Can't use an inheriting Django model's Meta class to configure a field defined in an inherited abstract model

Question

I would like to use properties from an inheriting model's Meta class to configure a field defined in an abstract model higher up the inheritance tree:

class NamedModel(models.Model):
    class Meta:
        abstract = True
        verbose_name = 'object'

    name = models.CharField("Name",
        max_length=200,
        db_index=True,
        help_text="A meaningful name for this %s." % Meta.verbose_name)
        # see what I'm trying to do here?
    )
    ...

class OwnedModel(NamedModel):
    class Meta(NamedModel.Meta):
        verbose_name = 'owned object'

I would like the help text on the name field of OwnedModel forms to say 'A meaningful name for this owned object'. But it does not: the word 'owned' is missing, which would suggest that the verbose_name from the NamedModel.Meta is used when the model is set up, not OwnedModel.Meta.

This isn't quite what I expect from an inheritance point of view: is there some way to get the field to be created whereby Meta.verbose_name refers to the value on the non-abstract model class, not the abstract one on which the field was defined?

Or am I being daft?

(This may seem like a trivial example, and it is: but it's just to illustrate the point of something more important and complex I am trying to do)

Many thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Why don't you try to make a class.

class BaseNamedModelMeta:
    abstract = True
    verbose_name = "your text"

And then inherit and override whatever you want like this:

class OwnedModel(NamedModel):
    class Meta(BaseNamedModelMeta):
        verbose_name = 'owned object'