id	summary	reporter	owner	description	type	status	component	version	severity	resolution	keywords	cc	stage	has_patch	needs_docs	needs_tests	needs_better_patch	easy	ui_ux
22787	Add a default implementation of Model.natural_key()	jian	jian	"In order to use natural key serialization, the user has to define `model.natural_key` and `manager.get_by_natural_key` methods for every single model to be serialized. This is tedious and requires many LOC if the user wants to serialize multiple models, especially if those models do not already have custom manager classes.

To remedy this, the linked pull request defines a base class implementation of `model.natural_key` and `manager.get_by_natural_key`. This implementation automatically produces natural keys that uniquely identify each model without recourse to the `pk` field, and the results are qualitatively similar to what the user would have defined in custom methods.

In the rare instance where the model lacks any uniqueness constraints, this approach would not work, and invoking `natural_key` or `get_by_natural_key` would raise a `NotImplementedError`. In such a scenario, it is not clear that even a user-defined natural key would work (but, as always, the user is free to implement one anyway).

Currently, if the user requests a natural key serialization, Django introspects the model using `hasattr(model, 'natural_key')` and silently falls back to standard serialization if a natural key serialization is not available. Using `hasattr` is no longer possible with the new implementation, so this pull request removes these checks, and Django will instead complain with an informative message such as `CommandError: Unable to serialize database: The Question class must provide a natural_key() method`. This might be a backward-incompatible change, but it is the correct one. When a natural key serialization is requested but unavailable, the correct behavior is for Django to complain loudly rather than being silent (""explicit is better than implicit"").

The pull request includes a new regression test, and passes all tests using SQLite version 3.7.13.

django-developers discussion: https://groups.google.com/d/msg/django-developers/6ZboknjrSkg/vOQXDSDhG28J"	New feature	closed	Core (Serialization)	dev	Normal	wontfix			Unreviewed	1	0	0	0	0	0