Upgrading to Newer Releases¶

This section documents migration paths to new releases.

Upgrading to 2.3¶

The func parameter of fields.Function was renamed to serialize.

# YES
lowername = fields.Function(serialize=lambda obj: obj.name.lower())
# or
lowername = fields.Function(lambda obj: obj.name.lower())

# NO
lowername = fields.Function(func=lambda obj: obj.name.lower())

Similiarly, the method_name of fields.Method was also renamed to serialize.

# YES
lowername = fields.Method(serialize='lowercase')
# or
lowername = fields.Method('lowercase')

# NO
lowername = fields.Method(method_name='lowercase')

The func parameter is still available for backwards-compatibility. It will be removed in marshmallow 3.0.

Both fields.Function and fields.Method will allow the serialize parameter to not be passed, in this case use the deserialize parameter by name.

lowername = fields.Function(deserialize=lambda name: name.lower())
# or
lowername = fields.Method(deserialize='lowername')

Upgrading to 2.0¶

Deserializing `None`¶

In 2.0, validation/deserialization of None is consistent across field types. If allow_none is False (the default), validation fails when the field’s value is None. If allow_none is True, None is considered valid, and the field deserializes to None.

from marshmallow import fields

# In 1.0, deserialization of None was inconsistent
fields.Int().deserialize(None)  # 0
fields.Str().deserialize(None)  # ''
fields.DateTime().deserialize(None)  # error: Could not deserialize None to a datetime.


# In 2.0, validation/deserialization of None is consistent
fields.Int().deserialize(None)  # error: Field may not be null.
fields.Str().deserialize(None)  # error: Field may not be null.
fields.DateTime().deserialize(None)  # error: Field may not be null.

# allow_none makes None a valid value
fields.Int(allow_none=True).deserialize(None)  # None

Default Values¶

Before version 2.0, certain fields (including String, List, Nested, and number fields) had implicit default values that would be used if their corresponding input value was None or missing.

In 2.0, these implicit defaults are removed. A Field's default parameter is only used if you explicitly set it. Otherwise, missing inputs will be excluded from the serialized output.

from marshmallow import Schema, fields

class MySchema(Schema):
    str_no_default = fields.Str()
    int_no_default = fields.Int()
    list_no_default = fields.List(fields.Str)

schema = MySchema()

# In 1.0, None was treated as a missing input, so implicit default values were used
schema.dump({'str_no_default': None,
            'int_no_default': None,
            'list_no_default': None}).data
# {'str_no_default': '', 'int_no_default': 0, 'list_no_default': []}

# In 2.0, None serializes to None. No more implicit defaults.
schema.dump({'str_no_default': None,
            'int_no_default': None,
            'list_no_default': None}).data
# {'str_no_default': None, 'int_no_default': None, 'list_no_default': None}

# In 1.0, implicit default values were used for missing inputs
schema.dump({}).data
# {'int_no_default': 0, 'str_no_default': '', 'list_no_default': []}

# In 2.0, missing inputs are excluded from the serialized output
# if no defaults are specified
schema.dump({}).data
# {}

As a consequence of this new behavior, the skip_missing class Meta option has been removed.

Pre-processing and Post-processing Methods¶

The pre- and post-processing API was significantly improved for better consistency and flexibility. The pre_load, post_load, pre_dump, and post_dump should be used to define processing hooks. Schema.preprocessor and Schema.data_handler are removed.

# 1.0 API
from marshmallow import Schema, fields

class ExampleSchema(Schema):
    field_a = fields.Int()

@ExampleSchema.preprocessor
def increment(schema, data):
    data['field_a'] += 1
    return data

@ExampleSchema.data_handler
def decrement(schema, data, obj):
    data['field_a'] -= 1
    return data


# 2.0 API
from marshmallow import Schema, fields, pre_load, post_dump

class ExampleSchema(Schema):
    field_a = fields.Int()

    @pre_load
    def increment(self, data):
        data['field_a'] += 1
        return data

    @post_dump
    def decrement(self, data):
        data['field_a'] -= 1
        return data

See the Extending Schemas page for more information on the pre_* and post_* decorators.

Schema Validators¶

Similar to pre-processing and post-processing methods, schema validators are now defined as methods. Decorate schema validators with validates_schema. Schema.validator is removed.

