模型在Laravel 5

Question

I'm doing a web app here using Laravel + AngularJS and I have a question.Do I need a model for each table that I have in my database? There are 87 tables in my database and I need to query all of them according to with the input that the User wants.

I just want to make sure with all tables must have a model file or if just one is enough.

Answer 1

It depends on how you'd like to handle queries.

If you'd like to use Eloquent ORM, you need model classes to handle objects and relationships. That is a model for a table, except intermediate relationship tables, which may be accessed through pivot attribute.

Raw SQL queries are also supported. You don't really need model classes for them, as each result within the result array will be a PHP StdClass object. You need to write raw SQL though.

See Laravel documentation .

Answer 2

There are 2 ways by which you can access your DB tables:

1. Eloquent ORM (dependent on Models)
2. DB Facade Query Builder (independent on Models)

Former, is more clean and best approach to perform DB query and related task, whereas latter is not clean, and it is going to be difficult for you to manage large application, as you told there are 80+ tables in your application.

Also, if you're using Eloquent way, then it's also a better to have a base model, which will have common code which you can inherit in child models. Like if you want to store "user id" who did some DB changes, then in the boot function, you can write Auth::id() and assign that value to changed_by field on your table.

In DB Facade way, you've to hard code table name every time you're performing DB operation, and which leads to inconsistency when you found that you've to change the name of the table, it's a rare scenario still it'll be difficult to manage if in a file there are multiple tables DB operation going on. There are options like, creating a global table name variable which can be accessed to perform DB operation.

Conclusion: Yes, creating 80+ model for implementing Eloquent way is painful, but for a short term, as the application grows it will be easy for you to manage, it will be good for other developer if they start working on it, as it will give a overview of DB and it will improves code readability.