""" 36. Generating HTML forms from models Django provides shortcuts for creating Form objects from a model class and a model instance. The function django.newforms.form_for_model() takes a model class and returns a Form that is tied to the model. This Form works just like any other Form, with one additional method: save(). The save() method creates an instance of the model and returns that newly created instance. It saves the instance to the database if save(commit=True), which is default. If you pass commit=False, then you'll get the object without committing the changes to the database. The function django.newforms.form_for_instance() takes a model instance and returns a Form that is tied to the instance. This form works just like any other Form, with one additional method: save(). The save() method updates the model instance. It also takes a commit=True parameter. The function django.newforms.save_instance() takes a bound form instance and a model instance and saves the form's cleaned_data into the instance. It also takes a commit=True parameter. """ from django.db import models ARTICLE_STATUS = ( (1, 'Draft'), (2, 'Pending'), (3, 'Live'), ) class Category(models.Model): name = models.CharField(maxlength=20) url = models.CharField('The URL', maxlength=40) def __str__(self): return self.name class Writer(models.Model): name = models.CharField(maxlength=50, help_text='Use both first and last names.') def __str__(self): return self.name class Article(models.Model): headline = models.CharField(maxlength=50) pub_date = models.DateField() created = models.DateField(editable=False) writer = models.ForeignKey(Writer) article = models.TextField() categories = models.ManyToManyField(Category, blank=True) status = models.IntegerField(choices=ARTICLE_STATUS, blank=True, null=True) def save(self): import datetime if not self.id: self.created = datetime.date.today() return super(Article, self).save() def __str__(self): return self.headline class PhoneNumber(models.Model): phone = models.PhoneNumberField() description = models.CharField(maxlength=20) def __str__(self): return self.phone __test__ = {'API_TESTS': """ >>> from django.newforms import form_for_model, form_for_instance, save_instance, BaseForm, Form, CharField >>> import datetime >>> Category.objects.all() [] >>> CategoryForm = form_for_model(Category) >>> f = CategoryForm() >>> print f >>> print f.as_ul()
  • >>> print f['name'] >>> f = CategoryForm(auto_id=False) >>> print f.as_ul()
  • Name:
  • The URL:
  • >>> f = CategoryForm({'name': 'Entertainment', 'url': 'entertainment'}) >>> f.is_valid() True >>> f.cleaned_data {'url': u'entertainment', 'name': u'Entertainment'} >>> obj = f.save() >>> obj >>> Category.objects.all() [] >>> f = CategoryForm({'name': "It's a test", 'url': 'test'}) >>> f.is_valid() True >>> f.cleaned_data {'url': u'test', 'name': u"It's a test"} >>> obj = f.save() >>> obj >>> Category.objects.all() [, ] If you call save() with commit=False, then it will return an object that hasn't yet been saved to the database. In this case, it's up to you to call save() on the resulting model instance. >>> f = CategoryForm({'name': 'Third test', 'url': 'third'}) >>> f.is_valid() True >>> f.cleaned_data {'url': u'third', 'name': u'Third test'} >>> obj = f.save(commit=False) >>> obj >>> Category.objects.all() [, ] >>> obj.save() >>> Category.objects.all() [, , ] If you call save() with invalid data, you'll get a ValueError. >>> f = CategoryForm({'name': '', 'url': 'foo'}) >>> f.errors {'name': [u'This field is required.']} >>> f.cleaned_data Traceback (most recent call last): ... AttributeError: 'CategoryForm' object has no attribute 'cleaned_data' >>> f.save() Traceback (most recent call last): ... ValueError: The Category could not be created because the data didn't validate. >>> f = CategoryForm({'name': '', 'url': 'foo'}) >>> f.save() Traceback (most recent call last): ... ValueError: The Category could not be created because the data didn't validate. Create a couple of Writers. >>> w = Writer(name='Mike Royko') >>> w.save() >>> w = Writer(name='Bob Woodward') >>> w.save() ManyToManyFields are represented by a MultipleChoiceField, ForeignKeys and any fields with the 'choices' attribute are represented by a ChoiceField. >>> ArticleForm = form_for_model(Article) >>> f = ArticleForm(auto_id=False) >>> print f Headline: Pub date: Writer: Article: Status: Categories:
    Hold down "Control", or "Command" on a Mac, to select more than one. You can restrict a form to a subset of the complete list of fields by providing a 'fields' argument. If you try to save a model created with such a form, you need to ensure that the fields that are _not_ on the form have default values, or are allowed to have a value of None. If a field isn't specified on a form, the object created from the form can't provide a value for that field! >>> PartialArticleForm = form_for_model(Article, fields=('headline','pub_date')) >>> f = PartialArticleForm(auto_id=False) >>> print f Headline: Pub date: You can pass a custom Form class to form_for_model. Make sure it's a subclass of BaseForm, not Form. >>> class CustomForm(BaseForm): ... def say_hello(self): ... print 'hello' >>> CategoryForm = form_for_model(Category, form=CustomForm) >>> f = CategoryForm() >>> f.say_hello() hello Use form_for_instance to create a Form from a model instance. The difference between this Form and one created via form_for_model is that the object's current values are inserted as 'initial' data in each Field. >>> w = Writer.objects.get(name='Mike Royko') >>> RoykoForm = form_for_instance(w) >>> f = RoykoForm(auto_id=False) >>> print f Name:
    Use both first and last names. >>> art = Article(headline='Test article', pub_date=datetime.date(1988, 1, 4), writer=w, article='Hello.') >>> art.save() >>> art.id 1 >>> TestArticleForm = form_for_instance(art) >>> f = TestArticleForm(auto_id=False) >>> print f.as_ul()
  • Headline:
  • Pub date:
  • Writer:
  • Article:
  • Status:
  • Categories: Hold down "Control", or "Command" on a Mac, to select more than one.
