Maximum performance at minimal cost. Start your server in seconds now!

    How To Create Django Models

    Introduction

    In the previous tutorial, “How To Create a Django App and Connect it to a Database,” we covered how to create a MySQL database, how to create and start a Django application, and how to connect it to a MySQL database.

    In this tutorial, we will create the models that define the fields and behaviors of the Blog application data that we will be storing. These models map the data from your Django application to the database. It’s what Django uses to generate the database tables via their object relational mapping (ORM) API, referred to as “models.”

    Prerequisites to Create Django Models

    This tutorial is part of the Django Development series and is a continuation of that series.

    • You have Django version 4 or higher installed.
    • You have connected your Django app to a database.
    • You are working with a Unix-based operating system, preferably an Ubuntu 22.04 cloud server.

    Step 1 — Create Django Application

    To be consistent with the Django philosophy of modularity, we will Create Django Models app within our project that contains all of the files necessary for creating the blog website.

    Copy Code 
    

    cd ~/my_blog_app
. env/bin/activate
cd blog
python manage.py startapp blogsite

    Step 2 — Add the Posts Model

    Open and edit the models.py file to contain the code for generating a Post model:

    Copy Code 
    

    from django.db import models
from django.template.defaultfilters import slugify
from django.contrib.auth.models import User
from django.urls import reverse

class Post(models.Model):
    title = models.CharField(max_length=255)
    slug = models.SlugField(unique=True, max_length=255)
    content = models.TextField()
    created_on = models.DateTimeField(auto_now_add=True)
    author = models.TextField()

    def get_absolute_url(self):
        return reverse('blog_post_detail', args=[self.slug])
    
    def save(self, *args, **kwargs):
        if not self.slug:
            self.slug = slugify(self.title)
        super(Post, self).save(*args, **kwargs)

    class Meta:
        ordering = ['created_on']

        def __unicode__(self):
            return self.title

    Step 3 — Update Settings

    Add the blogsite app to the INSTALLED_APPS section in settings.py:

    Copy Code 
    

    INSTALLED_APPS = [
    'blogsite',
    'django.contrib.admin',
    'django.contrib.auth',
    'django.contrib.contenttypes',
    'django.contrib.sessions',
    'django.contrib.messages',
    'django.contrib.staticfiles',
]

    Step 4 — Make Migrations

    Create migration files for the models:

    Copy Code 
    

    python manage.py makemigrations

    Apply the migrations to the database:

    Copy Code 
    

    python manage.py migrate

    Step 5 — Verify Database Schema

    Log into MySQL and verify that the tables were successfully created:

    Copy Code 
    

    SHOW TABLES;
DESCRIBE blogsite_comment;
DESCRIBE blogsite_post;

    Conclusion about Create Django Models

    In this tutorial, we’ve successfully added essential models for basic functionality in a dynamic blog web application. You’ve learned how to code models effectively, understand how migrations work, and the complete process of translating Django models into structured MySQL database tables. This knowledge ensures efficient database management and provides a strong foundation for building scalable web applications.