COMMUNITY SURVEY: Anybody using the database prefix?

Franz

In order to decide on the best way forward in fixing (or at least resolving) a bug in Flarum / Laravel, I am looking for input from anybody running a Flarum forum.

Are any of you using Flarum with the database table prefix configuration?
(If you are wondering how to find out: please check the value for the prefix key in your config.php - if it is anything other than the empty string '', then yes, you are using the prefix option, and I would like to know.)

Staszek

yes, me!

Franz

Staszek Do you use it because you share the database with other projects?

Kakifrucht

I'm using it, but mostly because it felt like a mandatory field during installation. I would probably not miss it.

Staszek

Franz Currently not, but I used to and I need it sometimes. I would prefer to leave it - it gives more flexibility and tideness.
What kind of bug can be fixed by dropping db prefix?

ChadJessen

I don't use the prefix. Not sure what I would use it for. I am sure there are applications for it, but the simpler the better in my opinion.

Franz

Staszek Currently, it is not possible to have two installations of Flarum in the same database, because Laravel (until very recently, in a release we're not using yet) does not add the prefix to index names.

tlalok

Yes me, I use a prefix

Zeokat

I'm using it and i always use prefixes if i can.

I don't need to share database with other projects to use prefix.

Ralkage

Franz if I remember correctly, back when I used other forum software such as XenForo and Vbulletin, both had expressed one way or another in their support forums that table prefixes were popularly used to host more than one forum installation on the same database. Other than what you explained earlier about the prefix being used mostly due to having other projects (using the same database I assume?) I don't personally think I would ever use table prefixes even with having other projects mostly because I like to have a separation of concerns.

~~Though, can you tell us a little more about the bug it created? ?~~

Nvm, it was explained ?

Staszek

Why would you not be able to have two installations of Flarum with prefix?
But even if you wouldn't, sometimes it is still needed, for example if you have other apps in database, like another forum (MyBB for example) of a webpage written in October, or Wordpress. Removing prefix is IMHO bad idea.

Zeokat

Staszek Also add those hostings where you are limited to a fixed number of databases. I'm not using those hostings nowadays but... maybe exists users using them.

luceos

Staszek Why would you not be able to have two installations of Flarum with prefix?

Because there's a bug in laravel that fails to add the prefix to index names. Our migrations create those indices so on the second installation you will get an error that the index already exists.

luceos

@Franz we could fix this manually by using the second argument on the index() method

public function index($columns, $name = null, $algorithm = null)

as a temporary workaround ?

Franz

luceos Yep, that was my plan, too. ?

clarkwinkelmann

I always create a separate database per project so I do not use and have no need for prefixes.

But even if the setting gets somehow hidden I think it's very important to keep it. It's a feature of the database driver so it should be usable one way or another.

Franz

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! ?

Seems to be pretty clear we will keep the prefixes, and make the index thing work. ✊