Models

ORM Usage

Use Django's ORM for defining models and managing database interactions. Each model should represent a single entity or table.

Example:

from django.db import models

class User(models.Model):
    name = models.CharField(max_length=255)
    email = models.EmailField(unique=True)
    is_active = models.BooleanField(default=True)
    created_at = models.DateTimeField(auto_now_add=True)

Naming Conventions

• Use singular, PascalCase names for models (e.g., Invoice, UserProfile).
• Use descriptive field names in snake_case.

Relationships

• Use ForeignKey, ManyToManyField, and OneToOneField for relationships.
• Use related_name for reverse relations.

Example:

class Invoice(models.Model):
    user = models.ForeignKey(User, on_delete=models.CASCADE, related_name='invoices')
    total = models.DecimalField(max_digits=10, decimal_places=2)

Custom Methods

• Add business logic as model methods or properties.
• Use @property for computed fields.

Example:

class Invoice(models.Model):
    # ...existing fields...
    @property
    def is_paid(self):
        return self.payments.exists()

Advanced ORM Usage

• Use model managers for custom queries.
• Use signals for side effects (e.g., post_save, pre_delete).

Best Practices

• Document model fields and methods with docstrings.
• Use validators for field-level validation.
• Avoid business logic in views; keep it in models or services.
• Write tests for model methods and custom managers.