# 1.0 API
from marshmallow import Schema, fields, ValidationError

class MySchema(Schema):
    field_a = fields.Int(required=True)
    field_b = fields.Int(required=True)

@ExampleSchema.validator
def validate_schema(schema, data):
    if data['field_a'] < data['field_b']:
        raise ValidationError('field_a must be greater than field_b')

# 2.0 API
from marshmallow import Schema, fields, validates_schema, ValidationError

class MySchema(Schema):
    field_a = fields.Int(required=True)
    field_b = fields.Int(required=True)

    @validates_schema
    def validate_schema(self, data):
        if data['field_a'] < data['field_b']:
            raise ValidationError('field_a must be greater than field_b')

Custom Accessors and Error Handlers¶

Custom accessors and error handlers are now defined as methods. Schema.accessor and Schema.error_handler are deprecated.

from marshmallow import Schema, fields

# 1.0 Deprecated API
class ExampleSchema(Schema):
    field_a = fields.Int()

@ExampleSchema.accessor
def get_from_dict(schema, attr, obj, default=None):
    return obj.get(attr, default)

@ExampleSchema.error_handler
def handle_errors(schema, errors, obj):
    raise CustomError('Something bad happened', messages=errors)

# 2.0 API
class ExampleSchema(Schema):
    field_a = fields.Int()

    def get_attribute(self, attr, obj, default):
        return obj.get(attr, default)

    # handle_error gets passed a ValidationError
    def handle_error(self, exc, data):
        raise CustomError('Something bad happened', messages=exc.messages)

Use `post_load` instead of `make_object`¶

The make_object method was deprecated from the Schema API (see #277 for the rationale). In order to deserialize to an object, use a post_load method.

# 1.0
from marshmallow import Schema, fields, post_load

class UserSchema(Schema):
    name = fields.Str()
    created_at = fields.DateTime()

    def make_object(self, data):
        return User(**data)

# 2.0
from marshmallow import Schema, fields, post_load

class UserSchema(Schema):
    name = fields.Str()
    created_at = fields.DateTime()

    @post_load
    def make_user(self, data):
        return User(**data)

Error Format when `many=True`¶

When validating a collection (i.e. when calling load or dump with many=True), the errors dictionary will be keyed on the indices of invalid items.

from marshmallow import Schema, fields

class BandMemberSchema(Schema):
    name = fields.String(required=True)
    email = fields.Email()

user_data = [
    {'email': 'mick@stones.com', 'name': 'Mick'},
    {'email': 'invalid', 'name': 'Invalid'},  # invalid email
    {'email': 'keith@stones.com', 'name': 'Keith'},
    {'email': 'charlie@stones.com'},  # missing "name"
]

result = BandMemberSchema(many=True).load(user_data)

# 1.0
result.errors
# {'email': ['"invalid" is not a valid email address.'],
#  'name': ['Missing data for required field.']}

# 2.0
result.errors
# {1: {'email': ['"invalid" is not a valid email address.']},
#  3: {'name': ['Missing data for required field.']}}

You can still get the pre-2.0 behavior by setting index_errors = False in a Schema's class Meta options.

Use `ValidationError` instead of `MarshallingError` and `UnmarshallingError`¶

The MarshallingError and UnmarshallingError exceptions are deprecated in favor of a single ValidationError. Users who have written custom fields or are using strict mode will need to change their code accordingly.

Handle `ValidationError` in strict mode¶

When using strict mode, you should handle ValidationErrors when calling Schema.dump and Schema.load.

from marshmallow import exceptions as exc

schema = BandMemberSchema(strict=True)

# 1.0
try:
    schema.load({'email': 'invalid-email'})
except exc.UnmarshallingError as err:
    # ...

# 2.0
try:
    schema.load({'email': 'invalid-email'})
except exc.ValidationError as err:
    # ...

Accessing error messages in strict mode¶

In 2.0, strict mode was improved so that you can access all error messages for a schema (rather than failing early) by accessing a ValidationError's messages attribute.

schema = BandMemberSchema(strict=True)

try:
    result = schema.load({'email': 'invalid'})
except ValidationMessage as err:
    print(err.messages)
# {
#     'email': ['"invalid" is not a valid email address.'],
#     'name': ['Missing data for required field.']
# }

Custom Fields¶

Two changes must be made to make your custom fields compatible with version 2.0.

