使用查询生成器创建Eloquent集合

I just wanted to make sure this was acceptable and that there were no pitfalls to this method of building Eloquent models.

I'm used to simple Eloquent::where('something', 'else') kinda calls. However with the database I have, I needed to join a couple of tables to properly get the model I need with the data I had accessible in the code. Is it okay to populate an eloquent collection while calling joins and more complex sql queries?

Here's some example code to demonstrate the point:

$items = Item::select('items.*')
    ->join('shops as sh', 'shops.id', '=', 'items.shop_id')
    ->where('sh.name', 'Cool Shop')
    ->get();

I'm aware of the has-any-through relationships too. But if the above is fine, I definitely would appreciate that kind of flexibility that can turn many SQL queries into an Eloquent model.

Thanks

That's perfectly fine.

As you already know, it's important to limit the selected columns. Otherwise data from join tables can overwrite data from your model table and lead to unexpected results.