Automatic creation date for Django model form objects?

Question

What\'s the best way to set a creation date for an object automatically, and also a field that will record when the object was last updated?

models.py:

Answer 1

Well, the above answer is correct, auto_now_add and auto_now would do it, but it would be better to make an abstract class and use it in any model where you require created_at and updated_at fields.

class TimeStampMixin(models.Model):
    created_at = models.DateTimeField(auto_now_add=True)
    updated_at = models.DateTimeField(auto_now=True)

    class Meta:
        abstract = True

Now anywhere you want to use it you can do a simple inherit and you can use timestamp in any model you make like.

class Posts(TimeStampMixin):
    name = models.CharField(max_length=50)
    ...
    ...

In this way, you can leverage object-oriented reusability, in Django DRY(don't repeat yourself)

Answer 2

You can use the auto_now and auto_now_add options for updated_at and created_at respectively.

class MyModel(models.Model):
    created_at = models.DateTimeField(auto_now_add=True)
    updated_at = models.DateTimeField(auto_now=True)