Integrate into django app

How to integrate generated models into your Django app

This guide shows how to place the generated static models file into your Django app, wire it up, and ship it with migrations.

1) Choose where to write the generated file

Recommended: generate into your app package and set the app_label to your app name. Example for app myapp:

from pydantic2django.pydantic.generator import StaticPydanticModelGenerator

gen = StaticPydanticModelGenerator(
    output_path="myapp/models_generated.py",   # inside your app
    app_label="myapp",                         # matches your app label
    packages=["your_models_pkg"],
    module_mappings={"__main__": "myapp.models_generated"},  # optional import fixups
    verbose=True,
)
gen.generate()

Notes: - app_label is embedded in each generated model’s Meta. This ensures migrations belong to your app. - If your source classes are defined in scripts (module __main__), use module_mappings to rewrite imports to a stable module path.

2) Expose generated models from myapp/models.py

Keep your hand-written models.py, and re-export generated models:

# myapp/models.py
from .models_generated import *  # re-export generated models

# (Optional) Your custom models can live here alongside the generated ones.

This lets admin, serializers, and other app code import everything from myapp.models as usual.

3) Add your app to INSTALLED_APPS

# settings.py
INSTALLED_APPS = [
    # ...
    "myapp",
]
DEFAULT_AUTO_FIELD = "django.db.models.BigAutoField"

4) Create and apply migrations

Generated models are standard Django models; create migrations like normal:

python manage.py makemigrations myapp
python manage.py migrate

Regenerate models after source changes, then run makemigrations again if the schema changed.

5) Register in the Django admin (optional)

If you want to auto-register all generated models:

# myapp/admin.py
from django.contrib import admin
from . import models_generated as gm

for name in getattr(gm, "__all__", []):
    admin.site.register(getattr(gm, name))

Or import specific classes and register explicitly.

6) Use conversions in your app

• Pydantic → Django (with generated model helpers):

from generated_models import DjangoUser
from your_models_pkg import User as PydUser

u = PydUser(id=1, email="j@example.com", name="Jane")
dj = DjangoUser.from_pydantic(u)
dj.save()

u_back = dj.to_pydantic()

• Django → Pydantic (dynamic, no files written):

from pydantic2django.django.conversion import DjangoPydanticConverter
from myapp.models import DjangoUser

conv = DjangoPydanticConverter(DjangoUser)
PydUser = conv.generated_pydantic_model

dj = DjangoUser.objects.first()
u = conv.to_pydantic(dj)

7) Project/CI tips

• Check in the generated file and migrations, or generate as part of your build before makemigrations (be consistent across environments).
• If you regenerate frequently, consider a small script or management command to run the generator.
• Keep pydantic2django installed in runtime environments if your generated file imports base classes (e.g., Pydantic2DjangoBaseClass).