Usage¶

After successful installation, you can start generating migration files from an existing database schema.

Run the Generator¶

Use the following Artisan command:

php artisan migrate:regenerate

This will:

  • Scan your current database

  • Create Laravel migration files

  • Write them to database/migrations/

  • Order them to ensure referential integrity

Supported Databases¶

  • MySQL 5.7 / 8.0

  • PostgreSQL 15

  • MSSQL 2022

Laravel Version Support¶

Compatible with Laravel 5–12. Older versions are supported via version-specific tags.

Example Output¶

The generated migration files will look like this:

Schema::create('users', function (Blueprint $table) {
    $table->id();
    $table->string('email')->unique();
    $table->timestamps();
});

Schema Normalization¶

Motivation¶

Legacy database schemas often use composite primary keys, which are not supported by Laravel’s Eloquent ORM. This can cause issues when working with relationships, factories, and model binding.

To address this, the migration generator offers an optional normalization step that transforms composite primary keys into a synthetic, single-column primary key.

How It Works¶

When the --normalizer=primary-key option is enabled:

  1. Composite primary keys are detected and removed.

  2. A synthetic $table->id() column is added as the new primary key.

  3. The original composite key is retained as a named unique constraint:

    $table->unique(['user_id', 'role_id'], 'role_user_user_id_role_id_unique');

Example¶

Legacy schema:

CREATE TABLE role_user
(
    user_id INT,
    role_id INT,
    PRIMARY KEY (user_id, role_id)
);

Normalized Laravel migration:

Schema::create('role_user', function (Blueprint $table) {
    $table->id(); // synthetic primary key
    $table->unsignedBigInteger('user_id');
    $table->unsignedBigInteger('role_id');

    $table->unique(['user_id', 'role_id'], 'role_user_user_id_role_id_unique');
    // Original primary key: PRIMARY KEY (user_id, role_id)
});

How to Enable¶

Use the CLI option during migration generation:

php artisan migrate:regenerate --normalizer=primary-key

You can also enable it via the config file:

// config/migration-generator.php
'normalizer' => [
    'enabled' => ['primary-key'],
],

Notes¶

  • This feature is non-destructive: the original uniqueness semantics are preserved.

  • Designed for compatibility with Laravel’s Eloquent, seeding, and testing tools.

  • Runs during the pre-generation transformation phase, before compilation.

Dry-Run Mode (Planned)¶

Coming soon: preview changes without writing files to disk.

Notes¶

  • Ensure your .env is correctly configured for the DB connection.

  • You can customize the export behavior by publishing the config:

php artisan vendor:publish --tag=migration-generator-config