1. Automatic Model Validation

It can sometimes be convenient to automatically validate your model when it gets created or updated. This is very easily achieved with Laravel through the use of Model events.

class Post extends Eloquent
{
    public staic $autoValidates = true;
    protected static $rules = [];
    protected static function boot()
    {
        parent::boot();
        // or static::creating, or static::updating
        static::saving(function($model)
        {
            if ($model::$autoValidates) {
                return $model->validate();
            }
        });
    }
    public function validate()
    {
    }
}

2. Prevent updating

class Post extends Eloquent
{
    protected static function boot()
    {
        parent::boot();
        static::updating(function($model)
        {
            return false;
        });
    }
}

3. Conditional Relationships

class myModel extends Model
{
    public function category()
    {
        return $this->belongsTo('myCategoryModel', 'categories_id')
            ->where('users_id', Auth::user()->id);
    }
}

4. Expressive "Where" Syntax

$products = Product::where('category', '=', 3)->get();
$products = Product::where('category', 3)->get();
$products = Product::whereCategory(3)->get();

5. Query Builder: Having Raw

SELECT *, COUNT(*) FROM products GROUP BY category_id HAVING count(*) > 1;
DB::table('products')
    ->select('*', DB::raw('COUNT(*) as products_count'))
    ->groupBy('category_id')
    ->having('products_count', '>', 1)
    ->get();

6. Simple Date Filtering

$q->whereDate('created_at', date('Y-m-d'));
$q->whereDay('created_at', date('d'));
$q->whereMonth('created_at', date('m'));
$q->whereYear('created_at', date('Y'));

7. Save Options

// src/Illuminate/Database/Eloquent/Model.php
public function save(array $options = [])
// src/Illuminate/Database/Eloquent/Model.php
protected function performUpdate(Builder $query, array $options=[])
{
    if ($this->timestamps && array_get($options, 'timestamps', true))
    {
        $this->updateTimestamps();
    }
}
$product = Product::find($id);
$product->updated_at = '2015-01-01 00:00:00';
$product->save(['timestamps'=>false]);

8. Multilanguage Support

// TODO

9. Retrieve Random Rows

$questions = Question::orderByRaw('RAND()')->take(10)->get();

10. UUID Model Primary Key

use Ramsey\Uuid\Uuid;
trait UUIDModel
{
    public $incrementing = false;
    protected static function boot()
    {
        parent::boot();
        static::creating(function ($model)
        {
            $key = $model->getKeyName();
            if (empty($model->{$key})) {
                $model->{$key} = (string) $model->generateNewUuid();
            }
        });
    }
    public function generateNewUuid()
    {
        return Uuid::uuid4();
    }
}