Can't factory a model in Tinker

Trying to create a factory on a model in tinker (using command line in PHPStorm). I get the error:

 InvalidArgumentException  Source directory /tmp does not exist or is not a directory.

I tried the same operation (different model) on another project and no error. Everything worked.

I've found some info that this error is due to a permissions issue, but I don't understand why it works for one project but not the other. FWIW, both projects are only on my local machine and in the same directory (Herd).

What should I look for to resolve this issue?

Glukinho

8 months ago

Level 31

Show code you're running.

/tmp is default directory used by \Faker\Provider\File::file method; maybe you should specify a folder somewhere in factory.

earmsby

8 months ago

Level 6

Here's the code I was trying to run:

 \App\Models\LibraryItem::factory()->create()

I ran this in another project without getting the error

\App\Models\Venue::factory()->create()

It's almost as if one project is using the regular windows user and the other is using some different user. The only thing I can think of that might account for this is that I created the project with the Venue model via PowerShell but the one with the LibraryItem model (the project throwing the error) via the Herd interface. I assumed it was more or less the same, but perhaps that's not the case.

Since I only just started to work on the "LibraryItem" project, I may delete the whole thing and try creating it the same way as the other one to see if that solves the issue.

Glukinho

8 months ago

Level 31

@earmsby do you have database/factories/LibraryItemFactory.php? Can you show?

earmsby

8 months ago

Level 6

I just deleted the project and created it again, this time using PowerShell instead of Herd and now there's no error when I factory a user model. So, maybe creating a new project via Herd uses some other settings that caused this issue.

LaryAI

8 months ago

Level 58

The error:

InvalidArgumentException  Source directory /tmp does not exist or is not a directory.

indicates that Laravel (or one of its dependencies) is trying to access the /tmp directory, but it either doesn't exist or your PHP process doesn't have permission to use it.

Why does it happen in one project but not the other?

Different projects may use different PHP versions or configurations.
One project may have a different .env or cache state.
File/directory permissions may differ between projects.

How to resolve:

Check if /tmp exists:

In your terminal, run:
```
ls -ld /tmp
```
If it does not exist, create it:
```
sudo mkdir /tmp
sudo chmod 1777 /tmp
```
Check permissions: The /tmp directory should be world-writable and have the sticky bit set (mode 1777). If not, fix it:
```
sudo chmod 1777 /tmp
```
Check PHP configuration: Run:
```
php -i | grep 'sys_temp_dir'
```
If sys_temp_dir is set to a non-existent directory, either create that directory or update your php.ini to point to a valid one.

Check your project’s cache: Sometimes, cached files can cause issues. Clear Laravel’s caches:

php artisan config:clear
php artisan cache:clear
php artisan view:clear
php artisan route:clear

Check for custom factory paths: If you have customized your factory paths or are using packages that do, ensure those directories exist and are writable.
Restart your terminal/IDE: Sometimes, especially when using PHPStorm or Herd, restarting your IDE or terminal can help reload environment variables and permissions.

Summary:
This is almost always a system-level issue with the /tmp directory. Ensuring it exists and has the correct permissions should resolve the error.

Example Fix:

sudo mkdir -p /tmp
sudo chmod 1777 /tmp

After this, try running your factory command in Tinker again:

php artisan tinker
>>> \App\Models\YourModel::factory()->create();

If the error persists, double-check your PHP configuration and project-specific settings.

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