How to store and retrieve a python object from persistent storage with flask alchemy

Question

How can one store and retrieve a python object in a database with sqlalchemy?

I've been looking at the documentation but don't see anything where they are storing more than dictionaries. I've been told SQLalchemy has the capability to store a python object but am yet to see it. Anyone know an example of how this is done?

Below is an example of how I thought it could work, but I don't believe it's possible to add a python object as a Column.

Persistance_dreams.py

from flask import Flask
from flask_sqlalchemy import SQLAlchemy

app = Flask(__name__)
db = SQLAlchemy(app)

# Create our database model
class User(db.Model):
    """ User Model for python objects to a user name """
    __tablename__ = "users"

    id = db.Column(db.Integer, primary_key=True, autoincrement=True)
    name = db.Column(db.String(255), unique=True, nullable=False)

    def __init__(self, name):
        self.name = name

    # create function to add python object
    def add_python_object(self, object_to_store):
        persistent_python_object = db.Column() # <-- would like to add python object here
        self.persistent_python_object = object_to_store

# Define our object we would like to store
class ExampleObject(object):

    def __init__(self, val_1, val_2):
        self.val_1 = val_1
        self.val_2  = val_2

    def does_something_from_storage(self):
        return self.val_1 + self.val_2

# Create user
adder = User('Adder')
adder.add_python_object(ExampleObject(3,4))

# Add to database
db.session.add(adder)
db.session.commit()

# Retrieve python object
user = User.query.filter_by(name='Adder').first()
result = user.persistent_python_object.does_something_from_storage()

Answer 1

As @Andrew Allen mentioned, SQLAlchemy actually comes with a pickleType column which can be used to serialise python objects.

Persistance_reality.py

from flask import Flask
from flask_bcrypt import Bcrypt
from flask_sqlalchemy import SQLAlchemy

app = Flask(__name__)
db = SQLAlchemy(app)

db.create_all()
# Create our database modl
class User(db.Model):
    """ User Model for storing user related details """
    __tablename__ = "users"

    id = db.Column(db.Integer, primary_key=True, autoincrement=True)
    name = db.Column(db.String(255), unique=True, nullable=False)
    python_object = db.Column(db.PickleType(), nullable=True)


    def __init__(self, name):
        self.name = name

    # create funciton to add python object
    def add_python_object(self, object_to_store):
        persistent_python_object = db.Column() # <-- would like to add python object here
        self.persistent_python_object = object_to_store

# Define our object we would like to store
class ExampleObject(object):

    def __init__(self, val_1, val_2):
        self.val_1 = val_1
        self.val_2  = val_2

    def does_something_from_storage(self):
        return self.val_1 + self.val_2

# Create user
adder = User('Adder')
adder.add_python_object(ExampleObject(3,4))

# Add to database
db.session.add(adder)
db.session.commit()

# Retrieve python object
user = User.query.filter_by(name='Adder').first()
result = user.persistent_python_object.does_something_from_storage()