django rest framework abstract class serializer

Question

I have some models like these:

class TypeBase(models.Model):
    name = models.CharField(max_length=20)
    class Meta:
        abstract=True

class PersonType(T         


        

Answer 1

As already mentioned in Sebastian Wozny's answer, you can't use a ModelSerializer with an abstract base model.

Also, there is nothing such as an abstract Serializer, as some other answers have suggested. So setting abstract = True on the Meta class of a serializer will not work.

However you need not use use a ModelSerializer as your base/parent serializer. You can use a Serializer and then take advantage of Django's multiple inheritance. Here is how it works:

class TypeBaseSerializer(serializers.Serializer):
    # Need to re-declare fields since this is not a ModelSerializer
    name = serializers.CharField()
    id = serializers.CharField()

    class Meta:
        fields = ['id', 'name']

    def someFunction(self):
        #... will be available on child classes ...
        pass

class PersonTypeSerializer(TypeBaseSerializer, serializers.ModelSerializer):

    class Meta:
        model = PersonType
        fields = TypeBaseSerializer.Meta.fields + ['another_field']


class CompanyTypeSerializer(TypeBaseSerializer, serializers.ModelSerializer):

    class Meta:
        model = CompanyType
        fields = TypeBaseSerializer.Meta.fields + ['some_other_field']

So now since the fields name and id are declared on the parent class (TypeBaseSerializer), they will be available on PersonTypeSerializer and since this is a child class of ModelSerializer those fields will be populated from the model instance.

You can also use SerializerMethodField on the TypeBaseSerializer, even though it is not a ModelSerializer.

class TypeBaseSerializer(serializers.Serializer):
    # you will have to re-declare fields here since this is not a ModelSerializer
    name = serializers.CharField()
    id = serializers.CharField()
    other_field = serializers.SerializerMethodField()

    class Meta:
        fields = ['id', 'name', 'other_field']

    def get_other_field(self, instance):
        # will be available on child classes, which are children of ModelSerializers
        return instance.other_field