Use $model->touch() Instead of Manual Timestamp Updates

Use the built-in touch() method to update updated_at or custom timestamp columns on Eloquent records cleanly.

Manually writing $model->updated_at = now(); $model->save(); is repetitive and clutters model workflows.

Calling $model->touch() updates the timestamp and saves the record in a single operation.

Standard & Custom Column Usage

use App\Models\Post;

$post = Post::findOrFail($id);

// 1. Update the default 'updated_at' timestamp
$post->touch();

// 2. Update a custom timestamp column
$post->touch('last_viewed_at');

Cascading to Parent Relationships

To touch parent models whenever a child is updated, define the $touches property on the child model:

namespace App\Models;

use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;

class Comment extends Model
{
    // Automatically touch parent Post's updated_at when a comment changes
    protected $touches = ['post'];

    public function post()
    {
        return $this->belongsTo(Post::class);
    }
}

Key Points

• Atomic Update: Sets the timestamp to current time and saves the model immediately.
• Custom Columns: Pass any datetime column name as the first argument to update custom tracking fields.
• Cache Invalidation: Triggers parent timestamp updates configured via $touches, useful for cache busting parent models.