Automatically convert Eloquent model boolean attributes to dates (and back)

A package to automatically convert boolean fields to dates (and back to booleans) so you always know when something was accepted or changed.

Say you've got a registration page for users where they need to accept your terms and perhaps can opt-in to certain features using checkboxes. With the new(-ish) GDPR privacy laws, you're somewhat required to not just keep track of the fact if they accepted those (or not), but also when they did.

Example

User registration controller:

$input = request()->input();

$user = User::create([
    'has_accepted_terms_and_conditions' => $input['terms'],
    'allows_data_processing' => $input['data_processing'],
    'has_agreed_to_something' => $input['something'],
]);

Anywhere else in your code:

$user->has_accepted_terms_and_conditions;

/*
 * true or false (boolean)
 */
 
$user->accepted_terms_and_conditions_at;

/*
 * 2018-05-10 16:24:22 (Carbon instance)
 */

Table of contents

• Requirements
• How to install
• How to use
  • Saving dates
  • Clearing saved values
  • Retrieving values
    • Retrieving fields as booleans
    • Retrieving fields as datetimes
  • Array conversion
• License
• Change log
• Testing
• Contributing
• Security
• Credits
• About

Requirements

• PHP 7.2 or higher
• Laravel 5.8 or higher

How to install

Add the package to your project using composer:

composer require sebastiaanluca/laravel-boolean-dates

Require the HasBooleanDates trait in your Eloquent model, then add the $booleanDates field:

<?php

use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;
use SebastiaanLuca\BooleanDates\HasBooleanDates;

class User extends Model
{
    use HasBooleanDates;
    
    /**
     * @var array
     */
    protected $booleanDates = [
        'has_accepted_terms_and_conditions' => 'accepted_terms_at',
        'allows_data_processing' => 'accepted_processing_at',
        'has_agreed_to_something' => 'agreed_to_something_at',
    ];
}

To wrap up, create a migration to create a new or alter your existing table and add the timestamp fields:

<?php

use Illuminate\Database\Migrations\Migration;
use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema;

class AddAgreementFields extends Migration
{
    /**
     * Run the migrations.
     *
     * @return void
     */
    public function up() : void
    {
        Schema::table('users', function (Blueprint $table) {
            $table->timestamp('accepted_terms_at')->nullable();
            $table->timestamp('accepted_processing_at')->nullable();
            $table->timestamp('agreed_to_something_at')->nullable();
        });
    }
}

Note: the related boolean fields are dynamic and do not need database fields.

How to use

Saving dates

If a boolean date field's value is true, it'll be automatically converted to the current datetime:

$user = new User;

// Setting values explicitly
$user->has_accepted_terms_and_conditions = true;
$user->allows_data_processing = 'yes';

// Or using attribute filling
$user->fill([
   'has_agreed_to_something' => 1, 
]);

$user->save();

All fields should now contain a datetime similar to 2018-05-10 16:24:22.

Clearing saved values

Of course you can also remove the saved date and time, for instance if a user retracts their approval:

$user = User::findOrFail(42);

$user->has_accepted_terms_and_conditions = false;
// $user->has_accepted_terms_and_conditions = null;

$user->allows_data_processing = 0;
// $user->allows_data_processing = '0';

$user->has_agreed_to_something = '';

$user->save();

False or false-y values are converted to NULL.

Retrieving values

Retrieving fields as booleans

Use a boolean field's defined key to access its boolean value:

$user = User::findOrFail(42);

$user->has_accepted_terms_and_conditions;

/*
 * true or false (boolean)
 */

Retrieving fields as datetimes

Use a boolean field's defined value to explicitly access its (Carbon) datetime value:

$user = User::findOrFail(42);

$user->accepted_terms_at;

/*
 * 2018-05-10 16:24:22 (Carbon instance)
 */

$user->accepted_processing_at;

/*
 * NULL
 */

Array conversion

When converting a model to an array, all boolean fields ánd their datetimes will be included:

$user = User::findOrFail(42);

$user->toArray();

/*
 * Which will return something like:
 * 
 * [
 *     'accepted_terms_at' => \Carbon\Carbon('2018-05-10 16:24:22'),
 *     'accepted_processing_at' => NULL,
 *     'agreed_to_something_at' => \Carbon\Carbon('2018-05-10 16:24:22'),
 *     'accepted_terms_and_conditions' => true,
 *     'allows_data_processing' => false,
 *     'agreed_to_something' => true,
 * ];
 */

License

This package operates under the MIT License (MIT). Please see LICENSE for more information.

Change log

Please see CHANGELOG for more information what has changed recently.

Testing

composer install
composer test

Contributing

Please see CONTRIBUTING and CONDUCT for details.

Security

If you discover any security related issues, please email hello@sebastiaanluca.com instead of using the issue tracker.

Credits

• Sebastiaan Luca
• All Contributors

About

My name is Sebastiaan and I'm a freelance back-end developer specializing in building custom Laravel applications. Check out my portfolio for more information, my blog for the latest tips and tricks, and my other packages to kick-start your next project.

Have a project that could use some guidance? Send me an e-mail at hello@sebastiaanluca.com!