Updating Existing Column Attributes - Laravel 5 Migration - php

Question

I have
a existing column called cpe_mac. I created it via migration like this :
$table->string('cpe_mac')->default(NULL)->nullable();
I want
I want to add this ->unique() to that column, without having to drop it and re-add.
I've tried
$table->string('cpe_mac')->unique();
Migration File
<?php
use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
use Illuminate\Database\Migrations\Migration;
class AlterCaptivePortalTable212017 extends Migration
{
/**
* Run the migrations.
*
* #return void
*/
public function up()
{
Schema::table('captive_portals', function (Blueprint $table) {
$table->string('cpe_mac')->unique();
});
}
/**
* Reverse the migrations.
*
* #return void
*/
public function down()
{
Schema::table('captive_portals', function (Blueprint $table) {
$table->string('cpe_mac')->default(NULL)->nullable();
});
}
}
I kept
getting
SQLSTATE[42701]: Duplicate column: 7 ERROR: column "cpe_mac" of relation "captive_portals" already exists
Is there a way to achieve this without having to drop my existing column? I have a lot client data that can't be deleted.

Answer 1

Schema::table('users', function (Blueprint $table) {
$table->string('cpe_mac')->unique()->change();
});
https://laravel.com/docs/5.0/schema#changing-columns

Answer 2

You need to use change() method:
Schema::table('captive_portals', function (Blueprint $table) {
$table->string('cpe_mac')->unique()->change();
});
Alternatively, you may create the index after defining the column. For example:
$table->unique('email');
https://laravel.com/docs/5.4/migrations#indexes

Answer 3

I had the same issue and this is the solution for Laravel 5.6:
Step1: run this command: composer require doctrine/dbal
step2:run this command:php artisan make:migration THE
-NAME_YOU_WANT --table=TABLENAME
step3: in the added migration, add $table->string('cpe_mac')->unique()->change(); in Schema::table part.
step4: run this command: php artisan migrate

Answer 4

If the column is already defined you can use:
$table->unique('cpe_mac');