I think the best way to ask this question is with some code... can I do this? (edit: ANSWER: no)
class MyModel(models.Model):
foo = models.CharField(max_length = 20)
bar = models.CharField(max_length = 20)
def get_foo(self):
if self.bar:
return self.bar
else:
return self.foo
def set_foo(self, input):
self.foo = input
foo = property(get_foo, set_foo)
or do I have to do it like this:
Yes, you have to do it like this:
class MyModel(models.Model):
_foo = models.CharField(max_length = 20, db_column='foo')
bar = models.CharField(max_length = 20)
def get_foo(self):
if self.bar:
return self.bar
else:
return self._foo
def set_foo(self, input):
self._foo = input
foo = property(get_foo, set_foo)
note: you can keep the column name as 'foo' in the database by passing a db_column to the model field. This is very helpful when you are working on an existing system and you don't want to have to do db migrations for no reason