How do you convert a Django Model object to a dictionary with all fields, including foreign keys and `editable=False` fields?

Convert Django Model Objects to Dictionaries with All Fields

Problem

How do you convert a Django Model object to a dictionary that includes all of its fields, including foreign keys and fields marked as editable=False?

Solution

There are several methods to achieve this:

1. Using instance.__dict__

instance.__dict__

However, this approach includes irrelevant attributes and may not include many-to-many relationships.

2. Using model_to_dict

from django.forms.models import model_to_dict
model_to_dict(instance)

This method captures many-to-many relationships but excludes uneditable fields.

3. Custom Function

from itertools import chain

def to_dict(instance):
    opts = instance._meta
    data = {}
    for f in chain(opts.concrete_fields, opts.private_fields):
        data[f.name] = f.value_from_object(instance)
    for f in opts.many_to_many:
        data[f.name] = [i.id for i in f.value_from_object(instance)]
    return data

This function retrieves all fields, including foreign key ids and many-to-many relationships.

4. Model Serializers

from rest_framework import serializers
class SomeModelSerializer(serializers.ModelSerializer):
    class Meta:
        model = SomeModel
        fields = "__all__"

SomeModelSerializer(instance).data

Model serializers provide a comprehensive representation, but may not always return datetime objects accurately.

5. Printable Model

To enhance model representation in the console, define a base model class:

from django.db import models
from itertools import chain

class PrintableModel(models.Model):
    def __repr__(self):
        return str(self.to_dict())

    def to_dict(instance):
        # ... (same code as in the Custom Function)

    class Meta:
        abstract = True

Inherit from this base model to automatically print dictionaries instead of default model representations.

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