SQLSTATE[HY000]: General error: 1005 Can't create table - Laravel 4

Question

I get this error when I do php artisan migrate. Is there something wrong in my migration files? Or is it possible my models are wrong coded? But the migrations should work even there is something wrong in the models?

[Exception]                                                                  
  SQLSTATE[HY000]: General error: 1005 Can't create table 'festival_aid.#sql-  
  16643_2033' (errno: 150) (SQL: alter table `gigs` add constraint gigs_band_  
  id_foreign foreign key (`band_id`) references `bands` (`band_id`) on delete  
   cascade) (Bindings: array (                                                 
  ))

[PDOException]                                                               
  SQLSTATE[HY000]: General error: 1005 Can't create table 'festival_aid.#sql-  
  16643_2033' (errno: 150)

gigs migration

public function up()
    {
        Schema::create('gigs', function($table)
        {
            $table->increments('gig_id');

            $table->dateTime('gig_startdate');

            $table->integer('band_id')->unsigned();
            $table->integer('stage_id')->unsigned();

            $table->foreign('band_id')
                ->references('band_id')->on('bands')
                ->onDelete('cascade');

            $table->foreign('stage_id')
                ->references('stage_id')->on('stages')
                ->onDelete('cascade');
        });

    public function down()
    {
        Schema::table('gigs', function($table)
        {
            Schema::drop('gigs');
            $table->dropForeign('gigs_band_id_foreign');
            $table->dropForeign('gigs_stage_id_foreign');
        });
    }

bands migration

public function up()
    {
        Schema::create('bands', function($table)
        {
            $table->increments('band_id');

            $table->string('band_name');
            $table->text('band_members');
            $table->string('band_genre');
            $table->dateTime('band_startdate');
        });
    }

    public function down()
    {
        Schema::table('bands', function(Blueprint $table)
        {
            Schema::drop('bands');
        });
    }

Model Band

<?php

class Band extends Eloquent {

    protected $primaryKey = 'band_id';

    public function gig()
    {
        return $this->hasOne('Gig', 'band_id', 'band_id');
    }
}

Model Gig

<?php

class Gig extends Eloquent {
    protected $primaryKey = 'gig_id';

    public function gig()
    {
        return $this->belongsTo('Band', 'band_id', 'band_id');
    }

    public function stage()
    {
        return $this->belongsTo('Stage', 'stage_id', 'stage_id');
    }
}

Answer 1

You must first create the table, then create the foreign keys:

Schema::create('gigs', function($table)
{
    $table->increments('gig_id');

    $table->dateTime('gig_startdate');

    $table->integer('band_id')->unsigned();
    $table->integer('stage_id')->unsigned();
});

Schema::table('gigs', function($table)
{
    $table->foreign('band_id')
        ->references('band_id')->on('bands')
        ->onDelete('cascade');

    $table->foreign('stage_id')
        ->references('stage_id')->on('stages')
        ->onDelete('cascade');
});

And your bands table should migrate first, since the gigs is referencing it.

Answer 2

While this doesn't apply to OP, others might have this issue:

From the bottom of the Laravel Schema docs:

Note: When creating a foreign key that references an incrementing integer, remember to always make the foreign key column unsigned.

You can do this via $table->integer('user_id')->unsigned(); when creating your table in the migration file.

Took me a few minutes to realize what was happening.