Eloquent
Laravel 8
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Laravel 12
Undefined Relationship Error in Laravel - How to Fix
This error occurs when accessing an Eloquent relationship that doesn't exist or is misspelled on the model.
The Error
Error Message
Call to undefined relationshipCommon Causes
- 1 Relationship method doesn't exist on model
- 2 Typo in relationship name
- 3 Wrong case (camelCase vs snake_case)
- 4 Relationship method returning wrong type
Solutions
1
Define relationship correctly on model
PHP
class Post extends Model
{
// Has Many
public function comments()
{
return $this->hasMany(Comment::class);
}
// Belongs To
public function author()
{
return $this->belongsTo(User::class, 'user_id');
}
// Many to Many
public function tags()
{
return $this->belongsToMany(Tag::class);
}
}
2
Use correct case when accessing
PHP
// If method is: public function authorProfile()
// Access as camelCase:
$post->authorProfile;
// With eager loading:
Post::with('authorProfile')->get();
// NOT snake_case:
$post->author_profile; // Wrong!
3
Check inverse relationships
PHP
// In Comment model
class Comment extends Model
{
public function post()
{
return $this->belongsTo(Post::class);
}
public function user()
{
return $this->belongsTo(User::class);
}
}
4
Debug relationship issues
PHP
// Check if relationship method exists
dd(method_exists($post, 'comments'));
// Check relationship query
dd($post->comments()->toSql());
// Check what's returned
dd($post->comments);Need Help With Your Laravel Project?
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