all columns nullable vs. disable ConvertEmptyStringsToNull

If you want to make it possible to auto-save a model periodically even though the user has not entered any data at all into any fields, you have little choice but to make everything nullable.

Otherwise, you have to define the logic that determines when the model is auto-saved, skipping the save if required fields are empty.

Hi, Thanks for helping out here.

Actually, it is quite inspired by the way wordpress does it. So, when you hit the "Create"-Button a new entry is pushed into the database with the status "auto-save".

Then every 60 seconds the content is checked for being changed, if this is the case, the status is updated to "draft" (when it was auto-save before) and also the content field is updated. That's it.

Actually, works pretty well, the only thing that is worrying me is to make all columns to nullable just to have one model that can be used for auto-saving, like

        Schema::create('posts', function (Blueprint $table) {
            $table->id();
            $table->unsignedBigInteger('site_id')->index();
            $table->unsignedBigInteger('draft_id')->nullable()->index();
            $table->string('title')->nullable();
            $table->string('slug')->nullable()->index();
            $table->string('status')->default('draft');
            $table->longText('content')->nullable();
            $table->text('excerpt')->nullable();
            $table->string('headline')->nullable();
            $table->string('keyword')->nullable();
            $table->boolean('featured')->default(false);
            $table->boolean('show_title')->default(true);
            $table->string('image')->nullable();
            $table->text('meta_description')->nullable();
            $table->string('meta_title')->nullable();
            $table->string('meta_robots')->nullable();
            $table->bigInteger('order')->default(0);
            $table->text('scripts')->nullable();
            $table->timestamps();
            $table->timestamp('published_at')->nullable()->useCurrent();

            $table->index(['site_id', 'slug']);
            $table->foreign('site_id')->references('id')->on('sites')->onDelete('cascade');
            $table->foreign('draft_id')->references('id')->on('posts')->onDelete('cascade');
        });

I mean, it is not the end of the world to have these fields not nullable:

            $table->string('title')->nullable();
            $table->string('slug')->nullable()->index();

But it seems like, as you said, I don't really have a choice then, unless I don't want to disable the Middleware.

Okay, as always, just after you asked your question you stumble across something, so let's say we have a Post table as mentioned:

        Schema::create('posts', function (Blueprint $table) {
            $table->id();
            $table->unsignedBigInteger('site_id')->index();
            $table->unsignedBigInteger('draft_id')->nullable()->index();
            $table->string('title');
            $table->string('slug')->nullable()->index();
            $table->string('status')->default('draft');
            $table->longText('content')->nullable();

            $table->unique(['site_id', 'slug']);
            $table->foreign('site_id')->references('id')->on('sites')->onDelete('cascade');
            $table->foreign('draft_id')->references('id')->on('posts')->onDelete('cascade');
        });

Then to save an empty string (which will just be empty for a very short time until the user has put in something), the workaround is as simple as:

    public function setTitleAttribute($value)
    {
        $this->attributes['title'] = is_null($value) ? '' : $value;
    }

Having the slug column to be NULL is also in line with the excellent Sluggable package (https://github.com/cviebrock/eloquent-sluggable), and also helps to be able to do the following:

$table->unique(['site_id', 'slug']);

Because if we add empty strings to the slug column (instead of NULL), the database will freak again out, if you want to add a model that has an empty slug.

Well, well....