I have the problem, that I have an migration in Rails that sets up a default setting for a column, like this example:
def self.up
add_column :column_name, :bought_at, :datetime, :default => Time.now
end
Suppose, I like to drop that default settings in a later migration, how do I do that with using rails migrations?
My current workaround is the execution of a custom sql command in the rails migration, like this:
def self.up
execute 'alter table column_name alter bought_at drop default'
end
But I don't like this approach, because I am now dependent on how the underlying database is interpreting this command. In case of a change of the database this query perhaps might not work anymore and the migration would be broken. So, is there a way to express the undo of a default setting for a column in rails?
Rails 5+
def change
change_column_default( :table_name, :column_name, from: nil, to: false )
end
Rails 3 and Rails 4
def up
change_column_default( :table_name, :column_name, nil )
end
def down
change_column_default( :table_name, :column_name, false )
end
Sounds like you're doing the right thing with your 'execute', as the docs point out:
change_column_default(table_name, column_name, default)
Sets a new default value for a column.
If you want to set the default value
to NULL, you are out of luck. You need
to DatabaseStatements#execute the
appropriate SQL statement yourself.
Examples
change_column_default(:suppliers, :qualification, 'new')
change_column_default(:accounts, :authorized, 1)
The following snippet I use to make NULL
columns NOT NULL
, but skip DEFAULT
at schema level:
def self.up
change_column :table, :column, :string, :null => false, :default => ""
change_column_default(:table, :column, nil)
end
Rails 4
change_column :courses, :name, :string, limit: 100, null: false