  • >>> f = TestArticleForm({'headline': u'Test headline', 'pub_date': u'1984-02-06', 'writer': u'1', 'article': 'Hello.'}) >>> f.is_valid() True >>> test_art = f.save() >>> test_art.id 1 >>> test_art = Article.objects.get(id=1) >>> test_art.headline 'Test headline' You can create a form over a subset of the available fields by specifying a 'fields' argument to form_for_instance. >>> PartialArticleForm = form_for_instance(art, fields=('headline','pub_date')) >>> f = PartialArticleForm({'headline': u'New headline', 'pub_date': u'1988-01-04'}, auto_id=False) >>> print f.as_ul()
  • Headline:
  • Pub date:
  • >>> f.is_valid() True >>> new_art = f.save() >>> new_art.id 1 >>> new_art = Article.objects.get(id=1) >>> new_art.headline 'New headline' Add some categories and test the many-to-many form output. >>> new_art.categories.all() [] >>> new_art.categories.add(Category.objects.get(name='Entertainment')) >>> new_art.categories.all() [] >>> TestArticleForm = form_for_instance(new_art) >>> f = TestArticleForm(auto_id=False) >>> print f.as_ul()
  • Headline:
  • Pub date:
  • Writer:
  • Article:
  • Status:
  • Categories: Hold down "Control", or "Command" on a Mac, to select more than one.
  • >>> f = TestArticleForm({'headline': u'New headline', 'pub_date': u'1988-01-04', ... 'writer': u'1', 'article': u'Hello.', 'categories': [u'1', u'2']}) >>> new_art = f.save() >>> new_art.id 1 >>> new_art = Article.objects.get(id=1) >>> new_art.categories.all() [, ] Now, submit form data with no categories. This deletes the existing categories. >>> f = TestArticleForm({'headline': u'New headline', 'pub_date': u'1988-01-04', ... 'writer': u'1', 'article': u'Hello.'}) >>> new_art = f.save() >>> new_art.id 1 >>> new_art = Article.objects.get(id=1) >>> new_art.categories.all() [] Create a new article, with categories, via the form. >>> ArticleForm = form_for_model(Article) >>> f = ArticleForm({'headline': u'The walrus was Paul', 'pub_date': u'1967-11-01', ... 'writer': u'1', 'article': u'Test.', 'categories': [u'1', u'2']}) >>> new_art = f.save() >>> new_art.id 2 >>> new_art = Article.objects.get(id=2) >>> new_art.categories.all() [, ] Create a new article, with no categories, via the form. >>> ArticleForm = form_for_model(Article) >>> f = ArticleForm({'headline': u'The walrus was Paul', 'pub_date': u'1967-11-01', ... 'writer': u'1', 'article': u'Test.'}) >>> new_art = f.save() >>> new_art.id 3 >>> new_art = Article.objects.get(id=3) >>> new_art.categories.all() [] Here, we define a custom Form. Because it happens to have the same fields as the Category model, we can use save_instance() to apply its changes to an existing Category instance. >>> class ShortCategory(Form): ... name = CharField(max_length=5) ... url = CharField(max_length=3) >>> cat = Category.objects.get(name='Third test') >>> cat >>> cat.id 3 >>> sc = ShortCategory({'name': 'Third', 'url': '3rd'}) >>> save_instance(sc, cat) >>> Category.objects.get(id=3) Here, we demonstrate that choices for a ForeignKey ChoiceField are determined at runtime, based on the data in the database when the form is displayed, not the data in the database when the form is instantiated. >>> ArticleForm = form_for_model(Article) >>> f = ArticleForm(auto_id=False) >>> print f.as_ul()
  • Headline:
  • Pub date:
  • Writer:
  • Article:
  • Status:
  • Categories: Hold down "Control", or "Command" on a Mac, to select more than one.
