firstOrCreate prioritizes first parameters over second parameters

[Sirfrummel]

• Laravel Version: 8.53.1
• PHP Version: 8.0.9
• Database Driver & Version: mysql

Description:

firstOrCreate is prioritizing the FIND parameters over the CREATE parameters, and this seems backwards to me. For example:
$project = Project::firstOrCreate([ 'name' => 'someExistingName', ], [ 'name' => 'myNewCreateName' ] );
I want to say "find a project by this name, OR create by this other name", and you'll see "someExistingName" is what gets inserted into the database.

I double checked the code and it looks like it's because of how PHP merges 2 arrays, due to this line:
https://github.com/laravel/framework/blame/8.x/src/Illuminate/Database/Eloquent/Builder.php#L484

So if you want to know the actual real world example, of how the Create parameter would be different than the find parameter, take using an object with uuids:

$project = Project::firstOrCreate([ 'uuid' => $request->uuid ], [ 'uuid' => Str::uuid() ] );
So what is happening here, is that it is not over-riding the request UUID with the generated one. Because basically, if my project doesn't exist with the UUID given by the frontend, I want to generate my own on the backend.

I feel like it should logically play out like this:
"Use these parameters to FIND the object, if it doesn't exist, use THESE PARAMETERS to CREATE the object"... it makes sense that the FIND parameters should influence the CREATE parameters, however, they should not take precedence over parameters specifically passed in through the CREATE parameters.

I hope that helps give context and makes sense. Please tell me if there is something obvious I missed because I am basically a Laravel newbie :)

[JayBizzle]

@driesvints are you saying this is expected behaviour rather than a bug? (as the initial issue was converted to a discussion)

Seems more like a bug to me 😕

[Sirfrummel]

Yeah I kinda thought this was a bug... but I also thought I was kinda crazy since I'm a newb and it seemed this had been in place for a long time.

[JayBizzle]

Yes, seems strange that this hasn't come up before....doesn't mean it isn't wrong though

[JayBizzle]

Simple fix is to change this line...

framework/src/Illuminate/Database/Eloquent/Builder.php

Lines 484 to 486 in 43ed474

	return tap($this->newModelInstance($attributes + $values), function ($instance) {
	$instance->save();
	});

To...

        return tap($this->newModelInstance(array_merge($attributes, $values)), function ($instance) {
            $instance->save();
        });

But I guess this would be a breaking change if people are relying on the broken behaviour

[JayBizzle]

Same "bug" exists with firstOrNew()

$company = Company::firstOrNew(
	['name' => 'Does not exist'],
	['name' => 'New Company'],
);

dd($company);

Output

=> App\Models\Company {
    name: "Does not exist",
}

Expected?

=> App\Models\Company {
    name: "New Company",
}

[JayBizzle]

See #38346

[JayBizzle]

Now fixed 👍

[Sirfrummel]

@JayBizzle thank you so much for pushing this through. Can't wait to pull it in (I guess in the next release?)

[JayBizzle]

Now released https://github.com/laravel/framework/releases/tag/v8.55.0 👍