The Model Attributes

The Model Attributes are used to define the table structure in the database.

The attributes are:

• TableAttribute: Used in the class level. Define that the Model is referencing a table in the database.
• FieldAttribute: Define the properties in the class that are fields in the database.

Example

#[TableAttribute(tableName: 'mytable')]
class MyModel
{
    #[FieldAttribute(primaryKey: true)]
    public ?int $id = null;

    #[FieldAttribute()]
    public ?string $name = null;

    #[FieldAttribute(fieldName: 'company_id')]
    public ?int $companyId = null;
    
    #[FieldAttribute(fieldName: 'created_at')]
    protected ?string $createdAt;
    
    #[FieldAttribute(fieldName: 'updated_at')]
    protected ?string $updatedAt;
    
    public function getCreatedAt(): ?string
    {
        return $this->createdAt;
    }
    
    public function setCreatedAt(?string $createdAt): void
    {
        $this->createdAt = $createdAt;
    }
    
    public function getUpdatedAt(): ?string
    {
        return $this->updatedAt;
    }
    
    public function setUpdatedAt(?string $updatedAt): void
    {
        $this->updatedAt = $updatedAt;
    }
}

In this example, we have a class MyModel with five properties: id, name, companyId, createdAt, and updatedAt.

• The id property is marked as a primary key.
• The name property is a simple field.
• The companyId property is a field with a different name in the database company_id.
• The same for createdAt and updatedAt. These properties are fields with a different name in the database created_at and updated_at.

Note: Specically for the createdAt and updatedAt properties, we have a getter and setter. See common traits for more information.

The TableAttribute is used to define the table name in the database.

Where to use FieldAttribute

Please read Getting Started with Model Attributes for more information.

Table Attributes parameters

The TableAttribute has the following parameters:

Field	Description	Required
tableName	The name of the table in the database.	Yes
primaryKeySeedFunction	A function that returns the seed for the primary key. The function must return a value.	No
tableAlias	The alias of the table in the database.	No
beforeInsert	A processor that is called before inserting a record into the database. Can be a string class name or an instance of EntityProcessorInterface.	No
beforeUpdate	A processor that is called before updating a record in the database. Can be a string class name or an instance of EntityProcessorInterface.	No

Field Attributes parameters

The FieldAttribute has the following parameters:

Field	Description	Required
primaryKey	If the field is a primary key. It is required at least one field to be a PK. It is used for insert/updates/deletes.	No
fieldName	The name of the field in the database. If not set, the field name is the same as the property name.	No
fieldAlias	The alias of the field in the database. If not set, the field alias is the same as the field name.	No
syncWithDb	If the field should be synchronized with the database. Default is true.	No
updateFunction	A function that is called when the field is updated. The function must return a value.	No
selectFunction	A function that is called when the field is selected. The function must return a value.	No
insertFunction	A function that is called when the field is inserted. The function must return a value.	No
parentTable	The parent table of the field. This is used in the case of a foreign key. See Auto Discovering Relationship.	No

See also Controlling the Data for more information about the updateFunction, selectFunction, and insertFunction.

Special Table Attributes for UUID primary keys

TableUuidPKAttribute is the table attribute for a table whose primary key is a UUID. On insert it generates a version 7 UUID (time-ordered) in PHP and writes it in the syntax of the repository's database. It works on MySQL, SQLite, PostgreSQL and SQL Server.

TableMySqlUuidPKAttribute, TableSqliteUuidPKAttribute and TablePgsqlUuidPKAttribute are deprecated aliases of TableUuidPKAttribute, kept so existing models keep working.

Using UUID attributes

Here's an example of how to use the UUID attributes:

#[TableUuidPKAttribute(tableName: 'my_table')]
class MyModelWithUuid
{
    #[FieldUuidAttribute(primaryKey: true)]
    public ?string $id = null;

    #[FieldAttribute()]
    public ?string $name = null;
}

In this example:

• TableUuidPKAttribute generates the UUID for new records
• FieldUuidAttribute marks the $id field as a UUID primary key

Field UUID Attribute

The FieldUuidAttribute is a specialized field attribute designed for UUID fields. It internally configures the appropriate mapper functions for handling UUID values:

• For reading from the database: Uses FormatSelectUuidMapper to convert the stored UUID to string format
• For writing to the database: Uses FormatUpdateUuidMapper to convert the UUID to the literal of the database

Database Schema Requirements

Define the UUID column as BINARY(16), or as uuid on PostgreSQL:

-- MySQL, SQLite and SQL Server
CREATE TABLE my_table
(
    id   BINARY(16) PRIMARY KEY,
    name VARCHAR(45)
);

-- PostgreSQL
CREATE TABLE my_table
(
    id   UUID PRIMARY KEY,
    name VARCHAR(45)
);

UUID Literals

Each database writes a UUID its own way: HexUuidLiteral (X'...', MySQL and SQLite), SqlServerUuidLiteral (0x...) and PostgresUuidLiteral ('XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX'). HexUuidLiteral::forDatabase() returns the right one for an executor. See UUID Support.