[Django]-Get current user in Model Serializer

by

92👍

✅

I found the answer looking through the DRF source code.

class ActivitySerializer(serializers.ModelSerializer):
    
    # Create a custom method field
    current_user = serializers.SerializerMethodField('_user')

    # Use this method for the custom field
    def _user(self, obj):
        request = self.context.get('request', None)
        if request:
            return request.user

    class Meta:
        model = Activity
        # Add our custom method to the fields of the serializer
        fields = ('id','current_user')

The key is the fact that methods defined inside a ModelSerializer have access to their own context, which always includes the request (which contains a user when one is authenticated). Since my permissions are for only authenticated users, there should always be something here.

This can also be done in other built-in djangorestframework serializers.

As Braden Holt pointed out, if your user is still empty (ie _user is returning None), it may be because the serializer was not initialized with the request as part of the context. To fix this, simply add the request context when initializing the serializer:

serializer = ActivitySerializer(
    data=request.data,
    context={
        'request': request
    }
)
👤Jamie Counsell

68👍

A context is passed to the serializer in REST framework, which contains the request by default. So you can just use self.context['request'].user inside your serializer.

👤codwell

4👍

I had a similar problem – I tried to save the model that consist user in, and when I tried to use
user = serializers.StringRelatedField(read_only=True, default=serializers.CurrentUserDefault()) like on official documentation – but it throws an error that user is 'null'. Rewrite the default create method and get a user from request helped for me: 

class FavoriteApartmentsSerializer(serializers.ModelSerializer):
user = serializers.StringRelatedField(read_only=True, default=serializers.CurrentUserDefault())

class Meta:
    model = FavoriteApartments
    exclude = (
        'date_added',
    )

def create(self, validated_data):
    favoriteApartment = FavoriteApartments(
        apartment=validated_data['apartment'],
        user=self.context['request'].user
    )
    favoriteApartment.save()
    return favoriteApartment
👤Ashen One

0👍

Actually, the new way to do this is by using HiddenField –
view drf documentation:

class ReportSerializer(serializers.ModelSerializer):
author = serializers.HiddenField(default=serializers.CurrentUserDefault())


class Meta:
    model = Report
    fields = ('id', 'type', 'name', 'post', 'comment', "author")

Make sure to add isAuthenticated to the permissions class when you do this or else it gives errors when saving.

However, if the it is optional, just create your own class as by using the example from the docs.

So simply make the field optional by setting required to false,
then create your own class as such:

class CurrentUserDefault:

    requires_context = True

    def __call__(self, serializer_field):
        if serializer_field.context['request'].is_authenticated:
            return None
        return serializer_field.context['request'].user
👤Michele Awada

-2👍

I modified the request.data:

serializer = SectionSerializer(data=add_profile_data(request.data, request.user))

def add_profile_data(data, user):
    data['user'] = user.profile.id
    return data
👤Andrés M. Jiménez

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