(postgres) defaultValue is not enforced in database

[HarleySalas]

In my scenario, I'm using a radio field, with required: true and defaultValue: 'myValue'. I have these things on globals, so they're at the base level of the table, not in any sort of creatable state. (It's a typical "link" field, as in the website example)

According to discord user ritsu0455, he believes that every field's defaultValue is not enforced at the schema level, so it could create issues for many scenarios.

If it cannot be enforced at the database level, as I understand that fields are flexible elements, perhaps you could simply handle scenarios where when an existing document has a field with a defaultValue added, it should at least apply that value when being added.

[jmikrut]

Hey @HarleySalas — we actually do populate default values if an existing document is resaved after having a new defaultValue added. But I suspect your issue is more related to database migrations (i.e. enforcing required: true after having null columns present).

We could enforce statically defined default values on the DB-level, but as you said, Payload's defaultValue is able to be defined as a function which would not work for DB-level enforcement.

Enforcing statically defined default values on the DB level in Postgres would certainly be a good feature request, and wouldn't be hard to do. But I'm not sure that we will be able to get to it in the immediate future. I will convert this to a Discussion and transfer it over to the Payload core repo so that we can track it accordingly as a feature request.

How's that?

[r1tsuu]

Hi @HarleySalas @jmikrut this PR adds #6983 non-function defaultValue DB enforcing

[DanRibbens]

I had to do this as a separate PR. #7368