✅ How to properly set a default value as UtcNow with EF Core and PostgreSQL

Hi there,

I use EF Core with a PostgreSQL DB. I want that each time I add an entity with EF Core in the DB, it saves the CreatedOn field with the value of the UtcNow.
I tried this :

protected override void OnModelCreating(ModelBuilder modelBuilder)
{
    modelBuilder.Entity<Ingredient>().Property(i => i.CreatedOn).HasDefaultValue(DateTime.UtcNow);
}

protected override void OnModelCreating(ModelBuilder modelBuilder)
{
    modelBuilder.Entity<Ingredient>().Property(i => i.CreatedOn).HasDefaultValue(DateTime.UtcNow);
}

But when I do "Add-Migration", I see that EF Core just saves the UtcNow once and will give this same value for every entity that I add.
If its 14h when I do the migration, every entity that I will add in the future will have this 14h value in the CreatedOn. It is not dynamic.
And the NOW() PostgreSQL function like this doesn't give the UtcNow unfortunately :

modelBuilder.Entity<Ingredient>().Property(i => i.CreatedOn).HasDefaultValueSql("NOW()");

modelBuilder.Entity<Ingredient>().Property(i => i.CreatedOn).HasDefaultValueSql("NOW()");

What are my options to do what I want to do?
I saw that I can write this property code in my EF Core Entity model

public DateTime CreatedOn { get; set; } = DateTime.UtcNow;

public DateTime CreatedOn { get; set; } = DateTime.UtcNow;

Can it work? And also, is it a good practice? Or should I use the Entity model constructor, something like :

public class Ingredient
{
  public Ingredient()
  {
      CreatedOn = DateTime.UtcNow;
  }
}

public class Ingredient
{
  public Ingredient()
  {
      CreatedOn = DateTime.UtcNow;
  }
}

What do you think?
I will very much appreciate every reply

✅ How to properly set a default value as UtcNow with EF Core and PostgreSQL

Hi there,

I use EF Core with a PostgreSQL DB. I want that each time I add an entity with EF Core in the DB, it saves the CreatedOn field with the value of the UtcNow.
I tried this :

protected override void OnModelCreating(ModelBuilder modelBuilder)
{
    modelBuilder.Entity<Ingredient>().Property(i => i.CreatedOn).HasDefaultValue(DateTime.UtcNow);
}

protected override void OnModelCreating(ModelBuilder modelBuilder)
{
    modelBuilder.Entity<Ingredient>().Property(i => i.CreatedOn).HasDefaultValue(DateTime.UtcNow);
}

modelBuilder.Entity<Ingredient>().Property(i => i.CreatedOn).HasDefaultValueSql("NOW()");

modelBuilder.Entity<Ingredient>().Property(i => i.CreatedOn).HasDefaultValueSql("NOW()");

What are my options to do what I want to do?
I saw that I can write this property code in my EF Core Entity model

public DateTime CreatedOn { get; set; } = DateTime.UtcNow;

public DateTime CreatedOn { get; set; } = DateTime.UtcNow;

Can it work? And also, is it a good practice? Or should I use the Entity model constructor, something like :

public class Ingredient
{
  public Ingredient()
  {
      CreatedOn = DateTime.UtcNow;
  }
}

public class Ingredient
{
  public Ingredient()
  {
      CreatedOn = DateTime.UtcNow;
  }
}

What do you think?
I will very much appreciate every reply

✅ How to properly set a default value as UtcNow with EF Core and PostgreSQL

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✅ How to properly set a default value as UtcNow with EF Core and PostgreSQL

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