#1266 resolving through tables defined as strings on m2m relations

AUTHORS.rst

@@ -144,6 +144,7 @@ Authors
 - `DanialErfanian <https://github.com/DanialErfanian>`_
 - `Sridhar Marella <https://github.com/sridhar562345>`_
 - `Mattia Fantoni <https://github.com/MattFanto>`_
+- `Trent Holliday <https://github.com/trumpet2012>`_
 
 Background
 ==========

CHANGES.rst

@@ -3,10 +3,10 @@ Changes
 
 Unreleased
 ----------
-
 - Made ``skip_history_when_saving`` work when creating an object - not just when
   updating an object (gh-1262)
 - Improved performance of the ``latest_of_each()`` history manager method (gh-1360)
+- Added support for m2m fields that specify through tables as strings (gh-1390)
 
 3.7.0 (2024-05-29)
 ------------------

simple_history/models.py

@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 from django.db import models
 from django.db.models import ManyToManyField
 from django.db.models.fields.proxy import OrderWrt
-from django.db.models.fields.related import ForeignKey
+from django.db.models.fields.related import ForeignKey, lazy_related_operation
 from django.db.models.fields.related_descriptors import (
     ForwardManyToOneDescriptor,
     ReverseManyToOneDescriptor,
@@ -84,6 +84,8 @@ class HistoricalRecords:
     DEFAULT_MODEL_NAME_PREFIX = "Historical"
 
     thread = context = LocalContext()  # retain thread for backwards compatibility
+    # Key is the m2m field and value is a tuple where first entry is the historical m2m
+    # model and second is the through model
     m2m_models = {}
 
     def __init__(
@@ -222,13 +224,6 @@ def finalize(self, sender, **kwargs):
 
         m2m_fields = self.get_m2m_fields_from_model(sender)
 
-        for field in m2m_fields:
-            m2m_changed.connect(
-                partial(self.m2m_changed, attr=field.name),
-                sender=field.remote_field.through,
-                weak=False,
-            )
-
         descriptor = HistoryDescriptor(
             history_model,
             manager=self.history_manager,
@@ -238,15 +233,29 @@ def finalize(self, sender, **kwargs):
         sender._meta.simple_history_manager_attribute = self.manager_name
 
         for field in m2m_fields:
-            m2m_model = self.create_history_m2m_model(
-                history_model, field.remote_field.through
-            )
-            self.m2m_models[field] = m2m_model
 
-            setattr(module, m2m_model.__name__, m2m_model)
+            def resolve_through_model(history_model, through_model):
+                m2m_changed.connect(
+                    partial(self.m2m_changed, attr=field.name),
+                    sender=through_model,
+                    weak=False,
+                )
+                m2m_model = self.create_history_m2m_model(history_model, through_model)
+                # Save the created history model and the resolved through model together
+                # for reference later
+                self.m2m_models[field] = (m2m_model, through_model)
+
+                setattr(module, m2m_model.__name__, m2m_model)
 
-            m2m_descriptor = HistoryDescriptor(m2m_model)
-            setattr(history_model, field.name, m2m_descriptor)
+                m2m_descriptor = HistoryDescriptor(m2m_model)
+                setattr(history_model, field.name, m2m_descriptor)
+
+            # Lazily generate the historical m2m models for the fields when all of the
+            # associated models have been fully loaded. This handles resolving through
+            # models referenced as strings. This is how django m2m fields handle this.
+            lazy_related_operation(
+                resolve_through_model, history_model, field.remote_field.through
+            )
 
     def get_history_model_name(self, model):
         if not self.custom_model_name:
@@ -685,9 +694,7 @@ def m2m_changed(self, instance, action, attr, pk_set, reverse, **_):
 
     def create_historical_record_m2ms(self, history_instance, instance):
         for field in history_instance._history_m2m_fields:
-            m2m_history_model = self.m2m_models[field]
-            original_instance = history_instance.instance
-            through_model = getattr(original_instance, field.name).through
+            m2m_history_model, through_model = self.m2m_models[field]
             through_model_field_names = [f.name for f in through_model._meta.fields]
             through_model_fk_field_names = [
                 f.name for f in through_model._meta.fields if isinstance(f, ForeignKey)

simple_history/tests/models.py

@@ -237,6 +237,18 @@ class PollWithSelfManyToMany(models.Model):
     history = HistoricalRecords(m2m_fields=[relations])
 
 
+class PollWithManyToManyThroughString(models.Model):
+    books = models.ManyToManyField("Book", through="PollBookThroughTable")
+    history = HistoricalRecords(m2m_fields=[books])
+
+
+class PollBookThroughTable(models.Model):
+    book = models.ForeignKey("Book", on_delete=models.CASCADE)
+    poll = models.ForeignKey(
+        "PollWithManyToManyThroughString", on_delete=models.CASCADE
+    )
+
+
 class CustomAttrNameForeignKey(models.ForeignKey):
     def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
         self.attr_name = kwargs.pop("attr_name", None)

simple_history/tests/tests/test_models.py

@@ -96,6 +96,7 @@
     PollWithHistoricalIPAddress,
     PollWithManyToMany,
     PollWithManyToManyCustomHistoryID,
+    PollWithManyToManyThroughString,
     PollWithManyToManyWithIPAddress,
     PollWithNonEditableField,
     PollWithQuerySetCustomizations,
@@ -2515,6 +2516,60 @@ def test_diff_against(self):
         self.assertEqual(delta, expected_delta)
 
 
+class ManyToManyThroughStringTest(TestCase):
+    def setUp(self):
+        self.model = PollWithManyToManyThroughString
+        self.history_model = self.model.history.model
+        self.poll = self.model.objects.create()
+        self.book = Book.objects.create(isbn="1234")
+
+    def assertDatetimesEqual(self, time1, time2):
+        self.assertAlmostEqual(time1, time2, delta=timedelta(seconds=2))
+
+    def assertRecordValues(self, record, klass, values_dict):
+        for key, value in values_dict.items():
+            self.assertEqual(getattr(record, key), value)
+        self.assertEqual(record.history_object.__class__, klass)
+        for key, value in values_dict.items():
+            if key not in ["history_type", "history_change_reason"]:
+                self.assertEqual(getattr(record.history_object, key), value)
+
+    def test_create(self):
+        # There should be 1 history record for our poll, the create from setUp
+        self.assertEqual(self.poll.history.all().count(), 1)
+
+        # The created history row should be normal and correct
+        (record,) = self.poll.history.all()
+        self.assertRecordValues(
+            record,
+            self.model,
+            {
+                "id": self.poll.id,
+                "history_type": "+",
+            },
+        )
+        self.assertDatetimesEqual(record.history_date, datetime.now())
+
+        historical_poll = self.poll.history.all()[0]
+
+        # There should be no books associated with the current poll yet
+        self.assertEqual(historical_poll.books.count(), 0)
+
+        # Add a many-to-many child
+        self.poll.books.add(self.book)
+
+        # A new history row has been created by adding the M2M
+        self.assertEqual(self.poll.history.all().count(), 2)
+
+        # The new row has a place attached to it
+        m2m_record = self.poll.history.all()[0]
+        self.assertEqual(m2m_record.books.count(), 1)
+
+        # And the historical place is the correct one
+        historical_book = m2m_record.books.first()
+        self.assertEqual(historical_book.book, self.book)
+
+
 @override_settings(**database_router_override_settings)
 class MultiDBExplicitHistoryUserIDTest(TestCase):
     databases = {"default", "other"}