Laravel Floats Laravel Package

Getting Started

1. Install the package

   composer require fisharebest/laravel-floats
   

   There is no config file to publish and no .env keys — the package is a single-purpose schema extension.

2. Check auto-discovery. Laravel 5.5+ will pick up the package's service provider from composer.json. On older versions, add Fisharebest\LaravelFloats\...\ServiceProvider::class to the providers array in config/app.php.

3. Look first at the service provider inside vendor/fisharebest/laravel-floats/src/. That file tells you exactly how the float method is grafted onto the Blueprint (macro vs. custom grammar). The whole package is ~1–3 files, so read it before assuming behaviour.

4. First use case — add a float column in a normal migration:

   Schema::create('locations', function (Blueprint $table) {
       $table->increments('id');
       $table->float('latitude');
       $table->float('longitude');
   });
   

   Run php artisan migrate, then confirm with SHOW CREATE TABLE locations\G — you should see FLOAT (not DOUBLE or DECIMAL).

5. Smoke-test rollback with php artisan migrate:rollback to make sure the column drop path is sane before relying on it.

Implementation Patterns

• Create and alter migrations are symmetric. Use $table->float('col') in Schema::create and Schema::table callbacks identically; the macro is available on any Blueprint instance.

• Optional precision/scale. Mirror MySQL's legacy FLOAT(M,D) syntax: $table->float('ratio', 8, 3). Omit the arguments on MySQL 8.0.17+ where FLOAT(M,D) is deprecated.

• Chain modifiers as usual: $table->float('weight')->nullable()->default(0.0). Verify each modifier you use actually lands — see Gotchas.

• Cast in your model. MySQL's PDO driver returns FLOAT as a string, so add:

  protected $casts = [
      'latitude'  => 'float',
      'longitude' => 'float',
  ];
  

• Converting existing columns. The package usually doesn't implement ->change(). Safe pattern: add the new float column, backfill with a query, drop the old column, then re-add any indexes. Never rely on a single ->change() call.

• Portable wrapper macro (if you want SQLite tests to keep working):

  Blueprint::macro('singleFloat', function ($column, $total = null, $places = null) {
      return DB::getDriverName() === 'mysql'
          ? $this->float($column, $total, $places)
          : $this->double($column, $total, $places);
  });
  

• Large tables. MySQL may rewrite the whole table for the resulting ALTER. In production, apply with pt-online-schema-change or gh-ost and mark the migration as already run.

• Testing. Point your test suite at MySQL (Docker/CI service), not SQLite. Feature tests that touch the schema will diverge otherwise.

• Extension point. The package is small enough that if you need variants (custom grammar for Postgres, a float4/float8 switch, etc.), copy its service provider into your own app/Providers and register the macro yourself. That gives you full control and removes a low-maintenance dependency.

Gotchas and Tips

• Check Laravel's native support first. Recent Laravel versions ship $table->float() in Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint. If you're on one of them, this package is redundant — search that file for function float before adding a dependency.

• "Method float does not exist" means the macro wasn't registered. Confirm the package's composer.json declares extra.laravel.providers, run php artisan package:discover, and fall back to manual registration in config/app.php if auto-discovery doesn't fire.

• MySQL-only. The grammar hook targets MySQL; SQLite and PostgreSQL will either error or produce unexpected types. Keep a MySQL instance in your test stack.

• FLOAT(M,D) is deprecated since MySQL 8.0.17 and removed in newer releases. Pass no arguments unless you specifically need legacy compatibility.

• Precision trap. FLOAT is single-precision (~7 significant digits). Perfect for coordinates, sensor readings, and ratios; never for currency — use decimal() there.

• String values from PDO. Without a model cast, FLOAT columns come back as strings. Debug with dd(gettype($model->latitude)) if JSON responses look like "12.5" instead of 12.5.

• Schema::getColumnType() varies by Laravel version (some return 'double' for anything float-like). Use Schema::getColumns('table') on Laravel 10+ or SHOW COLUMNS for ground truth.

• Modifiers aren't guaranteed. ->unsigned(), ->comment(), and custom defaults may be silently dropped depending on how the grammar hook is implemented. Inspect the generated DDL (php artisan migrate --pretend) before shipping.

• ->change() is unsupported. Don't assume schema-diffing tools that rely on change() will work; use explicit add/drop or raw DB::statement('ALTER TABLE … MODIFY … FLOAT').

• Debugging checklist: in Tinker, run Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint::hasMacro('float'), then Schema::getColumns('your_table') after migrating. If both fail, the provider isn't booted.

• Long-term maintenance. With 11 stars and a narrow scope, expect minimal updates. Forking or vendoring the macro into your app is a reasonable hedge if you can't drop the package.