Set default to NULL with laravel migration

Question

I am adding a field to a table in a migration that I wish to allow to be NULL but also I wish for it to default to NULL. What do I place in the default method? I fear that putting "NULL" in will attempt to place a string of NULLin which I obviously don't want. Please help :)

Schema::table('item_categories', function(Blueprint $table)
{
    $table->integer('parent_item_category_id')->unsigned()->nullable()->default($what_to_put here);
});

Littrell

Duplicated question with answers: https://mcmap.net/q/244449/-how-to-make-default-value-null-in-laravel – Unconformity

Answer 1

When you use the nullable() method on a field, that field will default to NULL.

$table->integer('parent_item_category_id')->nullable();

Littrell

If a field had a default value before and I try to apply a migration with the default value removed and the "nullable" method added, and then "change", it doesn't work. The default value from the first migration is kept. Just the "NOT NULL" definition gets removed. (With MySQL.) – Pita

"When you use the nullable() method on a field, that field will default to NULL." Does no longer seem to be true for Laravel 5.3 when the strict DB mode is enabled and you use a timestamp. You have to explicitly set the default value to null. – Visa

as an example : $table->string('email')->nullable(); – Brotherhood

Indeed as @JānisElmeris says, this won't work with change. I had to add a DB::statement() with a statement to alter the default to make this work. – Glaser

Is nullable followed by default redundant? Should it just be default alone? eg: $table->boolean('share_location')->nullable()->default(0); OR $table->boolean('share_location')->default(0); – Brigade

Answer 2

To make the column "nullable", you may use the nullable method:

$table->string('email')->nullable();

Fez

Answer 3

Keep in mind that a nullable field is not the same as the field having null as the default value. In for instance MySQL the default value will however be null if not explicit set.

If a nullable field was original created with another default value, creating a new migration only by passing ->nullable() will not change the default value. In such a case the default value must be set using ->default(null).

Virtuosic