Django model object with dynamically added attributes

Question

I'm looking for a way to dynamically add extra attributes to django model instances so that they are accessible in the template

For example,

in models.py

class Foo(models.Model):
    name = models.TextField()

in views.py

def my_view(request):
    f = Foo.objects.get(id=1234)

    # method in question
    f.____add_extra_attribute____('extra_attribute', attr_value)

    return render(request, 'my_template.html', {'foo_instance':f})

in my_template.html

<h1>{{ foo_instance.name }}</h1>
<p>{{ foo_instance.extra_attribute }}</p>

is there a way to accomplish this without rendering the instance as a dictionary instead of a Foo model object?

Answer 1

Following @mgilson's comment, you can pass the extra_attribute to the template in a separate context variable:

def my_view(request):
    f = Foo.objects.get(id=1234)
    extra_attribute = attr_value
    return render(request, 'my_template.html', 
                  {'foo_instance': f, 'extra_attribute': attr_value})

If you still want to set the attribute on a model instance, you can set it directly:

f.extra_attribute = attr_value