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Django Custom User Model Not Saving Properly Due to Incorrect Serializer Fields

๐Ÿ‘€ Views: 2 ๐Ÿ’ฌ Answers: 1 ๐Ÿ“… Created: 2025-06-09
django rest-framework serializer Python

I just started working with I've searched everywhere and can't find a clear answer. I'm building a feature where I'm having trouble with a custom user model in Django that I created to extend the default user functionality. Specifically, when I try to save a new user instance through a serializer, it seems that the fields I expect to be saved are not being written to the database. I'm using Django 3.2 and the Django REST Framework 3.12. Hereโ€™s the relevant part of my code: ```python # models.py from django.contrib.auth.models import AbstractUser from django.db import models class CustomUser(AbstractUser): bio = models.TextField(blank=True) date_of_birth = models.DateField(null=True, blank=True) ``` ```python # serializers.py from rest_framework import serializers from .models import CustomUser class CustomUserSerializer(serializers.ModelSerializer): class Meta: model = CustomUser fields = ['username', 'email', 'bio', 'date_of_birth'] ``` ```python # views.py from rest_framework import generics from .models import CustomUser from .serializers import CustomUserSerializer class CreateUserView(generics.CreateAPIView): queryset = CustomUser.objects.all() serializer_class = CustomUserSerializer ``` When I make a POST request to create a new user, I pass the data like this: ```json { "username": "testuser", "email": "testuser@example.com", "bio": "A short bio", "date_of_birth": "1990-01-01" } ``` However, when I check the database, the `bio` and `date_of_birth` fields are not populated. Instead, I receive a successful response, but the fields are left blank. I've confirmed that the serializer is valid and I can see all the fields in the `validated_data`. I've tried adding `extra_kwargs` in the serializer, and I've also checked the database migrations to ensure all fields are created correctly. I even tried overriding the `create` method in the serializer: ```python def create(self, validated_data): user = CustomUser(**validated_data) user.save() return user ``` This didn't change the outcome. The only fields that are getting saved are `username` and `email`. I've checked my Django settings, and there doesnโ€™t seem to be anything unusual there either. Does anyone have any insights into why the additional fields are not being saved? Could it be a configuration issue or something obscure in the way Django handles serializers for custom user models? Am I missing something obvious? The project is a REST API built with Python. I appreciate any insights! The stack includes Python and several other technologies. Am I approaching this the right way? This is for a CLI tool running on Ubuntu 22.04. Am I approaching this the right way?