Tables Editor

The Tables Editor is where database schemas come to life — visually. Instead of writing Django model classes by hand, you define fields, relationships, and metadata through a form-based interface. Pytigon generates the model code, creates migrations, and updates the database automatically.

Core Concepts

Fields

The Tables Editor supports all standard Django field types:

Field Type Django Equivalent Typical Use
String CharField Short text, up to 255 characters
Text TextField Long-form content, descriptions
Integer IntegerField Whole numbers
Float FloatField Decimal numbers
Boolean BooleanField True/false flags
Date DateField Calendar dates
DateTime DateTimeField Timestamps
File FileField Uploaded files
Image ImageField Uploaded images
Choice CharField with choices Dropdown selections
ForeignKey ForeignKey Relationship to another table
JSON JSONField Structured data (Pytigon extended)

Field Properties

Each field can be configured with:

  • Name — Database column name
  • Title — Human-readable label (localized automatically)
  • Required — Whether the field must have a value
  • Default — Default value for new records
  • Help text — Description shown in forms
  • Choices — Predefined options (for Choice fields)
  • Related table — Target table (for ForeignKey fields)

The Pytigon Extensions

Pytigon adds a jsondata JSON field to every model automatically. This field stores:

  • Extended metadata about each record
  • Dynamic field definitions
  • Workflow state
  • Application-specific structured data

You can define fields that are stored inside jsondata rather than as separate database columns. These "virtual" columns behave like regular fields in forms and tables but live in the JSON blob.

Generated Code

For a simple Album table with fields name, artist, and release_date, the Tables Editor generates:

class Album(JSONModel):
    name = models.CharField("Name", max_length=128)
    artist = models.CharField("Artist", max_length=128)
    release_date = models.DateField("Release date", null=True, blank=True)

    class Meta:
        verbose_name = "Album"
        verbose_name_plural = "Albums"

Relationships

Foreign Key Relations

Define a ForeignKey field pointing to another table. Pytigon automatically: - Creates the database foreign key constraint - Generates dropdown selectors in forms - Provides "drill-down" navigation in list views - Supports on_delete behavior configuration

Dynamic Relations (row_related_list)

For relationships that aren't enforced at the database level, Pytigon provides row_related_list — a template-level relationship that links tables through a filter function rather than a SQL foreign key. See the detailed documentation in Relationships between components.

Migrations

When you save changes in the Tables Editor:

  1. Pytigon compares the new schema with the current database state
  2. Generates a Django migration file automatically
  3. Shows you the migration SQL for review
  4. Applies the migration when you confirm

In development mode, this all happens seamlessly — no terminal commands needed.

?: TablesEditor ?: TablesEditor