Can't save meta with factory builder/seeder

[tmaly1980]

If I create a table seeder for a table that uses metable, the meta columns don't get translated into key/value pairs on the related table. For example:

In database/factories/ModelFactory.php:

$factory->define(App\Models\Business::class, function (Faker\Generator $faker) {
    return [
        'name' => $faker->company,
        'short_description' => $faker->text(rand(15,60)),
        'description' => $faker->text,
        // Meta
        'address' => $faker->streetAddress, 
        'city' => $faker->city, 
        'state' => $faker->stateAbbr, 
        'zip_code' => $faker->postcode, 

        'facebook_url' => $faker->url,
        'youtube_url' => $faker->url,
        'google_plus_url' => $faker->url,
        'twitter_url' => $faker->url,
    ];
});

If I were to call (via artisan tinker): factory(App\Models\Business::class,10)->create(), I get this error:

Illuminate\Database\QueryException with message 'SQLSTATE[42S22]: Column not found: 1054 Unknown column 'address' in 'field list' (SQL: insert into businesses (name, short_description, description, address, city, state, zip_code, facebook_url, youtube_url, google_plus_url, twitter_url, slug, updated_at, created_at) values (Donnelly Inc, Maxime et et sunt pariatur., Impedit autem voluptas necessitatibus blanditiis aut dolores. Est fugiat sunt quisquam. Cumque aut velit ut inventore., 9658 Hane Crest, Elmorestad, AR, 33942, http://www.wilderman.biz/ea-ullam-molestias-aut-quisquam-aspernatur, http://www.wuckert.org/, http://www.quitzon.net/, http://www.reilly.biz/assumenda-nam-iste-in-ea-laboriosam-dolorem-sapiente-fuga, donnelly-inc, 2017-01-26 16:59:25, 2017-01-26 16:59:25))'

What I have to do instead as a workaround, is setting the meta data into a separate factory definition:

$factory->define(App\Models\BusinessMeta::class, function (Faker\Generator $faker) {
    return [
        // Meta
        'address' => $faker->streetAddress, 
        'city' => $faker->city, 
        'state' => $faker->stateAbbr, 
        'zip_code' => $faker->postcode, 

        'facebook_url' => $faker->url,
        'youtube_url' => $faker->url,
        'google_plus_url' => $faker->url,
        'twitter_url' => $faker->url,
    ];
});

And then calling:

factory(App\Models\Business::class,10)->create()->each(function ($business) { $business->setMeta(factory(App\Models\BusinessMeta::class)->make()->toArray()); $business->save(); });

If there's a way to make a direct call to factory()->create() work without the each(), it would make things simpler.

[eithed]

While I've had the same issue, I don't have separate *Meta classes - I've gotten around doing it this way:

SupplierFactory.php

<?php

use Faker\Generator as Faker;

$factory->define(App\Supplier::class, function (Faker $faker) {
	return [
    	'first_name' => $faker->firstName,
        'last_name' => $faker->lastName,
        'email' => $faker->safeEmail,
        'password' => $faker->password,
        'telephone' => $faker->optional(0.5)->phoneNumber,
        'postcode' => $faker->optional(0.5)->postcode,
        'is_active' => 1,
    ];
});

SuppliersTableSeeder.php

<?php

use Illuminate\Database\Seeder;

class SuppliersTableSeeder extends Seeder
{
    /**
     * Run the database seeds.
     *
     * @return void
     */
    public function run()
    {
    	factory(App\Supplier::class, 50)->create()->each(function ($supplier) { 
    		$faker = Faker\Factory::create();

    		$company = $faker->company;

    		$supplier->setMeta([
		    	'short_name' => $company,
		        'long_name' => $company.' '.$faker->companySuffix
		    ]);

    		$supplier->save(); 
    	});
    }
}

As you can see, saving of metadata can't be done in the same step as creating given Model, but instead we have to utilize setMeta function and update the Model we have created.