The _deserialize method of custom fields now receives attr (the key corresponding to the value to be deserialized) and the raw input data as arguments.
Custom fields should raise ValidationError in their _deserialize and _serialize methods when a validation error occurs.

from marshmallow import fields, ValidationError
from marshmallow.exceptions import UnmarshallingError

# In 1.0, an UnmarshallingError was raised
class PasswordField(fields.Field):

    def _deserialize(self, val):
        if not len(val) >= 6:
            raise UnmarshallingError('Password too short.')
        return val

# In 2.0, _deserialize receives attr and data,
# and a ValidationError is raised
class PasswordField(fields.Field):

    def _deserialize(self, val, attr, data):
        if not len(val) >= 6:
            raise ValidationError('Password too short.')
        return val

To make a field compatible with both marshmallow 1.x and 2.x, you can pass *args and **kwargs to the signature.

class PasswordField(fields.Field):

    def _deserialize(self, val, *args, **kwargs):
        if not len(val) >= 6:
            raise ValidationError('Password too short.')
        return val

Custom Error Messages¶

Error messages can be customized at the Field class or instance level.

# 1.0
field = fields.Number(error='You passed a bad number')

# 2.0
# Instance-level
field = fields.Number(error_messages={'invalid': 'You passed a bad number.'})


# Class-level
class MyNumberField(fields.Number):
    default_error_messages = {
        'invalid': 'You passed a bad number.'
    }

Passing a string to required is deprecated.

# 1.0
field = fields.Str(required='Missing required argument.')

# 2.0
field = fields.Str(error_messages={'required': 'Missing required argument.'})

Use `OneOf` instead of `fields.Select`¶

The fields.Select field is deprecated in favor of the newly-added OneOf validator.

from marshmallow import fields
from marshmallow.validate import OneOf

# 1.0
fields.Select(['red', 'blue'])

# 2.0
fields.Str(validate=OneOf(['red', 'blue']))

Accessing Context from Method fields¶

Use self.context to access a schema’s context within a Method field.

class UserSchema(Schema):
    name = fields.String()
    likes_bikes = fields.Method('writes_about_bikes')

    def writes_about_bikes(self, user):
        return 'bicycle' in self.context['blog'].title.lower()

Validation Error Messages¶

The default error messages for many fields and validators have been changed for better consistency.

from marshmallow import Schema, fields, validate

class ValidatingSchema(Schema):
    foo = fields.Str()
    bar = fields.Bool()
    baz = fields.Int()
    qux = fields.Float()
    spam = fields.Decimal(2, 2)
    eggs = fields.DateTime()
    email = fields.Str(validate=validate.Email())
    homepage = fields.Str(validate=validate.URL())
    nums = fields.List(fields.Int())

schema = ValidatingSchema()
invalid_data = {
    'foo': 42,
    'bar': 24,
    'baz': 'invalid-integer',
    'qux': 'invalid-float',
    'spam': 'invalid-decimal',
    'eggs': 'invalid-datetime',
    'email': 'invalid-email',
    'homepage': 'invalid-url',
    'nums': 'invalid-list',
}
errors = schema.validate(invalid_data)
# {
#     'foo': ['Not a valid string.'],
#     'bar': ['Not a valid boolean.'],
#     'baz': ['Not a valid integer.'],
#     'qux': ['Not a valid number.'],
#     'spam': ['Not a valid number.']
#     'eggs': ['Not a valid datetime.'],
#     'email': ['Not a valid email address.'],
#     'homepage': ['Not a valid URL.'],
#     'nums': ['Not a valid list.'],
# }

More¶

For a full list of changes in 2.0, see the Changelog.

Upgrading to 1.2¶

Validators¶

Validators were rewritten as class-based callables, making them easier to use when declaring fields.

from marshmallow import fields

# 1.2
from marshmallow.validate import Range

age = fields.Int(validate=[Range(min=0, max=999)])

# Pre-1.2
from marshmallow.validate import ranging

age = fields.Int(validate=[lambda val: ranging(val, min=0, max=999)])

The validator functions from 1.1 are deprecated and will be removed in 2.0.

Deserializing the Empty String¶

In version 1.2, deserialization of the empty string ('') with DateTime, Date, Time, or TimeDelta fields results in consistent error messages, regardless of whether or not python-dateutil is installed.

from marshmallow import fields

fields.Date().deserialize('')
# UnmarshallingError: Could not deserialize '' to a date object.

Decimal¶

The Decimal field was added to support serialization/deserialization of decimal.Decimal numbers. You should use this field when dealing with numbers where precision is critical. The Fixed, Price, and Arbitrary fields are deprecated in favor the Decimal field.

Upgrading to 1.0¶

Version 1.0 marks the first major release of marshmallow. Many big changes were made from the pre-1.0 releases in order to provide a cleaner API, support object deserialization, and improve field validation.

