# Inheritance Out of various types of ORM models inheritance `ormar` currently supports two of them: * **Mixins** * **Concrete table inheritance** (with parents set to `abstract=True`) ## Types of inheritance The short summary of different types of inheritance is: * **Mixins [SUPPORTED]** - don't subclass `ormar.Model`, just define fields that are later used on different models (like `created_date` and `updated_date` on each model), only actual models create tables, but those fields from mixins are added * **Concrete table inheritance [SUPPORTED]** - means that parent is marked as abstract and each child has it's own table with columns from parent and own child columns, kind of similar to Mixins but parent also is a Model * **Single table inheritance [NOT SUPPORTED]** - means that only one table is created with fields that are combination/sum of the parent and all children models but child models use only subset of column in db (all parent and own ones, skipping the other children ones) * **Multi/ Joined table inheritance [NOT SUPPORTED]** - means that part of the columns is saved on parent model and part is saved on child model that are connected to each other by kind of one to one relation and under the hood you operate on two models at once * **Proxy models [NOT SUPPORTED]** - means that only parent has an actual table, children just add methods, modify settings etc. ## Mixins To use Mixins just define a class that is not inheriting from an `ormar.Model` but is defining `ormar.Fields` as class variables. ```python # a mixin defines the fields but is a normal python class class AuditMixin: created_by: str = ormar.String(max_length=100) updated_by: str = ormar.String(max_length=100, default="Sam") class DateFieldsMixins: created_date: datetime.datetime = ormar.DateTime(default=datetime.datetime.now) updated_date: datetime.datetime = ormar.DateTime(default=datetime.datetime.now) # a models can inherit from one or more mixins class Category(ormar.Model, DateFieldsMixins, AuditMixin): class Meta(ormar.ModelMeta): tablename = "categories" metadata = metadata database = db id: int = ormar.Integer(primary_key=True) name: str = ormar.String(max_length=50, unique=True, index=True) code: int = ormar.Integer() ``` !!!tip Note that Mixins are **not** models, so you still need to inherit from `ormar.Model` as well as define `Meta` class in the **final** model. A Category class above will have four additional fields: `created_date`, `updated_date`, `created_by` and `updated_by`. There will be only one table created for model `Category` (`categories`), with `Category` class fields combined with all `Mixins` fields. Note that `Mixin` in class name is optional but is a good python practice. ## Concrete table inheritance In concept concrete table inheritance is very similar to Mixins, but uses actual `ormar.Models` as base classes. !!!warning Note that base classes have `abstract=True` set in `Meta` class, if you try to inherit from non abstract marked class `ModelDefinitionError` will be raised. Since this abstract Model will never be initialized you can skip `metadata` and `database` in it's `Meta` definition. But if you provide it - it will be inherited, that way you do not have to provide `metadata` and `databases` in the final/concrete class Note that you can always overwrite it in child/concrete class if you need to. More over at least one of the classes in inheritance chain have to provide both `database` and `metadata` - otherwise an error will be raised. ```python # note that base classes have abstract=True # since this model will never be initialized you can skip metadata and database class AuditModel(ormar.Model): class Meta: abstract = True created_by: str = ormar.String(max_length=100) updated_by: str = ormar.String(max_length=100, default="Sam") # but if you provide it it will be inherited - DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) in action class DateFieldsModel(ormar.Model): class Meta: abstract = True metadata = metadata database = db created_date: datetime.datetime = ormar.DateTime(default=datetime.datetime.now) updated_date: datetime.datetime = ormar.DateTime(default=datetime.datetime.now) # that way you do not have to provide metadata and databases in concrete class class Category(DateFieldsModel, AuditModel): class Meta(ormar.ModelMeta): tablename = "categories" id: int = ormar.Integer(primary_key=True) name: str = ormar.String(max_length=50, unique=True, index=True) code: int = ormar.Integer() ``` The list of inherited options/settings is as follows: `metadata`, `database` and `constraints`. Also methods decorated with `@property_field` decorator will be inherited/recognized. Of course apart from that all fields from base classes are combined and created in the concrete table of the final Model. !!!tip Note how you don't have to provide `abstarct=False` in the final class - it's the default setting that is not inherited. ## Redefining fields in subclasses Note that you can redefine previously created fields like in normal python class inheritance. Whenever you define a field with same name