  • >>> Category.objects.create(name='Fourth', url='4th') >>> Writer.objects.create(name='Carl Bernstein') >>> print f.as_ul()
  • Headline:
  • Pub date:
  • Writer:
  • Article:
  • Status:
  • Categories: Hold down "Control", or "Command" on a Mac, to select more than one.
  • # ModelChoiceField ############################################################ >>> from django.newforms import ModelChoiceField, ModelMultipleChoiceField >>> f = ModelChoiceField(Category.objects.all()) >>> f.clean('') Traceback (most recent call last): ... ValidationError: [u'This field is required.'] >>> f.clean(None) Traceback (most recent call last): ... ValidationError: [u'This field is required.'] >>> f.clean(0) Traceback (most recent call last): ... ValidationError: [u'Select a valid choice. That choice is not one of the available choices.'] >>> f.clean(3) >>> f.clean(2) # Add a Category object *after* the ModelChoiceField has already been # instantiated. This proves clean() checks the database during clean() rather # than caching it at time of instantiation. >>> Category.objects.create(name='Fifth', url='5th') >>> f.clean(5) # Delete a Category object *after* the ModelChoiceField has already been # instantiated. This proves clean() checks the database during clean() rather # than caching it at time of instantiation. >>> Category.objects.get(url='5th').delete() >>> f.clean(5) Traceback (most recent call last): ... ValidationError: [u'Select a valid choice. That choice is not one of the available choices.'] >>> f = ModelChoiceField(Category.objects.filter(pk=1), required=False) >>> print f.clean('') None >>> f.clean('') >>> f.clean('1') >>> f.clean('100') Traceback (most recent call last): ... ValidationError: [u'Select a valid choice. That choice is not one of the available choices.'] # ModelMultipleChoiceField #################################################### >>> f = ModelMultipleChoiceField(Category.objects.all()) >>> f.clean(None) Traceback (most recent call last): ... ValidationError: [u'This field is required.'] >>> f.clean([]) Traceback (most recent call last): ... ValidationError: [u'This field is required.'] >>> f.clean([1]) [] >>> f.clean([2]) [] >>> f.clean(['1']) [] >>> f.clean(['1', '2']) [, ] >>> f.clean([1, '2']) [, ] >>> f.clean((1, '2')) [, ] >>> f.clean(['100']) Traceback (most recent call last): ... ValidationError: [u'Select a valid choice. 100 is not one of the available choices.'] >>> f.clean('hello') Traceback (most recent call last): ... ValidationError: [u'Enter a list of values.'] # Add a Category object *after* the ModelChoiceField has already been # instantiated. This proves clean() checks the database during clean() rather # than caching it at time of instantiation. >>> Category.objects.create(id=6, name='Sixth', url='6th') >>> f.clean([6]) [] # Delete a Category object *after* the ModelChoiceField has already been # instantiated. This proves clean() checks the database during clean() rather # than caching it at time of instantiation. >>> Category.objects.get(url='6th').delete() >>> f.clean([6]) Traceback (most recent call last): ... ValidationError: [u'Select a valid choice. 6 is not one of the available choices.'] >>> f = ModelMultipleChoiceField(Category.objects.all(), required=False) >>> f.clean([]) [] >>> f.clean(()) [] >>> f.clean(['10']) Traceback (most recent call last): ... ValidationError: [u'Select a valid choice. 10 is not one of the available choices.'] >>> f.clean(['3', '10']) Traceback (most recent call last): ... ValidationError: [u'Select a valid choice. 10 is not one of the available choices.'] >>> f.clean(['1', '10']) Traceback (most recent call last): ... ValidationError: [u'Select a valid choice. 10 is not one of the available choices.'] # PhoneNumberField ############################################################ >>> PhoneNumberForm = form_for_model(PhoneNumber) >>> f = PhoneNumberForm({'phone': '(312) 555-1212', 'description': 'Assistance'}) >>> f.is_valid() True >>> f.cleaned_data {'phone': u'312-555-1212', 'description': u'Assistance'} """}