🔒 Django model validation

[mystic creek]

I'm making a webapp with django, and one of my models needs to perform validation to ensure that one of its relational properties follows specific guidelines. I've been working with ChadGPT to accomplish all this, and he gave me 2 methods for this validation: a custom save method for the model, and using clean method from django. Is there a best practice method for this, or are both ways fine to use?

[native cave]

@mystic creek

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[mystic creek]

class SystemInputOutput(models.Model):
    system = models.ForeignKey(System, on_delete=models.CASCADE, related_name='input_output_relations')
    related_system = models.ForeignKey(System, on_delete=models.CASCADE, related_name='+')
    related_system_state = models.ForeignKey(SystemState, on_delete=models.CASCADE, related_name='+')
    is_input = models.BooleanField(default=True)  # True for input, False for output

    def __str__(self):
        return f"{'Input' if self.is_input else 'Output'}: {self.system.name} -> {self.related_system.name} ({self.related_system_state.state_name})"

class SystemState(models.Model):
    system = models.ForeignKey(System, on_delete=models.CASCADE, related_name='states')
    state_name = models.CharField(max_length=255)

    def __str__(self):
        return f"{self.system.name} - {self.state_name}"

class System(models.Model):
    name = models.CharField(max_length=255)
    parent_system = models.ForeignKey('self', on_delete=models.CASCADE, null=True, blank=True, related_name='subsystems')

    def __str__(self):
        return self.name

Here are the models. I want to validate the related_system_state to make sure that it's a valid system_state for related_system

[stray steppe]

ChatGPT isn't guaranteed to provide reliable code.

[mystic creek]

I really don't need to hear this every time I open a help ticket. GPT4 is more than capable of coding full enterprise level apps with the proper guidance. The validity of the code is not in question here, I'm just trying to get some advice on best practices.

[stray steppe]

¯_(ツ)_/¯

[native cave]

Python help channel closed

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