How to create table during Django tests with managed = False

Question

I have a model with managed = False.

class SampleModel(models.Model):
    apple = models.CharField(max_length=30)
    orange = models.CharField(max_length=3         


        

Answer 1

Check out this blog post: http://www.caktusgroup.com/blog/2010/09/24/simplifying-the-testing-of-unmanaged-database-models-in-django/ It describes in detail the creation of a test runner for unmanaged models.

from django.test.simple import DjangoTestSuiteRunner


class ManagedModelTestRunner(DjangoTestSuiteRunner):
    """
    Test runner that automatically makes all unmanaged models in your Django
    project managed for the duration of the test run, so that one doesn't need
    to execute the SQL manually to create them.
    """
    def setup_test_environment(self, *args, **kwargs):
        from django.db.models.loading import get_models
        self.unmanaged_models = [m for m in get_models()
                                 if not m._meta.managed]
        for m in self.unmanaged_models:
            m._meta.managed = True
        super(ManagedModelTestRunner, self).setup_test_environment(*args,
                                                                   **kwargs)

    def teardown_test_environment(self, *args, **kwargs):
        super(ManagedModelTestRunner, self).teardown_test_environment(*args,
                                                                      **kwargs)
        # reset unmanaged models
        for m in self.unmanaged_models:
            m._meta.managed = False

Answer 2

A quick fix if you don't have many unmanaged tables:

First add a new variable to the settings.

# settings.py
import sys
UNDER_TEST = (len(sys.argv) > 1 and sys.argv[1] == 'test')

then in the models

# models.py
from django.conf import settings

class SampleModel(models.Model):
    apple = models.CharField(max_length=30)
    orange = models.CharField(max_length=30)

    class Meta:
        managed = getattr(settings, 'UNDER_TEST', False)

Answer 3

Just to add :django.db.models.loading.get_models will be removed in Django 1.9 (see https://github.com/BertrandBordage/django-cachalot/issues/33).

Below is an updated one for Django 1.10:

class UnManagedModelTestRunner(DiscoverRunner):
    '''
    Test runner that automatically makes all unmanaged models in your Django
    project managed for the duration of the test run.
    Many thanks to the Caktus Group 
    '''

    def setup_test_environment(self, *args, **kwargs):
        from django.apps  import apps
        self.unmanaged_models = [m for m in apps.get_models() if not m._meta.managed]
        for m in self.unmanaged_models:
            m._meta.managed = True
        super(UnManagedModelTestRunner, self).setup_test_environment(*args, **kwargs)

    def teardown_test_environment(self, *args, **kwargs):
        super(UnManagedModelTestRunner, self).teardown_test_environment(*args, **kwargs)
        # reset unmanaged models
        for m in self.unmanaged_models:
            m._meta.managed = False 

Note you also need to take care migrations(see Testing django application with several legacy databases)

MIGRATION_MODULES = {
    'news': 'news.test_migrations',
    'economist': 'economist.test_migrations'
}