django-rest-framework, multitable model inheritance, ModelSerializers and nested serializers

Question

I can't find this info in the docs or on the interwebs.
latest django-rest-framework, django 1.6.5

How does one create a ModelSerializer that can handle a nested serializers where the nested model is implemented using multitable inheritance?

e.g.

######## MODELS
class OtherModel(models.Model):
    stuff = models.CharField(max_length=255)

class MyBaseModel(models.Model):
    whaddup = models.CharField(max_length=255)
    other_model = models.ForeignKey(OtherModel)

class ModelA(MyBaseModel):
    attr_a = models.CharField(max_length=255)

class ModelB(MyBaseModel):
    attr_b = models.CharField(max_length=255)


####### SERIALIZERS
class MyBaseModelSerializer(serializers.ModelSerializer):
    class Meta:
        model=MyBaseModel

class OtherModelSerializer(serializer.ModelSerializer):
    mybasemodel_set = MyBaseModelSerializer(many=True)

    class Meta:
        model = OtherModel

This obviously doesn't work but illustrates what i'm trying to do here.
In OtherModelSerializer, I'd like mybasemodel_set to serialize specific represenntations of either ModelA or ModelB depending on what we have.

If it matters, I'm also using django.model_utils and inheritencemanager so i can retrieve a queryset where each instance is already an instance of appropriate subclass.

Thanks

Jeff Pipas Jeff Pipas · Accepted Answer · 2017-02-16T18:58:40

I've solved this issue a slightly different way.

Using:

DRF 3.5.x
django-model-utils 2.5.x

My models.py look like this:

class Person(models.Model):
    first_name = models.CharField(max_length=40, blank=False, null=False)
    middle_name = models.CharField(max_length=80, blank=True, null=True)
    last_name = models.CharField(max_length=80, blank=False, null=False)
    family = models.ForeignKey(Family, blank=True, null=True)


class Clergy(Person):
    category = models.IntegerField(choices=CATEGORY, blank=True, null=True)
    external = models.NullBooleanField(default=False, null=True)
    clergy_status = models.ForeignKey(ClergyStatus, related_name="%(class)s_status", blank=True, null=True)


class Religious(Person):
    religious_order = models.ForeignKey(ReligiousOrder, blank=True, null=True)
    major_superior = models.ForeignKey(Person, blank=True, null=True, related_name="%(class)s_superior")


class ReligiousOrder(models.Model):
    name = models.CharField(max_length=255, blank=False, null=False)
    initials = models.CharField(max_length=20, blank=False, null=False)


class ClergyStatus(models.Model):
    display_name = models.CharField(max_length=255, blank=True, null=True)
    description = models.CharField(max_length=255, blank=True, null=True)

Basically - The base model is the "Person" model - and a person can either be Clergy, Religious, or neither and simply be a "Person". While the models that inherit Person have special relationships as well.

In my views.py I utilize a mixin to "inject" the subclasses into the queryset like so:

class PersonSubClassFieldsMixin(object):

    def get_queryset(self):
        return Person.objects.select_subclasses()

class RetrievePersonAPIView(PersonSubClassFieldsMixin, generics.RetrieveDestroyAPIView):
    serializer_class = PersonListSerializer
    ...

And then real "unDRY" part comes in serializers.py where I declare the "base" PersonListSerializer, but override the to_representation method to return special serailzers based on the instance type like so:

class PersonListSerializer(serializers.ModelSerializer):

    def to_representation(self, instance):
        if isinstance(instance, Clergy):
            return ClergySerializer(instance=instance).data
        elif isinstance(instance, Religious):
            return ReligiousSerializer(instance=instance).data
        else:
            return LaySerializer(instance=instance).data

    class Meta:
        model = Person
        fields = '__all__'


class ReligiousSerializer(serializers.ModelSerializer):
    class Meta:
        model = Religious
        fields = '__all__'
        depth = 2


class LaySerializer(serializers.ModelSerializer):
    class Meta:
        model = Person
        fields = '__all__'


class ClergySerializer(serializers.ModelSerializer):
    class Meta:
        model = Clergy
        fields = '__all__'
        depth = 2

The "switch" happens in the to_representation method of the main serializer (PersonListSerializer). It looks at the instance type, and then "injects" the needed serializer. Since Clergy, Religious are all inherited from Person getting back a Person that is also a Clergy member, returns all the Person fields and all the Clergy fields. Same goes for Religious. And if the Person is neither Clergy or Religious - the base model fields are only returned.

Not sure if this is the proper approach - but it seems very flexible, and fits my usecase. Note that I save/update/create Person thru different views/serializers - so I don't have to worry about that with this type of setup.

django-rest-framework, multitable model inheritance, ModelSerializers and nested serializers

4 Answers