Usage

This package has 3 independent functions:

  1. Add autocomplete_fields for all foreign keys. (no need to change INSTALLED_APPS, but in admin.py do import autocomplete_all as admin)
  2. Add ?key=… into url to have more information inside get_search_results. (requires adding of autocomplete_all into INSTALLED_APPS)
  3. Hide danger delete/edit buttons near the ForeignKey popup (INSTALLED_APPS: place autocomplete_all before django.contrib.admin)

1. Add autocomplete_fields for all foreign keys.

To achieve this, in your admin.py do: import autocomplete_all as admin.

import autocomplete_all as admin
class MyModelAdmin(admin.ModelAdmin):
    ....

Alternatively import ModelAdmin, StackedInline and/or TabularInline from autocomplete_all instead of from admin

import autocomplete_all
class MyModelAdmin(autocomplete_all.ModelAdmin):
    ....

In such class no other settings are required, but you can:

autocomplete_except = [<field1>, ..]    # disable adding autocomplete_fields for listed fields
autocomplete_all = False                # disable automatic adding of autocomplete_fields at all

At the first start you will probably receive a lot of django errors/warnings. They mean that you don’t have registered the related ModelAdmin classes or that such class lacks search_fields=..

To solve these messages you can register the required ModelAdmin classes (make sure they have search_fields=..). See ModelAdmin.autocomplete_fields in Django docs for details.

Alternatively you can disable the functionality in particular case using autocomplete_exclude=[..]. This is useful if you have models not fully used yet (ie. empty) and you want prevent them to be accessible in admin interface.

Example: In the application models you have ForeignKey(s) related into User model (outside of this application). To avoid error messages while starting your Django project add:

from django.contrib.auth.models import User
from django.contrib.auth.admin import UserAdmin  # must define search_fields=.. (which is true in this case)
admin.site.register(User, UserAdmin)

Recap - Steps to implement:

  1. For the popup (for the ForeignKey) we need the Target Admin - ModelAdmin of the model, where the ForeignKey links
  2. If Target Admin doesn’t exist and we don’t want them, we will replace it using HiddenAdmin (from django-admin-autocomplete-all)
  3. In the Target Admin we need define search_fields=..

2. Get more context in get_search_results for additional dynamic filtering.

To achieve this, add autocomplete_all into INSTALLED_APPS. The Referer url will then contain ?key=… and all form values. You can add .get_search_results_ajax() method in the Admin which defines search_fields and you will have access to the values from the form (in key & urlparams variables).

If you want 2 dependent popups (example: Country/City):

# from django.contrib import admin
import autocomplete_all as admin

from .models import City, Country, Friend


@admin.register(Country)
class CountryAdmin(admin.ModelAdmin):
    search_fields = ('name',)


@admin.register(City)                                                                # Target admin (searches for popup options)
class CityAdmin(admin.ModelAdmin):
    search_fields = ('name',)

    def get_search_results_ajax(self, queryset, referer, key, urlparams):
        if referer.startswith('friends/friend/'):   # <app>/<model>/  # model of the Source (which has popup) Admin (not of the Inline)

            # example for the plain popup
            if key == 'id_city':                    # <field ~ foreignkey>
                queryset = queryset.filter(country=urlparams['country'][0])

            # example for the popup inside the Inline (which lists more locations)
            if key.startswith(before := 'id_location_set-') and key.endswith(after := '-city'):
                idx = key[len(before):-len(after)]
                queryset = queryset.filter(country=urlparams[f'location_set-{idx}-country'][0])

        return queryset


@admin.register(Friend)
class FriendAdmin(admin.ModelAdmin):   # if you don't need ModelAdmin you can use HiddenAdmin instead
    search_fields = ('nick',)

    # no more needed here; autocomplete_all.js is automatically added and gives all forms values in the urlparams variable

    # but alternatively you can limit the form values transferred by the ajax request:
    # class Media:
    #     js = ('autocomplete_all/js/autocomplete_all.js', 'friends/js/friend.js')   # Source admin

    # `friends.js` you need to create inside the `friends` application. Here is example:
    #
    #    function expand_ajax_params($, key) {
    #        return '&country=' + $('#id_country').val();
    #    }

Previous will give required data for your .get_search_results_ajax() method (of the relational targeted ModelAdmin). That way you can control queryset filtering based on: 1) application, 2) model (where in change_form the popup is), 3) the ForeignKey of the popup.

Warning: At this time we don’t support the constraint between the source condition and dependent ForeignKey full. If user has set the Foreignkey for some condition and he/she changes the condition later, the old (inconsistent) value can remain. It is up on to you to clear the popup together with the change of the filtering condition. This could be hard to do. The alternative approach can be raise at least the ValidationError with help of similar definition in your model:

# https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2281179/adding-extra-constraints-into-fields-in-django
def clean(self):
    if self.city is not None and self.city.country != self.country:
        raise ValidationError(_("Friend model: City doesn't correspond with the selected Country."))

Recap - Steps to implement:

1 - 2 - 3. same as above

  1. autocomplete_all in INSTALLED_APPS, collectstatic.
  2. In Target Admin we add additional filtering with help of the .get_search_results_ajax(self, queryset, referer, key, urlparams) method.

The functionality (giving more context for .get_search_results()) is especially workaround for pure behaviour of autocomplete_fields in Django (2,3). Probably you cannot modify the native Django ajax url (../autocomplete/) and you can only access the Referer url during get_search_results.

Lets say, you have inside single model 2 <select>s with same target model of ForeignKey (example: User, in two different roles). In such case you cannot identify on the server-side (in get_search_results) which one <select> is active. This package will extend the Referer url to give more info to the server-side.

Basically ?key=<fieldname> will be added to identify the <select>.

3. Hide danger buttons in Admin ChangeForm.

The edit & delete buttons near the ForeignKey have very difficult and danger logic what they will do. If you add autocomplete_all in INSTALLED_APPS before django.contrib.admin (or some application which replaces admin design, like django-baton), then the danger buttons will disapear. Place the autocomplete_all “lower” in INSTALLED_APPS if you don’t want this effect.