Django-Create-Custom-User-Table.md

Creating a Custom User Model in Django

Django allows for the extension of the default user model, enabling the customization of user-related data. This guide outlines the steps to create a custom user model.

Dump Data (Create Backup), But Only Wanted Apps

1. Preview data in terminal/console:

   python manage.py dumpdata

   • This will show all data in the database.
   • To filter, add the app name:

     python manage.py dumpdata app_name

2. Create backup, write to file in project root:

   python manage.py dumpdata > backup.json

Create the Custom User Model

1. Create a new app:

   python manage.py startapp user

2. Register the new app in settings.py.

3. Register UserModel in settings.py (at the bottom):

   AUTH_USER_MODEL = "user.User" # nameOfApp.nameOfModel

4. Create the user model in models.py:

   from django.contrib.auth.models import AbstractUser
   from django.db import models
   
   class User(AbstractUser):
       pass

5. Remove old user imports from models, replace with new user model:

   from django.contrib.auth import get_user_model
   User = get_user_model()

6. Delete old SQLite database.

7. Delete old migrations.

8. Make migrations and migrate. If user.user table shows up in IDE database, all is good.

9. (Optional) Change auth.user to user.user in backup.json. (This is only necessary if you want to import the old data.)

10. Import database backup:

    python manage.py loaddata backup.json

Optional

• Register UserTable in admin:

  from django.contrib import admin
  from django.contrib.auth import get_user_model
  from django.contrib.auth.admin import UserAdmin
  
  User = get_user_model()
  admin.site.register(User, UserAdmin)

Expanding/Modifying UserModel

1. Overwrite AbstractUser with email as login in User Model:

   from django.contrib.auth.models import AbstractUser
   from django.db import models
   
   class User(AbstractUser):
       email = models.EmailField(unique=True)
       USERNAME_FIELD = "email"
       REQUIRED_FIELDS = [] # Overwrite required fields

2. Fix Admin Registration:

   from django.contrib import admin
   from django.contrib.auth.admin import UserAdmin
   from .models import User
   
   class CustomUserAdmin(UserAdmin):
       readonly_fields = ('date_joined',)
   
       add_fieldsets = (
           (None, {
               'classes': ('wide',),
               'fields': ('email', 'username', 'password1', 'password2')}
           ),
       )
   
       fieldsets = (
           (None, {'fields': ('email', 'username', 'password')}),
           ('Personal info', {'fields': ('first_name', 'last_name')}),
           ('Permissions', {'fields': ('is_active', 'is_staff', 'is_superuser', 'user_permissions')}),
           ('Important dates', {'fields': ('last_login', 'date_joined')}),
           ('Groups', {'fields': ('groups',)}),
       )
   
   admin.site.register(User, CustomUserAdmin)