---
name: "SQL::Translator::Schema::Field"
section: "3pm"
platform: "linux"
package: "libsql-translator-perl"
version: "1.66-1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/SQL::Translator::Schema::Field"
---

# SQL::Translator::Schema::Field(3pm)

SQL::Translator field object

## NAME

SQL::Translator::Schema::Field - SQL::Translator field object

## SYNOPSIS

```
  use SQL::Translator::Schema::Field;
  my $field = SQL::Translator::Schema::Field->new(
      name  => 'foo',
      table => $table,
  );
```

## DESCRIPTION

`"SQL::Translator::Schema::Field"` is the field object.

## METHODS

### new

Object constructor.

```
  my $field = SQL::Translator::Schema::Field->new(
      name  => 'foo',
      table => $table,
  );
```

### comments

Get or set the comments on a field.  May be called several times to set and it will accumulate the comments.  Called in an array context, returns each comment individually; called in a scalar context, returns all the comments joined on newlines.

```
  $field->comments('foo');
  $field->comments('bar');
  print join( ', ', $field->comments ); # prints "foo, bar"
```

### data\_type

Get or set the field's data type.

```
  my $data_type = $field->data_type('integer');
```

### sql\_data\_type

Constant from DBI package representing this data type. See "DBI Constants" in DBI for more details.

### default\_value

Get or set the field's default value.  Will return undef if not defined and could return the empty string (it's a valid default value), so don't assume an error like other methods.

```
  my $default = $field->default_value('foo');
```

### foreign\_key\_reference

Get or set the field's foreign key reference;

```
  my $constraint = $field->foreign_key_reference( $constraint );
```

### is\_auto\_increment

Get or set the field's `"is_auto_increment"` attribute.

```
  my $is_auto = $field->is_auto_increment(1);
```

### is\_foreign\_key

Returns whether or not the field is a foreign key.

```
  my $is_fk = $field->is_foreign_key;
```

### is\_nullable

Get or set whether the field can be null.  If not defined, then returns "1" (assumes the field can be null).  The argument is evaluated by Perl for True or False, so the following are equivalent:

```
  $is_nullable = $field->is_nullable(0);
  $is_nullable = $field->is_nullable('');
  $is_nullable = $field->is_nullable('0');
```

While this is technically a field constraint, it's probably easier to represent this as an attribute of the field.  In order keep things consistent, any other constraint on the field (unique, primary, and foreign keys; checks) are represented as table constraints.

### is\_primary\_key

Get or set the field's `"is_primary_key"` attribute.  Does not create a table constraint (should it?).

```
  my $is_pk = $field->is_primary_key(1);
```

### is\_unique

Determine whether the field has a UNIQUE constraint or not.

```
  my $is_unique = $field->is_unique;
```

### is\_valid

Determine whether the field is valid or not.

```
  my $ok = $field->is_valid;
```

### name

Get or set the field's name.

```
 my $name = $field->name('foo');
```

The field object will also stringify to its name.

```
 my $setter_name = "set_$field";
```

Errors ("No field name") if you try to set a blank name.

### full\_name

Read only method to return the fields name with its table name pre-pended. e.g. "person.foo".

### order

Get or set the field's order.

```
  my $order = $field->order(3);
```

### schema

Shortcut to get the fields schema ($field-\>table-\>schema) or undef if it doesn't have one.

```
  my $schema = $field->schema;
```

### size

Get or set the field's size.  Accepts a string, array or arrayref of numbers and returns a string.

```
  $field->size( 30 );
  $field->size( [ 255 ] );
  $size = $field->size( 10, 2 );
  print $size; # prints "10,2"
  $size = $field->size( '10, 2' );
  print $size; # prints "10,2"
```

### table

Get or set the field's table object. As the table object stringifies this can also be used to get the table name.

```
  my $table = $field->table;
  print "Table name: $table";
```

### parsed\_field

Returns the field exactly as the parser found it

### equals

Determines if this field is the same as another

```
  my $isIdentical = $field1->equals( $field2 );
```

## AUTHOR

Ken Youens-Clark \<kclark@cpan.org\>.