Question

I would like to have a model in Django that has multiple pictures associated with it. I’m evaluating possible options.

One picture for one model is easily done with the models.ImageField(...).

However, I would like a array (or set) of pictures. It can be just paths, not necessarily ImageField objects.

The problem is, how do I create that field in a Django model? I am assuming I will need to create a field that is not part of models.WhateverField. Is that possible? Can I define a non-model field, such as:

class MyModel:
    name = models.CharField(max_length=10)
    picture_list = []

and then do:

def sample_add_picture_view(request):
    picture = "sample.jpg"

    model = MyModel.objects.get(id=sample_id)
    model.picture_list.append(picture)
    model.save()

    return HttpResponseRedirect('index.html')

Could this be done? If not, what could be a better solution? Thank you !

Answer 1

You need to create two separate models and link them with a ForeignKey field, like so:

class Item(models.Model):
    name = models.CharField(max_length=255)

class ItemImage(models.Model):
    image = models.ImageField(upload_to="item_images")
    item = models.ForeignKey('Item', related_name="images")

It is possible to make a custom field to store multiple items, but it’s a really bad idea. You would have to serialise an array into the database, making maintenance very difficult. Using a separate model means you can store extra information such as upload times, image captions etc with little extra effort.