Question

I’m not looking for a bug fix so much as an approach. I’m a newbie with a simple model:

classLocation(db.Model):
    name = db.StringProperty()
    geoPt = db.GeoPtProperty()
    ...

I use that to make a simple form:

class LocationForm(djangoforms.ModelForm):
    class Meta:
        model = Location

When it renders out, the GeoPt is a single text field. For this form I’d prefer latitude and longitude fields, with validation.

Which way to go? Is this a common problem with “complex objects” in django forms? If so, is there an accepted solution?

Answer 1

It is a problem with compound types and the way database-schema derived UI has to work.

You’ll be much better off dropping the deadweight and running a specialized form processing library, like flatland, WTForm, FormEncode, fungiform, or indeed even a homegrown alternative.

User-input validation is not a hard problem, and it certainly doesn’t always get easier by copying the database schema validation.