Customize field label

[coreyar]

Currently Translation fields are set with a verbose name of the model name and appended with the translation language code in brackets.

It would be nice to be able to customize the verbose name. I wasn't able to find a nice way to do this. I ended up overriding formfield_for_dbfield checking for an instanceof TranslationField and modifying the verbose name.

The library creates the verbose name using build_localized_verbose_name which is used in build_localized_intermediary_model and TranslationField.

I think this would make sense to add to the TranslationOption. Looking at the current shape of the options there isn't an obvious way to add a custom verbose name.

With the custom verbose name option, TranslationField can use this when set and fallback to build_localized_verbose_name.
This should also work for build_localized_intermediary_model because the options are ready during lazy registration.

If this is interesting I am happy to implement once the update to TranslationOption is confirmed

[last-partizan]

Hello.

Why do you want to change field labels? Give some examples, please.

And what other options have you considered?

[coreyar]

The client would like the labels to have the full language rather than the language code.

I ended up overriding the verbose_name in formfield_for_dbfield but it s a bit of a hack.

[last-partizan]

Yeah.

Well, let's make it happen. If you would prepare PR, I'll review and merge it.

But, maybe we should not touch TranslationOption.

Maybe we should add a setting, like

BUILD_LOCALIZED_VERBOSE_NAME = "modeltranslation.utils.short_localized_verbose_name" | "modeltranslation.utils.long_localized_verbose_name"

And use from django.utils.module_loading import import_string to load this function.

(This is only suggestion, if you think of better option, let's hear it)

[coreyar]

I took a look and I think that adding it to the TranslationOption makes the most sense.

The default method would be

def get_verbose_name(self, verbose_name, language):
        return build_localized_verbose_name(verbose_name, language)

and then the change to the TranslationField

- self.verbose_name = build_localized_verbose_name(translated_field.verbose_name, language)
+ self.verbose_name = trans_opts.get_verbose_name(translated_field.verbose_name, language)

The other place this affects is in build_localized_intermediary_model where I can add getting the options to access the correct function for getting the verbose_name. Maybe we need a second for the plural verbose name.

I think TranslationOptions makes the most sense and is also logical for updating the documentation.