How to create a Django FloatField with maximum and minimum limits?

I'm storing some floating-point data in my Django models, and only a certain range of values are meaningful. Therefore, I'd like to impose these limits at both the model and SQL constraint level.

For example, I'd like to do something like this:

class Foo(Model):
   myfloat = FloatField(min=0.0, max=1.0)

I want to do this at the model level, not the form level. In fact, I might like the form level to have a different range; e.g., use percentages [0,100] at the form level but translate to [0,1] in the model.

Is this possible, and if so, how would I go about doing it?


The answers so far describe how to make forms validate. You can also put validators in the model. Use MinValueValidator and MaxValueValidator.

For example:

from django.core.validators import MaxValueValidator, MinValueValidator

...
weight = models.FloatField(
    validators=[MinValueValidator(0.0), MaxValueValidator(1.0)],
)

EDIT:

However, that does not add a SQL constraint.

You can add SQL constraints as described here as CheckConstraints in Meta.constraints.

Combined example:

from django.core.validators import MaxValueValidator, MinValueValidator
from django.db.models import CheckConstraint, Q

class Foo(Model):
    myfloat = FloatField(min=0.0, max=1.0,
        # for checking in forms
        validators=[MinValueValidator(0.0), MaxValueValidator(1.0)],)

    class Meta:
        constraints = (
            # for checking in the DB
            CheckConstraint(
                check=Q(myfloat__gte=0.0) & Q(myfloat__lte=1.0),
                name='foo_myfloat_range'),
            )

If you need constraint on form level you can pass min_value and max_value to form field:

myfloat = forms.FloatField(min_value=0.0, max_value=1.0)

But if you need to move it up to model level you have to extend base models.FloatField class

class MinMaxFloat(models.FloatField):
    def __init__(self, min_value=None, max_value=None, *args, **kwargs):
        self.min_value, self.max_value = min_value, max_value
        super(MinMaxFloat, self).__init__(*args, **kwargs)

    def formfield(self, **kwargs):
        defaults = {'min_value': self.min_value, 'max_value' : self.max_value}
        defaults.update(kwargs)
        return super(MinMaxFloat, self).formfield(**defaults)

Then you can use it in models

class Foo(models.Model):
    myfloat = MinMaxFloat(min_value=0.0, max_value=1.0)

It's been quite some time and the community voted answer is good enough, based on Django built-ins, but here is another approach, problem specific, following the Django Project's documentation.

Create a custom validator

# app/models.py or create another file for custom validators, i.e. app/custom_validators.py
from django.core.exceptions import ValidationError
from django.utils.translation import gettext_lazy as _  # use if you support internationalization

def validate_interval(value):
    if value < 0.0 or value > 1.0:
        raise ValidationError(_('%(value)s must be in the range [0.0, 1.0]'), params={'value': value},)

Use your validator in your models

# app/models.py

class Foo(models.Model):
    myfloat = models.FloatField(validators=[validate_interval])

You can even make the validator parametric to be more generic.

EDIT - IMPORTANT

Bare in mind that any validator is invoked during the form's clean() method.

I.E. if you try to directly create an object without using a form, your validator will NOT be invoked.

There are those who don't recommend it but if you want to invoke validators while creating an object override the save method.

# app/models.py

from django.core.exceptions import ValidationError
from django.utils.translation import gettext_lazy as _  # use if you support internationalization


class Foo(models.Model):
    def save(self, *args, **kwargs):
        self.full_clean()  # or clean
        super().save(*args, **kwargs)

    def validate_interval(value):
        if value < 0.0 or value > 1.0:
            raise ValidationError(_('%(value)s must be in the range [0.0, 1.0]'), params={'value': value},)

    myfloat = models.FloatField(validators=[validate_interval])