django-roesti 0.1.1
Provides a Django model keyed on the hash of its contents.
License: BSD
Keywords: django

# django-roesti

`django-roesti` provides a `HashedModel`, a Django model whose primary key is a
hash of its contents. This enables efficient use of the database when you need to reference data by its identity while minimizing round trips to
the database, or encounter the same data often, and need to ensure that it
exists in your database without duplicating it.

Hashes are generated by converting values into Python immutable types and then
generating the md5 hash of its pickled value.

`HashedModels` that maintain references to other `HashedModels` are supported.

`django-roesti` has been tested with Python 3.6 and Django 1.9.

Pull requests welcome.

## Roesti?

A *Rösti* is a Swiss potato pancake, similar to hash browns. Get it?

## Installation

Install from PyPI:

```bash
pip install django-roesti
```

... and add to your `INSTALLED_APPS`:

```python
INSTALLED_APPS = [
    # ...
    'roesti',
]
```

## Usage Examples

Hashes are calculated from the fields specified in `hash_fields`. Foreign keys
should be hashed on the ID value.

For example, given these models:

```python
from roesti.models import HashedModel


class TestModel(HashedModel):
    hash_fields = ['char_field_1', 'integer_field_1']

    char_field_1 = models.CharField(max_length=32)
    integer_field_1 = models.IntegerField()


class TestReferencesModel(HashedModel):
    hash_fields = ['test_model_1_id', 'test_model_2_id', 'integer_field_1']

    test_model_1 = models.ForeignKey(TestModel)
    test_model_2 = models.ForeignKey(TestModel)
    integer_field_1 = models.IntegerField()
```

You may create new or retrieve existing model instances with the `ensure`
function. `ensure` accepts either dictionaries or model instances.

```python
my_models = TestModel.objects.ensure([{
    'char_field_1': 'field 1 value 1',
    'integer_field_1': 1
}, {
    'char_field_1': 'field 1 value 2',
    'integer_field_1': 2
}, {
    'char_field_1': 'field 1 value 3',
    'integer_field_1': 3
}])

my_reference_models = TestReferencesModel.objects.ensure({
    'test_model_1': {
        'char_field_1': 'field 1 value 1',
        'integer_field_1': 1
    },
    'test_model_2': {
        'char_field_2': 'field 1 value 2',
        'integer_field_1': 2
    },
    'integer_field_1': 3
})
```

Reverse relationships may be used to calculate the item's hash, and passed to
the `ensure` method. For instance, this implements an ordered list of items.
Note the use of `items` in `hash_fields` for `TestOrderedList`:

```python
class TestOrderedList(HashedModel):
    hash_fields = ('name', 'items')
    name = models.TextField()


class TestItemDetails(HashedModel):
    hash_fields = ('text',)
    text = models.TextField()


class TestOrderedListItem(HashedModel):
    hash_fields = ('lst_id', 'order', 'details',)
    lst = models.ForeignKey(TestOrderedList, related_name='items')
    order = models.IntegerField()
    details = models.ForeignKey(TestItemDetails)

    instances = TestOrderedList.objects.ensure([{
        'name': 'My list 1',
        'items': [{
            'order': index,
            'details': {
                'text': '1 Item %d' % index
            }
        } for index in range(10)]
    }, {
        'name': 'My list 2',
        'items': [{
            'order': index,
            'details': {
                'text': '2 Item %d' % index
            }
        } for index in range(10)]
    }, {
        'name': 'My list 3',
        'items': [{
            'order': index,
            'details': {
                'text': '3 Item %d' % index
            }
        } for index in range(10)]
    }])
```

There is also a `HashedList` model for managing ordered lists of hashed items.
To use, create the corresponding `HashedModel` and a mapping table. Note that
if you need to store references to the list in a `HasedModel`, as in the above
example, you should not used `HashedList`.

```python
class TestItem(HashedModel):
    hash_fields = ('text',)
    text = models.TextField(blank=True, null=True)


class TestListItem(HashedListItemModel):
    item = models.ForeignKey(TestItem)


items = [
    TestItem(text='Item %d' % index)
    for index in range(10)
]
my_list = HashedList.objects.ensure_list(TestItem, items)
```