Inline models for related data in Django

Introduction

Inline models let you edit related data together in one place. This makes managing connected information easier and faster.

When you want to edit a main item and its related items on the same page in the admin panel.

When you have a parent-child relationship between models and want to add or change children while editing the parent.

When you want to keep related data organized and avoid switching between different pages.

When you want to simplify data entry for related records in the Django admin.

When you want to show related objects directly inside the main object's admin form.

Syntax

Django

from django.contrib import admin
from .models import ParentModel, ChildModel

class ChildModelInline(admin.TabularInline):
    model = ChildModel
    extra = 1

@admin.register(ParentModel)
class ParentModelAdmin(admin.ModelAdmin):
    inlines = [ChildModelInline]

TabularInline shows related items in a table format.

You can also use StackedInline for a stacked layout.

Examples

This shows two extra blank forms for adding new related items.

Django

class ChildModelInline(admin.TabularInline):
    model = ChildModel
    extra = 2

This uses a stacked layout and shows no extra blank forms.

Django

class ChildModelInline(admin.StackedInline):
    model = ChildModel
    extra = 0

This registers the parent model with the inline child model in the admin.

Django

@admin.register(ParentModel)
class ParentModelAdmin(admin.ModelAdmin):
    inlines = [ChildModelInline]

Sample Program

This example lets you add and edit books directly inside the author admin page. You see a table of books under each author and can add new books easily.

Django

from django.db import models
from django.contrib import admin

class Author(models.Model):
    name = models.CharField(max_length=100)

    def __str__(self):
        return self.name

class Book(models.Model):
    author = models.ForeignKey(Author, on_delete=models.CASCADE)
    title = models.CharField(max_length=200)

    def __str__(self):
        return self.title

class BookInline(admin.TabularInline):
    model = Book
    extra = 1

@admin.register(Author)
class AuthorAdmin(admin.ModelAdmin):
    inlines = [BookInline]

Important Notes

Remember to register your models in admin to see the inline effect.

Use extra to control how many blank forms appear for new related items.

Inline models only work in Django admin, not in regular views.

Summary

Inline models let you edit related data together in Django admin.

Use TabularInline or StackedInline to show related items.

They make managing connected records faster and simpler.