is loaded.

$role_id = Role::query()->where('auth_code', 'registered')->firstOrFail()->id;

$event->user->role_id = $role_id;

$event->user->update();

LaryAI

1 year ago

Best Answer

Level 58

To update a user's role in an Eloquent model relationship, you can indeed use the associate() method, but it's typically used for belongsTo relationships. If your User model has a role relationship defined as a belongsTo relationship, you can use associate() to update the role. Here's how you can do it:

First, ensure your User model has a role relationship defined:

class User extends Model
{
    public function role()
    {
        return $this->belongsTo(Role::class);
    }
}

Then, you can update the user's role using associate() like this:

$role = Role::query()->where('auth_code', 'registered')->firstOrFail();

$event->user->role()->associate($role);

$event->user->save();

This approach uses the associate() method to set the relationship and then calls save() on the user model to persist the change to the database.

If your relationship is set up correctly, this should work seamlessly. If you encounter issues, ensure that your database schema supports the relationship (i.e., the users table has a role_id column).

1 like

Snapey

1 year ago

Level 122

Simplest

$event->user->update(['role_id', $role]);

most eloquent

$event->user->role()->attach($role);

1 like

Batman55

1 year ago

Level 32

@Snapey I did try attach and had trouble with it.

Call to undefined method Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Relations\BelongsTo::attach()

I ended up restarting and was able to get associate() to work. Several things got wonky for some reason.

$role = Role::query()->where('auth_code', 'registered')->firstOrFail();
$event->user->role()->associate($role);
$event->user->save();

JussiMannisto

1 year ago

Level 50

@batman55 I think what @snapey meant to write was:

$event->user->update(['role_id' => $role->id]);

You can't use attach() because that's for many-to-many relations and role is a belongs-to relation. You can use associate() instead, but you already figured that out. You can chain the save() call to avoid code duplication:

$event->user->role()->associate($role)->save();

1 like

Batman55

1 year ago

Level 32

@JussiMannisto Thank you for that clarification.

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