Create database migration method like "createIfNotExists"

[sts-ryan-holton]

Hi 👋

I've recently found myself migrating over the migration up method from:

/**
 * Run the migrations.
 */
public function up(): void
{
    Schema::create('notifications', function (Blueprint $table) {
        $table->uuid('id')->primary();
        $table->string('type');
        $table->morphs('notifiable');
        $table->text('data');
        $table->timestamp('read_at')->nullable();
        $table->timestamps();
    });
}

To...

/**
 * Run the migrations.
 */
public function up(): void
{
    if (!Schema::hasTable('notifications')) {
        Schema::create('notifications', function (Blueprint $table) {
            $table->uuid('id')->primary();
            $table->string('type');
            $table->morphs('notifiable');
            $table->text('data');
            $table->timestamp('read_at')->nullable();
            $table->timestamps();
        });
    }
}

I think it would be great to have a feature such as:

/**
 * Run the migrations.
 */
public function up(): void
{
    Schema::createIfNotExists('table', function (Blueprint $table) {
        // ...
    });
}

[TheBlckbird]

But why do you need this?

[sts-ryan-holton]

great to have a feature

[TheBlckbird]

@sts-ryan-holton But what are the use cases for this?

[sts-ryan-holton]

In some edge cases, I've found not all packages include a down method for reverting migration changes, equally, for robustness I've found myself wrapping, like the example I've provided my migration in the hasTable method a lot, I feel that this feature should check behind the scenes if the table exists, but, I understand to provides backwards compatible support it's easier to introduce a new method such as createIfNotExists, which, behind the scenes can check the table existence first.

[TheBlckbird]

that makes sense