Django REST framework flat, read-write serializer

Question

In Django REST framework, what is involved in creating a flat, read-write serializer representation? The docs refer to a 'flat representation' (end of the section http://django-rest-framework.org/api-guide/serializers.html#dealing-with-nested-objects) but don't offer examples or anything beyond a suggestion to use a RelatedField subclass.

For instance, how to provide a flat representation of the User and UserProfile relationship, below?

# Model
class UserProfile(models.Model):
    user = models.OneToOneField(User)
    favourite_number = models.IntegerField()

# Serializer
class UserProfileSerializer(serializers.ModelSerializer):
    email = serialisers.EmailField(source='user.email')
    class Meta:
        model = UserProfile
        fields = ['id', 'favourite_number', 'email',]

The above UserProfileSerializer doesn't allow writing to the email field, but I hope it expresses the intention sufficiently well. So, how should a 'flat' read-write serializer be constructed to allow a writable email attribute on the UserProfileSerializer? Is it at all possible to do this when subclassing ModelSerializer?

Thanks.

Answer 1

Looking at the Django REST framework (DRF) source I settled on the view that a DRF serializer is strongly tied to an accompanying Model for unserializing purposes. Field's source param make this less so for serializing purposes.

With that in mind, and viewing serializers as encapsulating validation and save behaviour (in addition to their (un)serializing behaviour) I used two serializers: one for each of the User and UserProfile models:

class UserSerializer(serializer.ModelSerializer):
    class Meta:
        model = User
        fields = ['email',]

class UserProfileSerializer(serializer.ModelSerializer):
    email = serializers.EmailField(source='user.email')
    class Meta:
        model = UserProfile
        fields = ['id', 'favourite_number', 'email',]

The source param on the EmailField handles the serialization case adequately (e.g. when servicing GET requests). For unserializing (e.g. when serivicing PUT requests) it is necessary to do a little work in the view, combining the validation and save behaviour of the two serializers:

class UserProfileRetrieveUpdate(generics.GenericAPIView):
    def get(self, request, *args, **kwargs):
        # Only UserProfileSerializer is required to serialize data since
        # email is populated by the 'source' param on EmailField.
        serializer = UserProfileSerializer(
                instance=request.user.get_profile())
        return Response(serializer.data)

    def put(self, request, *args, **kwargs):
        # Both UserProfileSerializer and UserProfileSerializer are required
        # in order to validate and save data on their associated models.
        user_profile_serializer = UserProfileSerializer(
                instance=request.user.get_profile(),
                data=request.DATA)
        user_serializer = UserSerializer(
                instance=request.user,
                data=request.DATA)
        if user_profile_serializer.is_valid() and user_serializer.is_valid():
            user_profile_serializer.save()
            user_serializer.save()
            return Response(
                    user_profile_serializer.data, status=status.HTTP_200_OK)
        # Combine errors from both serializers.
        errors = dict()
        errors.update(user_profile_serializer.errors)
        errors.update(user_serializer.errors)
        return Response(errors, status=status.HTTP_400_BAD_REQUEST)