Feature Request: updateIfDirty

[MichaelRushton]

The current update method dispatches saving and saved events even if the model is not dirty and no database update is performed. This may be undesired behaviour and so an updateIfDirty method that does not fire these events could be useful.

As an example:

// Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model.php

public function updateIfDirty(
    array $attributes = [],
    array $options = []
): bool {

    if (! $this->exists) {
        return false;
    }

    $this->fill($attributes);

    return $this->isDirty() ? $this->save($options) : false;

}

[macropay-solutions]

@MichaelRushton Do you happen to know if this behavior is intentional or just a side effect that was not foreseen?

[MichaelRushton]

Intentional. The docs say:

The saving / saved events will dispatch when a model is created or updated - even if the model's attributes have not been changed.

[macropay-solutions]

Interesting. What would be a real world scenario in which you would want to trigger saved if the query did not execute. Saving makes sense. Saved no.

    protected function finishSave(array $options)
    {
        $this->fireModelEvent('saved', false);

        if ($this->isDirty() && ($options['touch'] ?? true)) {
            $this->touchOwners(); // this will not be executed if the query did not happen
        }

        $this->syncOriginal(); // does basically nothing
    }

    public function syncOriginal()
    {
        $this->original = $this->getAttributes();

        return $this;
    }