Django Extensions

Warnings

• breaking Starting with version 4.0, Django Extensions transitioned from `setup.cfg` / `setup.py` to `pyproject.toml` for project configuration. This change primarily affects packaging and build systems for contributors or those installing from source.
  Fix: Ensure your build tooling (e.g., pip, build) is up-to-date and supports `pyproject.toml` based builds. For most users installing via `pip install django-extensions`, this change is transparent.
• breaking The `mail_debug` command was updated in version 4.0 to use `aiosmtpd` for its SMTP server implementation. The old `smtpd` module from the Python standard library is deprecated in Python 3.6 and removed in Python 3.12.
  Fix: Install the `aiosmtpd` package (`pip install aiosmtpd`) if you use the `mail_debug` command. Ensure your Python version is compatible with `aiosmtpd` (Python >=3.9 for `aiosmtpd` 1.4.6).
• gotcha The `graph_models` command, while requiring Python packages like `pygraphviz` or `pydot`, also relies on a *system-wide* installation of Graphviz to render images. Without it, the command will fail even if Python dependencies are met.
  Fix: Install Graphviz on your operating system (e.g., `sudo apt-get install graphviz` on Debian/Ubuntu, `brew install graphviz` on macOS, or download from graphviz.org for Windows) and ensure its executables are in your system's PATH.
• gotcha The `runserver_plus` command requires `Werkzeug`. While typically installing `Werkzeug` resolves this, some users have reported issues with specific `Werkzeug` versions leading to `CommandError: Werkzeug is required...` or `KeyError: 'werkzeug.server.shutdown'`.
  Fix: Ensure `Werkzeug` is installed (`pip install Werkzeug`). If errors persist, try downgrading `Werkzeug` to a known stable version (e.g., `Werkzeug==0.16.1` has been a historical workaround for some users) or check for specific compatibility notes in the `django-extensions` changelog.
• deprecated The `passwd` management command was deprecated in version 3.0.0. Its functionality is now superseded by Django's built-in `changepassword` command.
  Fix: Migrate any scripts or workflows using `python manage.py passwd` to `python manage.py changepassword`.
• breaking Django Extensions 4.1 officially requires Django 4.2 or later and Python 3.9 or later. Version 4.0 introduced support for Django 5.x and Python 3.12/3.13.
  Fix: Ensure your Django project runs on Django 4.2+ and your Python environment is 3.9+. For newer projects, consider Django 5.x and Python 3.12+ for full compatibility with the latest features and improvements.

Install

• pip install django-extensions Install stable version

Imports

• AutoSlugField

  from django_extensions.db.models.fields import AutoSlugField

• CreationDateTimeField

  from django_extensions.db.models.fields import CreationDateTimeField

• ModificationDateTimeField

  from django_extensions.db.models.fields import ModificationDateTimeField

• RandomCharField

  from django_extensions.db.models.fields import RandomCharField

• ShortUUIDField

  from django_extensions.db.models.fields import ShortUUIDField

• JSONField

  from django_extensions.db.models.fields import JSONField

Quickstart

To integrate Django Extensions into your project, add 'django_extensions' to your `INSTALLED_APPS` setting. After installation, you can immediately access the enhanced management commands through `python manage.py <command_name>`.

# settings.py
INSTALLED_APPS = [
    # ... other Django apps
    'django_extensions',
    # ...
]

# Then, run management commands from your project root:
# python manage.py shell_plus
# python manage.py runserver_plus
# python manage.py graph_models -a -o my_project_models.png