Question 1

How to generate seeders with iSeed using a WHERE clause?

Accepted Answer

Use the --where option with a SQL condition, e.g., `php artisan iseed users --where="active = 1"`. This filters rows during export, creating a seeder with only matching data, but ensure to escape special characters in your shell.

Question 2

iSeed vs Laravel factories: which should I use?

Accepted Answer

iSeed is best for replicating exact database snapshots from production or staging data, ensuring consistency. Factories are better for generating scalable, randomized test data with relationships and model events.

Question 3

How to handle large tables with millions of rows in iSeed?

Accepted Answer

Use --chunksize to split inserts (default 500) and --max to limit rows, but be aware that very large exports can create bulky seed files that slow down subsequent seeding operations.

Question 4

Can iSeed work with multiple database connections?

Accepted Answer

Yes, specify the connection with --database, e.g., `php artisan iseed users --database=mysql2`. The generated seeder will include connection-specific code to target that database.

Question 5

How to exclude columns like passwords from generated seeds?

Accepted Answer

Use the --exclude option, e.g., `php artisan iseed users --exclude=password,remember_token`. This removes specified columns from all exported tables, but you'll need to manually handle any dependencies.

Question 6

What happens if I run iSeed on a table with foreign key constraints?

Accepted Answer

Without --skip-fk-checks, seeding might fail due to constraint violations. Enable it to add MySQL-specific DISABLE/ENABLE statements, but this doesn't cover all database types like SQLite.

iSeed

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