| Version 4 (modified by , 8 years ago) ( diff ) |
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Improvements to our data models
Usually implemented in the <subsystem>/model.py files.
In the current situation (1.0.x/1.1.1), we have different APIs and different conventions for the different models. We should try to be more consistent.
Representation of data
Standardize missing values
For tickets, when a field is unset or set to an empty string the database value it set to None / NULL (#11018). When retrieving NULL values from the database, we get None in Python, and the empty string is returned from the model using the special value empty. See e.g. what we do for ticket fields. The pattern could be extended to other model classes, and even the Ticket model should be reviewed to ensure that all fields follow the pattern.
NOT NULL columns
Validation of the ticket summary is done in the IRequestHandler, to avoid creating a ticket with an empty summary. The schema could be changed to use NOT NULL in the column specification since the empty string is replaced with NULL. Alternatively, a TracError could be raised in the Ticket model when inserting or updateing a ticket with an empty summary (#12458).
Class methods
Class methods, one example being select, are used for table-wide queries.
The signature of the select method is not consistent across all classes.
The Milestone class has an include_completed parameter in the select method.
We could reconcile the inconsistency by having where, limit and order_by parameters on each method, with the parameters directly mapping to phrases in the SQL query.
This would make the methods more generally useful to plugin developers.
Not only is the interface inconsistent, but also the return value. In most cases a generator is returned by select, however some select methods return a list:
