Cast enum instances nested within JSON or array database columns using Eloquent Attribute accessors and mutators.
Laravel provides first-party enum casting for standard model columns:
protected $casts = [
'status' => PostStatus::class,
];However, when an enum value is stored inside a nested JSON object or array column (such as options->status or settings['status']), Laravel's default column casting casts the entire column to an array, leaving the nested enum value as a raw string or integer.
Using Eloquent's Attribute accessor and mutator, you can automatically hydrate and serialize nested enum instances.
Implementing the Nested Enum Cast
namespace App\Models;
use App\Enums\PostStatus;
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Casts\Attribute;
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;
class Post extends Model
{
protected function options(): Attribute
{
return Attribute::make(
get: function ($value): array {
$options = json_decode($value ?? '[]', true) ?? [];
// Hydrate string value to Backed Enum instance
if (isset($options['status'])) {
$options['status'] = PostStatus::tryFrom($options['status']) ?? $options['status'];
}
return $options;
},
set: function ($value): string {
$options = is_array($value) ? $value : (json_decode($value, true) ?? []);
// Serialize Backed Enum instance to scalar value before storing
if (isset($options['status']) && $options['status'] instanceof PostStatus) {
$options['status'] = $options['status']->value;
}
return json_encode($options);
}
);
}
}Practical Usage
You can now interact with nested enum properties as strongly typed objects:
$post = Post::find(1);
// Accessing the nested enum
if ($post->options['status'] === PostStatus::Draft) {
// Strongly typed enum comparison
}
// Updating the nested enum
$options = $post->options;
$options['status'] = PostStatus::Published;
$post->options = $options;
$post->save();Summary
- Use Eloquent
Attribute::make()to hydrate and serialize enums nested inside JSON attributes. - Use
PostStatus::tryFrom()in the getter to gracefully handle unexpected values without throwing exceptions. - Ensures strongly typed enum consistency even for schemaless or flexible JSON payloads.
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