generate-migration Command

Note: This command is implemented as part of the @pinstripe/database package and needs to be included in your project for it to be available.

Interface

The command creates a new database migration file with the following signature:

pinstripe generate-migration [suffix] [--table <table_name>] [--fields <field_definitions>]

Parameters

• suffix (optional) - The suffix for the migration name (converted to snake_case). If ending with "_to_tablename", the table name will be inferred
• --table <table_name> (optional) - The table name for the migration. Can be inferred from suffix
• --fields <field_definitions> (optional) - Field definitions in format "name:type name:type" (e.g., "name:string age:integer")

Examples

# Create a basic migration
pinstripe generate-migration add_users_table

# Create a migration with table name inferred from suffix
pinstripe generate-migration add_columns_to_users

# Create a migration with explicit table and fields
pinstripe generate-migration add_user_fields --table users --fields "email:string created_at:datetime"

# Create a migration with multiple fields
pinstripe generate-migration setup_posts --table posts --fields "title:string content:text published:boolean"

Description

The generate-migration command is a database scaffolding tool that creates timestamped migration files for database schema changes. It automatically:

1. Normalizes naming - Converts the suffix to snake_case format
2. Generates timestamped files - Creates uniquely named migration files with Unix timestamp prefix
3. Creates migration directory - Sets up lib/migrations/ directory structure
4. Sets up file importer - Creates _file_importer.js if it doesn't exist
5. Provides starter code - Includes migration structure with field definitions when specified

Generated Files

lib/migrations/
├── _file_importer.js           # Migration base class import (created if needed)  
└── 1728471234_suffix_name.js   # Your timestamped migration file

Generated Migration Structure

Basic Migration

export default {
    async migrate(){
        
    }
};

Migration with Table and Fields

export default {
    async migrate(){
        await this.database.table('users', async users => {
            await users.addColumn('email', 'string');
            await users.addColumn('created_at', 'datetime');
        });
    }
};

Usage in Application

After generating a migration, you can:

1. Customize the implementation by editing the migrate() method
2. Run migrations via the database migration system
3. Add complex schema changes like indexes, foreign keys, and data transformations

Field Types

Supported field types include:

Text Types

• string - Variable length text (VARCHAR 255)
• text - Long text content (LONGTEXT/TEXT)

Numeric Types

• integer - Whole numbers (INT)
• decimal - Decimal numbers with precision
• float - Floating point numbers

Date/Time Types

• date - Date only (YYYY-MM-DD)
• datetime - Date and time stamps

Other Types

• boolean - True/false values
• binary - Binary data (files, images, etc.)

Key Types (Auto-managed)

• primary_key - Auto-incrementing primary key
• alternate_key - UUID-based alternate key
• foreign_key - References to other tables

Related Commands

• list-commands - List all available commands in the project
• generate-service - Generate business logic services