Factory creating multiple models with different number of relationships

Question

I'm using the following code to create 20 posts, each of which has 3 comments.

Post::factory()
    ->times(20)
    ->has(Comment::factory()->times(3))
    ->create()

Instead I'd like to create 20 posts, each of which has a random number of comments (e.g. post 1 has 2 comments, post 2 has 4 comments, etc.)

This did not work, each post had the same (random) number of comments.

Post::factory()
    ->times(20)
    ->has(Comment::factory()->times(rand(1, 5)))
    ->create()

How can I achieve this?

make it with an variable `$times = rand(1,5);` see the answear below — Maik Lowrey, Oct 06 '21 at 19:07

score 6 · Accepted Answer · answered Oct 06 '21 at 20:04

6

It's not possible to have a dynamic number of related models per model if you are using ->times as far as I know. You can instead try:

collect(range(0,19))
   ->each(function () {
       Post::factory()
          ->has(Comment::factory()->times(rand(1,5)))
          ->create();
});

This should create 20 posts one by one with a random number of comments on each. It may be a bit slower but probably not by much

answered Oct 06 '21 at 20:04

apokryfos

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Thanks apokryfos. Works great. – jose Oct 06 '21 at 20:21
Super cool! Sometimes you can't see the wood for the trees! – Maik Lowrey Oct 06 '21 at 20:44

miken32 · Answer 2 · 2021-11-03T19:25:36.850

3

I would use a factory method to do this. Add a method to your Post factory like this:

<?php
namespace Database\Factories\App;

use App\Comment;
use App\Post;
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Factories\Factory;

class PostFactory extends Factory
{
    public function definition(): array
    {
        return [
            // ...
        ];
    }

    public function addComments(int $count = null): self
    {
        $count = $count ?? rand(1, 5);
    
        return $this->afterCreating(
            fn (Post $post) => Comment::factory()->count($count)->for($post)->create()
        );
    }
}

Then in your test, you can simply call it like this:

Post::factory()->count(20)->addComments()->create();

edited Nov 03 '21 at 19:25

answered Oct 06 '21 at 20:46

miken32

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Thanks miken32. – jose Oct 06 '21 at 20:48
1

No problem, seems like a more elegant solution and easier to tell what's happening at a glance. – miken32 Oct 06 '21 at 20:57

Maik Lowrey · Answer 3 · 2021-10-06T20:51:08.450

2

Updated: That should work: Inspired by apokryfos. If that not work, that will:

for($i=0; $i<20; $i++)
{
    $times = rand(1,5);
    Post::factory()
     ->has(Comment::factory()->times($times))
     ->create();
}

edited Oct 06 '21 at 20:51

answered Oct 06 '21 at 19:04

Maik Lowrey

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ok. Maybe try with count($times) `->has(Comment::factory()->count($times))`. If that doesn't work, it will be a problem elsewhere. – Maik Lowrey Oct 06 '21 at 19:46
Tanks Maik Lowrey. Works well. – jose Oct 07 '21 at 09:49

Factory creating multiple models with different number of relationships

3 Answers3