[Django]-Django Migrations Add Field with Default as Function of Model

I just learned how to do this with a single migration!

When running makemigrations django should ask you to set a one-off default. Define whatever you can here to keep it happy, and you’ll end up with the migration AddField you mentioned.

migrations.AddField(
    model_name='series',
    name='updated_as',
    field=models.DateTimeField(default=????, auto_now=True),
    preserve_default=False,
),

Change this one operation into 3 operations:

1. Initially make the field nullable, so the column will be added.
2. Call a function to populate the field as needed.
3. Alter the field (with AlterField) to make it not nullable (like the above, with no default).

So you end up with something like:

migrations.AddField(
    model_name='series',
    name='updated_as',
    field=models.DateTimeField(null=True, auto_now=True),
),
migrations.RunPython(set_my_defaults, reverse_func),
migrations.AlterField(
    model_name='series',
    name='updated_as',
    field=models.DateTimeField(auto_now=True),
),

with your functions defined as something like:

def set_my_defaults(apps, schema_editor):
    Series = apps.get_model('myapp', 'Series')
    for series in Series.objects.all().iterator():
        series.updated_as = datetime.now() + timedelta(days=series.some_other_field)
        series.save()

def reverse_func(apps, schema_editor):
    pass  # code for reverting migration, if any

Except, you know, not terrible.

Note: Consider using F expressions and/or database functions to increase migration performance for large databases.

You need to do it in two migrations. First of all, add your field, but make nullable. Create a migration file as usual. After that set your field to not-nullable and run makemigrations again, but don’t lauch migrate yet. Open the second migration and define a function at the top:

def set_field_values(apps, schema_editor):
    # use apps.get_model("app_name", "model_name") and set the defualt values

then, in your migration file there is a list of operations. Before the alter field operation add

RunPython(set_field_values)

and it should do it

You should also define a reverse for your function set_my_defaults(), in case you what to revert the migration in the future.

def reverse_set_default(apps, schema_editor):
    pass

The reverse function in this case need to do nothing, since you are removing the field.

And add it to RunPython:

migrations.RunPython(set_my_defaults, reverse_set_default),

To add a default value taken from an existing field to a new non-nullable field, write your migration as follows:

• run makemigrations
• add null=True to the generated AddField statement
• add a RunSQL statement to populate the new field based on an existing field for all records in the table
• remove the null=True again with an AlterField statement

migrations.AddField(
    model_name='series',
    name='updated_as',
    field=models.DateTimeField(null=True, auto_now=True),
),
migrations.RunSQL(
    sql="UPDATE myapp_series SET updated_as = created_on",
    reverse_sql=migrations.RunSQL.noop
),
migrations.AlterField(
    model_name='series',
    name='updated_as',
    field=models.DateTimeField(auto_now=True),
),