Implement Non-Destructive Deletion with Eloquent Soft Deletes

// 1. Add 'deleted_at' column to your table via migration (example):
// Schema::table('posts', function (Blueprint $table) {
//     $table->softDeletes();
// });

// 2. In your App\Models\Post model:
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\SoftDeletes; // Add this line

class Post extends Model
{
    use SoftDeletes; // Use the trait

    // For Laravel 8+, the SoftDeletes trait automatically handles the 'deleted_at' column.
    // In older versions, you might need: protected $dates = ['deleted_at'];
}

// Usage:
$post = App\Models\Post::find(1);
if ($post) {
    $post->delete(); // This sets the 'deleted_at' timestamp, not remove the row.
    echo "Post ID 1 soft-deleted.
";
}

// Retrieve active posts (default behavior - soft-deleted items are excluded)
$activePosts = App\Models\Post::all();
echo "Active posts count: " . $activePosts->count() . "
";

// Retrieve all posts, including soft-deleted ones
$allPosts = App\Models\Post::withTrashed()->get();
echo "All posts (including trashed) count: " . $allPosts->count() . "
";

// Retrieve only soft-deleted posts
$trashedPosts = App\Models\Post::onlyTrashed()->get();
echo "Trashed posts count: " . $trashedPosts->count() . "
";

// Restore a soft-deleted post
$trashedPost = App\Models\Post::withTrashed()->find(1);
if ($trashedPost && $trashedPost->trashed()) {
    $trashedPost->restore();
    echo "Post ID 1 restored.
";
}

// Permanently delete a post (force delete) - BE CAREFUL!
$postToForceDelete = App\Models\Post::find(2); // Assuming post ID 2 exists
if ($postToForceDelete) {
    $postToForceDelete->forceDelete();
    echo "Post ID 2 permanently deleted.
";
}