How do I use SerializerMethodField in Django REST Framework?

How do I use SerializerMethodField in Django REST Framework?

SerializerMethodField is a read-only field in Django REST Framework that allows you to define a custom method to get the value of a field. You can use it to add extra data to your serialized output.

Can you show me an example of how to implement it?

Sure! First, define a method in your serializer class. For example:

class MySerializer(serializers.ModelSerializer):
    custom_field = serializers.SerializerMethodField()

    class Meta:
        model = MyModel
        fields = ['id', 'name', 'custom_field']

    def get_custom_field(self, obj):
        return f'Custom value for {obj.name}'

What if I want to pass parameters to the method?

You can use the self reference to access the serializer instance and its context. For example:

def get_custom_field(self, obj):
    request = self.context.get('request')
    return f'Custom value for {obj.name} with user {request.user.username}'