[12.x] Factory@insert()

[cosmastech]

It's really, really easy to write inefficient tests by leveraging Order::factory()->count(100)->create() not realizing that it's going to run 100 inserts. I just fixed this in a number of tests this week.

Here we add a Factory@insert() method that allows performing a mass insert of models.

Note that this does not return anything (it's akin to the Eloquent model's insert() method), and similarly does not emit Model events. This is only really useful if you need to insert lot of some model in your database, but don't actually need those models handy in the test. Think of testing pagination or how a resource returns a count.

[browner12]

Is there a limitation that prevents you from returning the collection?

If you can get this to work that'd be great. I think there is some nuance and complications though with multiple inserts and things like model events not triggering that you'd have to deal with. Probably part of the same reason we don't have a save() method on the Eloquent/Collection yet.

[cosmastech]

Is there a limitation that prevents you from returning the collection?

If you can get this to work that'd be great. I think there is some nuance and complications though with multiple inserts and things like model events not triggering that you'd have to deal with. Probably part of the same reason we don't have a save() method on the Eloquent/Collection yet.

Generated IDs won't be available, for instance. We could return the collection, but it would be like a sharp knife falling in a kitchen.

It is probably worth noting in the docblock that model events aren't fired, which is by design (because they require the single insert approach)

[shaedrich]

You could have gone with returning an Eloquent collection just like createMany(). This method could be named something like massCreateMany(), however, this wouldn't follow the createMany*() convention of the other related methods.

[jasonmccreary]

@shaedrich, I think void is appropriate here. It avoids any testing footguns where you might try to use the result in a later assertion.