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What is AdminTab?

AdminTab is a base class that extends Django’s ModelAdmin to create custom tabs within a parent model’s admin interface. It allows you to organize complex admin interfaces by splitting functionality across multiple tabs, each displaying a different view or form for the same or related models.
AdminTab inherits from admin.ModelAdmin, so you can use all standard Django admin features like fields, inlines, fieldsets, and list_display.

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When to Use AdminTab

Use AdminTab when you need to:
  • Display different forms or fieldsets for the same model in separate tabs
  • Create multiple views of the same object with different configurations
  • Organize complex admin forms into logical sections
  • Provide alternative editing interfaces for the same model
For displaying related models in nested changelists, use AdminChangeListTab instead.

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Key Attributes

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admin_tab_name
str
default:"None"
The display name for the tab in the admin interface. If not specified, the class name will be used.
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model
Model
default:"None"
Optionally specify a different model for this tab. If not specified, the parent model from TabbedModelAdmin will be used.
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change_form_template
str
default:"admin/django_admin_tabs/tab_change_form.html"
The template used to render the change form for this tab. The default template includes tab navigation.
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change_list_template
str
default:"admin/django_admin_tabs/tab_change_list.html"
The template used if this tab needs to display a list view.

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Key Methods

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get_tab_name()

Returns the display name for the tab. Falls back to the class name if admin_tab_name is not set. 
def get_tab_name(self):
    return self.admin_tab_name or self.__class__.__name__

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get_tab_slug()

Returns a URL-safe slug version of the tab name, used for routing. 
def get_tab_slug(self):
    return force_str(slugify(self.get_tab_name()))

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get_model_perms(request)

Overridden to return an empty dictionary, which hides this admin class from the Django admin index page.
Tabs are not meant to be accessed directly from the admin index. They only appear within the context of a TabbedModelAdmin parent.

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How It Works

When you create an AdminTab subclass:
  1. It’s registered in a TabbedModelAdmin’s admin_tabs list
  2. The tab is rendered as part of the parent model’s change view
  3. URL routing is handled automatically by TabbedModelAdmin
  4. The tab receives the parent object context and can display custom forms/fields

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Code Example

Here’s a real example from the Django Admin Tabs source code: 
from django.contrib import admin
from django_admin_tabs import AdminTab, TabbedModelAdmin
from .models import Poll, Choice

class ChoiceInline(admin.StackedInline):
    model = Choice
    extra = 0

class PollAdminStep(AdminTab, admin.ModelAdmin):
    """A tab for editing the main Poll fields."""
    admin_tab_name = "Poll"
    fields = ("question",)
    inlines = (ChoiceInline,)

@admin.register(Poll)
class PollAdmin(TabbedModelAdmin, admin.ModelAdmin):
    admin_tabs = [
        PollAdminStep,
        # Additional tabs...
    ]
In this example:
  • PollAdminStep is an AdminTab that displays the Poll’s question field and inline choices
  • The admin_tab_name is set to “Poll” for display purposes
  • The tab includes Django’s standard inline functionality
  • It’s registered with PollAdmin to appear as a tab in the Poll admin interface

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Use Cases

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Multiple Form Views

Create different tabs showing different fields of the same model: 
class BasicInfoTab(AdminTab, admin.ModelAdmin):
    admin_tab_name = "Basic Info"
    fields = ("name", "email", "phone")

class AdvancedSettingsTab(AdminTab, admin.ModelAdmin):
    admin_tab_name = "Advanced Settings"
    fields = ("api_key", "webhook_url", "rate_limit")

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Custom Fieldsets

Organize complex models with different fieldset configurations per tab: 
class ProfileTab(AdminTab, admin.ModelAdmin):
    admin_tab_name = "Profile"
    fieldsets = (
        ("Personal Information", {
            "fields": ("first_name", "last_name", "bio")
        }),
        ("Social Media", {
            "fields": ("twitter", "linkedin", "github")
        }),
    )
Remember that AdminTab displays forms for the parent model by default. If you need to show a list of related objects, use AdminChangeListTab instead.

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