and new definition it will completely replace the previously defined one. ```python # base class class DateFieldsModel(ormar.Model): class Meta: abstract = True metadata = metadata database = db # note that UniqueColumns need sqlalchemy db columns names not the ormar ones constraints = [ormar.UniqueColumns("creation_date", "modification_date")] created_date: datetime.datetime = ormar.DateTime( default=datetime.datetime.now, name="creation_date" ) updated_date: datetime.datetime = ormar.DateTime( default=datetime.datetime.now, name="modification_date" ) class RedefinedField(DateFieldsModel): class Meta(ormar.ModelMeta): tablename = "redefines" metadata = metadata database = db id: int = ormar.Integer(primary_key=True) # here the created_date is replaced by the String field created_date: str = ormar.String(max_length=200, name="creation_date") # you can verify that the final field is correctly declared and created changed_field = RedefinedField.Meta.model_fields["created_date"] assert changed_field.default is None assert changed_field.alias == "creation_date" assert any(x.name == "creation_date" for x in RedefinedField.Meta.table.columns) assert isinstance( RedefinedField.Meta.table.columns["creation_date"].type, sqlalchemy.sql.sqltypes.String, ) ``` !!!warning If you declare `UniqueColumns` constraint with column names, the final model **has to have** a column with the same name declared. Otherwise, the `ModelDefinitionError` will be raised. So in example above if you do not provide `name` for `created_date` in `RedefinedField` model ormar will complain. `created_date: str = ormar.String(max_length=200) # exception` `created_date: str = ormar.String(max_length=200, name="creation_date2") # exception` ## Relations in inheritance You can declare relations in every step of inheritance, so both in parent and child classes. When inheriting relations, you always need to be aware of `related_name` parameter, that has to be unique across a model, when you define multiple child classes that inherit the same relation. If you do not provide `related_name` parameter ormar calculates it for you. This works with inheritance as all child models have to have different class names, which are used to calculate the default `related_name` (class.name.lower()+'s'). But, if you provide a `related_name` this name cannot be reused in all child models as they would overwrite each other on the related model side. Therefore, you have two options: * redefine relation field in child models and manually provide different `related_name` parameters * let this for `ormar` to handle -> auto adjusted related_name are: original related_name + "_" + child model **table** name That might sound complicated but let's look at the following example: ```python # normal model used in relation class Person(ormar.Model): class Meta: metadata = metadata database = db id: int = ormar.Integer(primary_key=True) name: str = ormar.String(max_length=100) # parent model - needs to be abstract class Car(ormar.Model): class Meta: abstract = True metadata = metadata database = db id: int = ormar.Integer(primary_key=True) name: str = ormar.String(max_length=50) owner: Person = ormar.ForeignKey(Person) # note that we refer to the Person model again so we **have to** provide related_name co_owner: Person = ormar.ForeignKey(Person, related_name="coowned") created_date: datetime.datetime = ormar.DateTime(default=datetime.datetime.now) class Truck(Car): class Meta: pass max_capacity: int = ormar.Integer() class Bus(Car): class Meta: # default naming is name.lower()+'s' so it's ugly for buss ;) tablename = "buses" max_persons: int = ormar.Integer() ``` Now when you will inspect the fields on Person model you will get: ```python Person.Meta.model_fields """ {'id': , 'name': , 'trucks': , 'coowned_trucks': , 'buss': , 'coowned_buses': } """ ``` Note how you have `trucks` and `buss` fields that leads to Truck and Bus class that this Person owns. There were no `related_name` parameter so default names were used. At the same time the co-owned cars need to be referenced by `coowned_trucks` and `coowned_buses`. Ormar appended `_trucks` and `_buses` suffixes taken from child model table names. Seems fine, but the default name for owned trucks is ok (`trucks`) but the `buss` is ugly, so how can we change it? The solution is pretty simple - just redefine the field in Bus class and provide different `related_name` parameter. ```python # rest of the above example remains the same class Bus(Car): class Meta: tablename = "buses" # new field that changes the related_name owner: Person = ormar.ForeignKey(Person, related_name="buses") max_persons: int = ormar.Integer() ``` Now the columns looks much better. ```python Person.Meta.model_fields """ {'id': , 'name': , 'trucks': , 'coowned_trucks': , 'buses': , 'coowned_buses': } """ ``` !!!note You could also provide `related_name` for the `owner` field, that way the proper suffixes would be added. `owner: Person = ormar.ForeignKey(Person, related_name="owned")` and model fields for Person owned cars would become `owned_trucks` and `owned_buses`.