Perhaps the largest change is in how objects get serialized. Serialization occurs by invoking the Schema.dump() method rather than passing the object to the constructor. Because only configuration options (e.g. the many, strict, and only parameters) are passed to the constructor, you can more easily reuse serializer instances. The dump method also forms a nice symmetry with the Schema.load() method, which is used for deserialization.

from marshmallow import Schema, fields

class UserSchema(Schema):
    email = fields.Email()
    name = fields.String()

user= User(email='monty@python.org', name='Monty Python')

# 1.0
serializer = UserSchema()
data, errors = serializer.dump(user)
# OR
result = serializer.dump(user)
result.data  # => serialized result
result.errors  # => errors

# Pre-1.0
serialized = UserSchema(user)
data = serialized.data
errors = serialized.errors

Note

Some crucial parts of the pre-1.0 API have been retained to ease the transition. You can still pass an object to a Schema constructor and access the Schema.data and Schema.errors properties. The is_valid method, however, has been completely removed. It is recommended that you migrate to the new API to prevent future releases from breaking your code.

The Fields interface was also reworked in 1.0 to make it easier to define custom fields with their own serialization and deserialization behavior. Custom fields now implement Field._serialize() and Field._deserialize().

from marshmallow import fields, MarshallingError

class PasswordField(fields.Field):
    def _serialize(self, value, attr, obj):
        if not value or len(value) < 6:
            raise MarshallingError('Password must be greater than 6 characters.')
        return str(value).strip()

    # Similarly, you can override the _deserialize method

Another major change in 1.0 is that multiple validation errors can be stored for a single field. The errors dictionary returned by Schema.dump() and Schema.load() is a list of error messages keyed by field name.

from marshmallow import Schema, fields, ValidationError

def must_have_number(val):
    if not any(ch.isdigit() for ch in val):
        raise ValidationError('Value must have an number.')

def validate_length(val):
    if len(val) < 8:
        raise ValidationError('Value must have 8 or more characters.')

class ValidatingSchema(Schema):
    password = fields.String(validate=[must_have_number, validate_length])

result, errors = ValidatingSchema().load({'password': 'secure'})
print(errors)
# {'password': ['Value must have an number.',
#               'Value must have 8 or more characters.']}

Other notable changes:

Serialized output is no longer an OrderedDict by default. You must explicitly set the ordered class Meta option to True .
Serializer has been renamed to Schema, but you can still import marshmallow.Serializer (which is aliased to Schema).
datetime objects serialize to ISO8601-formatted strings by default (instead of RFC821 format).
The fields.validated decorator was removed, as it is no longer necessary given the new Fields interface.
Schema.factory class method was removed.

Upgrading to Newer Releases¶

Upgrading to 2.3¶

Upgrading to 2.0¶

Deserializing `None`¶

Default Values¶

Pre-processing and Post-processing Methods¶

Schema Validators¶

Custom Accessors and Error Handlers¶

Use `post_load` instead of `make_object`¶

Error Format when `many=True`¶

Use `ValidationError` instead of `MarshallingError` and `UnmarshallingError`¶

Handle `ValidationError` in strict mode¶

Accessing error messages in strict mode¶

Custom Fields¶

Custom Error Messages¶

Use `OneOf` instead of `fields.Select`¶

Accessing Context from Method fields¶

Validation Error Messages¶

More¶

Upgrading to 1.2¶

Validators¶

Deserializing the Empty String¶

Decimal¶

Upgrading to 1.0¶

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Table of Contents

Related Topics

Upgrading to Newer Releases¶

Upgrading to 2.3¶

Upgrading to 2.0¶

Deserializing None¶

Default Values¶

Pre-processing and Post-processing Methods¶

Schema Validators¶

Custom Accessors and Error Handlers¶

Use post_load instead of make_object¶

Error Format when many=True¶

Use ValidationError instead of MarshallingError and UnmarshallingError¶

Handle ValidationError in strict mode¶

Accessing error messages in strict mode¶

Custom Fields¶

Custom Error Messages¶

Use OneOf instead of fields.Select¶

Accessing Context from Method fields¶

Validation Error Messages¶

More¶

Upgrading to 1.2¶

Validators¶

Deserializing the Empty String¶

Decimal¶

Upgrading to 1.0¶

Deserializing `None`¶

Use `post_load` instead of `make_object`¶

Error Format when `many=True`¶

Use `ValidationError` instead of `MarshallingError` and `UnmarshallingError`¶

Handle `ValidationError` in strict mode¶

Use `OneOf` instead of `fields.Select`¶