django-attach

Django admin plugin for attaching files to model instances with multiple file selection support


License
BSD-3-Clause
Install
pip install django-attach==0.1

Documentation

django-attach

django-attach is a Django admin plugin for attaching files to model instances with multiple file selection support. Its main feature is a custom admin inline form. Requires a modern browser supporting HTML5 and XMLHttpRequest2, but falls back to the plain django inline form when these are not available.

Features:

  • Mutiple file selection.
  • Files are not uploaded or deleted until the form is submitted.
  • Properly handles both editing existing model instances, and adding new model instances (incl. validation errors, when uploaded files remain associated with a temporary object until the errors are corrected, and the instance can be saved).
  • Reports upload progress.
  • Reports any errors in asynchronous requests if they occur.

The plugin has been tested with Django 3.2.6.

Please report any issues or questions on Github Issues.

Installation

To install the latest stable release:

pip3 install django-attach

To install the latest development version, download this repository and run:

python3 setup.py install

Add the application to settings.py:

INSTALLED_APPS = (
    ...
    'django_attach.apps.DjangoAttachConfig',
    # Your apps follow here.
    ...
)

Initialize database tables and copy static files:

python3 manage.py makemigrations
python3 manage.py migrate
python3 manage.py collectstatic

Add a generic relation field to your model:

from django_attach.models import Attachment
from django.contrib.contenttypes.fields import GenericRelation
...

class MyModel(models.Model):
    ....
    attachments = GenericRelation(Attachment)

This is how you can access attachments in your program.

In admin.py of your application, add AttachmentInline to the list of inlines:

from django_attach.forms import AttachmentInline
...

class MyModelAdmin(admin.ModelAdmin):
    inlines = (AttachmentInline,)

In the admin, you should be able to see the attachment inline under the change and add pages of your model. You should also see a new application Django_Attach, where you can edit the raw attachments and temporary objects (described below) if you ever need to.

It is up to you to implement a meaningful way in which the attachments are used. One possible use is to allow text fields (e.g. article HTML content) of the model to reference them directly. You then have to supply a view which serves the files (e.g. via HTTP redirect) under the appropriate URL. You may also need to pipe the HTML content through a filter which modifies the relative links to absolute links (if you display multiple models under one URL).

Lastly, add the following line to your project's urls.py just above admin/:

urlpatterns = [
    ...
    # Add this line:
    path('admin/django_attach/', include('django_attach.urls')),

    path('admin/', admin.site.urls),
    ...
]

Example

Directory example_project contains an example django project demonstrating the use of django-attach. Please see example_project/README.md for more information.

Reference

class Attachment(Model)

Attachment objects hold individual files. They are associated with arbitrary model instances via the contenttypes framework.

Fields:

  • file - attachment file.
  • content_object - object associated with the attachment.
  • content_type - ID of ContentType of the associated model.
  • object_id - primary key of the associated model.
  • created - datetime when attachment was created.
  • modified - datatime when attachment was last modified.

You should not rely on file, content_object, content_type and object_id not being null.

class Temporary(Model)

Temporary objects. Files attached to instances yet to be saved are associated with temporary objects. They are removed once the instance is saved.

Fields:

  • attachments - attachments associated with the temporary object.
  • created - datetime when temporary object was created.
  • modified - datetime when temporary object was last modified.

Settings

ATTACHMENT_ROOT

Default: 'attachment'

Path where attachments are stored (relative to MEDIA_ROOT).

How it works

File selection upon clicking Attach button is implemented using a hidden <input type="file" multiple="true">. Files are uploaded asynchronously when the model form is submitted. If the instance is yet to be created, they are associated with a new Temporary object. Once the model instance is saved, they are re-attached to the instance, and moved in the file storage to the appropriate location (MEDIA_ROOT/attachment/<model>/<id>/). File deletion is implemented using the ordinary hidden *-DELETE fields as in inline formset, submitted synchronously on model form submission.

Known issues

  • Stale files (uploaded via the add page of your model, but whose associated model instance was not eventually saved) need to be removed manually in the Django_Attach application in the admin. This can be done by removing the old Temporary objects they are attached to.
  • django-attach is not yet fully translatable.

Security considerations

  • django-attach is bundled with minified versions of JavaScript libraries d3.js and queue downloaded from github.com/mbostock.
  • django-attach has not yet been well tested with respect to honoring django admin model permissions.

License

django-attach is released under the BSD License. See LICENSE and LICENSE.third-party for details.

Screenshots

AttachmentInline displays a list of attachments on a model change page. Attachments are added by clicking the Attach file button. They can renamed, removed and reverted. Changes are applied when the form is saved.

New attachments are uploaded asynchronously when form is submitted. Upload progress is shown.

Release Notes

1.3.0 (2021-08-29)

  • Improved style more closely matching the admin interface.
  • Support for translation.

1.2.1 (2021-08-18)

  • Support for renaming files.
  • Fixed uploading of files on new model instances.
  • Fixed removing of new files.

1.1.0 (2021-08-14)

  • Revert button.
  • Indication of new and removed items.
  • Fixed progress indication when multiple files are uploaded.
  • Fixed remove button on mobile.

1.0.0 (2021-05-30)

  • Support for Django 3.2.3.

0.1.3 (2013-09-11)

  • Fixed wrong database name.
  • Improved README.

0.1, 0.1.1, 0.1.2 (2013-09-06)

  • Initial release.
  • Support for Django 1.5.