How do you check "if not null" with Eloquent?

🔍 How to Check "if not null" with Eloquent? 🔍

Have you ever wondered how to check if a field is not null with Eloquent? 🤔 Don't worry, you're not alone! Many developers have faced this common issue when working with Laravel's Eloquent ORM. But fear not! In this blog post, we will explore this problem, provide easy solutions, and empower you to tackle it like a pro. 💪

So, let's dive in and see what the issue is all about. 🏊‍♂️

The Problem 🤷‍♂️

One approach you might have tried is using ->where('sent_at', 'IS NOT', DB::raw('null')), but you might have noticed that it doesn't work as expected. Instead of comparing the field to null, it treats "IS NOT" as a binding. 😫 To understand this better, let's take a look at what DB::getQueryLog() gives us:

'query' => string 'select * from my_table where sent_at = ? and profile_id in (?, ?) order by created_at desc' (length=101)
'bindings' => 
    array (size=3)
      0 => string 'IS NOT' (length=6)
      1 => int 1
      2 => int 4

As you can see, the "IS NOT" string is being treated as a binding rather than a comparison operator. This is not what we want! 😓

The Solution 🙌

To solve this problem, we can make use of the ->whereNotNull() method provided by Eloquent. This method allows us to easily check if a field is not null. 🎉

Here is how you can use it:

Model::whereNotNull('sent_at')->get();

By using ->whereNotNull('sent_at'), we are effectively saying "retrieve all rows where the sent_at field is not null." Simple, right? 🕺

Now, you can confidently handle situations where you need to check if a field is not null using Eloquent. No more confusion or frustration! 😄

Take It a Step Further! 💡

But why stop here? Let's take it a step further and explore more complex scenarios. For example, what if you want to check if a field is not null and matches a specific value? 🤔

Here's how you can achieve that:

Model::where('sent_at', '!=', null)
     ->where('sent_at', '!=', 'some_value')
     ->get();

In this example, we are combining ->where() with the "not equal" operator (!=) to check if the sent_at field is not null and not equal to a specific value. Pretty cool, huh? 😉

Your Turn to Shine! ✨

Now that you have learned how to check "if not null" with Eloquent, it's time for you to put your skills to the test! 🚀 Try it out in your projects and see the magic happen. If you face any issues or have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below. We're here to help!

Happy coding! 🎉