PHP
Create or Update Eloquent Records with `updateOrCreate`
Discover Laravel's `updateOrCreate` method for Eloquent models, allowing you to elegantly insert a new record or update an existing one based on specified attributes.
<?php
namespace App\Http\Controllers;
use App\Models\User;
use Illuminate\Http\Request;
class UserController extends Controller
{
public function storeOrUpdate(Request $request)
{
// Define attributes to search by (unique identifier)
$matchingAttributes = [
'email' => $request->input('email'),
];
// Define attributes to update or create with
$otherAttributes = [
'name' => $request->input('name', 'Default Name'),
'password' => bcrypt($request->input('password', 'secret')),
];
// Attempt to find a user by email. If found, update. If not, create a new user.
$user = User::updateOrCreate(
$matchingAttributes,
$otherAttributes
);
if ($user->wasRecentlyCreated) {
return response()->json(['message' => 'User created successfully', 'user' => $user], 201);
} else {
return response()->json(['message' => 'User updated successfully', 'user' => $user], 200);
}
}
}
How it works: The `updateOrCreate` method is a powerful Eloquent feature that simplifies 'upsert' operations. It attempts to locate a record using the first array of attributes (`$matchingAttributes`). If a matching record is found, it updates that record with the attributes provided in the second array (`$otherAttributes`). If no record is found, a new one is created using a combination of both attribute arrays. This ensures idempotency and reduces boilerplate code for common create/update scenarios.