I'd like to make multiple database connections in OctoberCMS and be able to define in a plugin settings which database connection i'd like to use. So the plugin will use the database defined in the setting.

Is there a native way to select an active connection from connections to use in a plugin? I need it to communicate with a central product database that we do not wish to import into the CMS website.

Sure you can, you can define db connection even in runtime using config repository like this:

Config::set('database.connections.' . $yourConnectionName, $yourConnectionParametersArray);

Also, last time I checked you could define connection name in model class (https://github.com/laravel/framework/blob/5.1/src/Illuminate/Database/Eloquent/Model.php#L40) and this worked pretty well, at least in 4.2, you could probably go even more dynamic, make a setConnection method and operate on multiple connections with same model, but this isn't the best idea imho.

Thanks! but I went with a different approach with the help of the laravel docs

In config/database.php duplicate the sql connection entry in the array rename for proper database/login, give it fancy name for example connection name then in the Models declare

public $connection = 'connectionname'; 

and in the schema creator use

 Schema::connection('connectionname')-> 

instead of

 Schema:: 

thats it basically :-) The things you do in your models/controllers will now be written to the other database.

Hi, I have followed same approach like what Tschallacka has done. But i m facing problem when validating form fields,

Look at following snippet:

class User extends UserBase
{
    public $connection = 'plugindb'; 
    /**
     * @var string The database table used by the model.
     */
    protected $table = 'users';

    /**
     * Validation rules
     */
    public $rules = [
        'name' => 'required',
        'surname' => 'required',
        'email' => 'required|between:3,64|email|unique:db_plugin.users',
        'mobile' => 'numeric',
        'password' => 'required:create|between:6,16|confirmed',
        'password_confirmation' => 'required_with:password|between:6,16',        
    ];

To validate email as unique, i need to use "db_plugin" database name as suffix with table otherwise it throws "Exception". But I want to do it dynamic like database name will be available depend on connection using. If I removed database name then it takes default database which application using.

Please suggest best approach to implement it in correct way?

Last updated 4 years ago