Back
Feb 18, 2010

User profiles with inheritance in Django

Usually users' profiles are stored in single model. When there are multiple user types, separation is made by some field like user_type.

Situation is a little more complicated when different data is needed for each user type.

Of course it's better when all users have same type and are granted different permissions. But since we got task to have separate user types - we'll have to solve it.

Simple solution

The most obvious solution is to make base profile with type identifier, which will pull needed model instance:

request.user.get_profile().get_final_profile()

But I don't really like this solution. Firstly, get_final_profile method is basically a big switch-case. Secondly - we must not forget to call extra method.

I wanted to simply write request.user.profile ans get needed profile instance. This is possible by combining two known tricks - Upcast and AutoOneToOneField.

Upcast

Allows to get sublass instance from base class instance.

AutoOneToOneField

Allows creating related objects on request. This field is not needed per se, only idea. Taking AutoOneToOneField as a base, it's easy to create a new one that calls upcast when related objects is requested.

Solution

class UpCastModel(models.Model):
    """
    Base class for models that are ment to be inherited.
    Introduces upcast method that returns child instance.
    """
    final_type = models.ForeignKey(ContentType, editable=False)

    def save(self, args, **kwargs):
        if not self.pk:
            self.final_type = ContentType.objects.get_for_model(type(self))
        super(UpCastModel, self).save(args, **kwargs)

    def upcast(self):
        if not hasattr(self, '_upcast'):
            if self.final_type.model_class == self.class:
                self._upcast = self
            else:
                self._upcast = self.final_type.get_object_for_this_type(id=self.pk)
        return self._upcast

    class Meta:
        abstract = True


class UpCastSingleRelatedObjectDescriptor(SingleRelatedObjectDescriptor):

    def get(self, instance, instance_type=None):
        parent = super(
            UpCastSingleRelatedObjectDescriptor, self
        ).get(instance, instance_type)
        return parent.upcast()


class UpCastOneToOneField(models.OneToOneField):
    """
    UpCastOneToOneField gets child of related object.
    """
    def contribute_to_related_class(self, cls, related):
        setattr(
            cls, related.get_accessor_name(),
            UpCastSingleRelatedObjectDescriptor(related)
        )

Now profile looks like this:

class BaseProfile(UpcastModel):
    user = UpCastOneToOneField(User)


class BoyProfile(BaseProfile):
    pass


class GirlProfile(CitizenProfile):
    pass

In order to get users, profile, we just need to write requst.user.profile.

Subscribe for the news and updates

More thoughts
Dec 22, 2024Technology
Python and the Point Rush in DeFi

This article demonstrates how to use Python to automate yield calculations in decentralized finance (DeFi), focusing on the Renzo and Pendle platforms. It guides readers through estimating potential rewards based on factors like token prices, liquidity, and reward distribution rules, emphasizing the importance of regular data updates and informed decision-making in DeFi investments.

Mar 18, 2024Technology
From boring to exciting: turn learning to code into an adventure

Tired of boring programming courses where you're forced to read thick textbooks and write code that's never used? Need a platform that makes learning fun and exciting? Then you're in the right place!

Sep 1, 2021TechnologyBusiness
Top 10 Web Development Frameworks in 2021 - 2022

We have reviewed the top web frameworks for server and client-side development and compared their pros and cons. Find out which one can be a great fit for your next project.

Jun 27, 2018Technology
How to Work With Legacy Code: Code Refactoring Techniques

In this article we'll review general approach to working with the best kind of projects - the ones with old untested and undocumented spaghetti code and a tight schedule. We'll review anger management techniques, coping mechanisms and some refactoring tips that might come in handy.

Dec 1, 2016Technology
How to Use Django & PostgreSQL for Full Text Search

For any project there may be a need to use a database full-text search. We expect high speed and relevant results from this search. When we face such problem, we usually think about Solr, ElasticSearch, Sphinx, AWS CloudSearch, etc. But in this article we will talk about PostgreSQL. Starting from version 8.3, a full-text search support in PostgreSQL is available. Let's look at how it is implemented in the DBMS itself.

Jul 1, 2010Technology
Overriding QuerySet in Django

As you know, model managers can be overriden in Django. It's convenient to add custom filtration method.