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Overview

The UnfoldAdminSite class extends Django’s AdminSite to provide Unfold’s custom admin interface with enhanced theming, navigation, and configuration options.

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Class Signature

from unfold.sites import UnfoldAdminSite

class UnfoldAdminSite(AdminSite):
    default_site = "unfold.admin.UnfoldAdminSite"
    settings_name = "UNFOLD"
Located in unfold/sites.py:33

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Constructor

def __init__(self, name: str = "admin") -> None
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name
str
default:"admin"
The namespace for the admin site URLs.

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Methods

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get_urls

def get_urls(self) -> list[URLPattern]
Returns URL patterns for the admin site, including Unfold’s custom search endpoint.

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each_context

def each_context(self, request: HttpRequest) -> dict[str, Any]
Builds the context dictionary for every admin page. Includes Unfold-specific configuration like theme, navigation, and branding.
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request
HttpRequest
required
The HTTP request object.
Returns: Dictionary with context variables including:
  • site_title, site_header, site_url
  • site_logo, site_icon, site_symbol
  • theme, colors, border_radius
  • sidebar_navigation, tab_list
  • show_history, show_languages, show_back_button

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index

def index(
    self,
    request: HttpRequest,
    extra_context: dict[str, Any] | None = None
) -> TemplateResponse
Renders the admin index/dashboard page.
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request
HttpRequest
required
The HTTP request object.
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extra_context
dict[str, Any] | None
Additional context data for the template.
def search(
    self,
    request: HttpRequest,
    extra_context: dict[str, Any] | None = None
) -> TemplateResponse
Handles global search functionality across models and apps.
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request
HttpRequest
required
The HTTP request object with ?s= query parameter for search term.
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extra_context
dict[str, Any] | None
Additional context data for the template.

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password_change

def password_change(
    self,
    request: HttpRequest,
    extra_context: dict[str, Any] | None = None
) -> HttpResponse
Handles password change view with Unfold styling.

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get_sidebar_list

def get_sidebar_list(self, request: HttpRequest) -> list[dict[str, Any]]
Returns the processed navigation structure for the sidebar.
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request
HttpRequest
required
The HTTP request object.
Returns: List of navigation groups with processed items, badges, and permissions.

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get_tabs_list

def get_tabs_list(self, request: HttpRequest) -> list[dict[str, Any]]
Returns the processed tab navigation structure.
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request
HttpRequest
required
The HTTP request object.
Returns: List of tab groups with processed items and active states.

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Internal Methods

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_search_apps

def _search_apps(
    self,
    app_list: list[dict[str, Any]],
    search_term: str
) -> list[SearchResult]
Searches through registered apps and models by name.

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_search_models

def _search_models(
    self,
    request: HttpRequest,
    app_list: list[dict[str, Any]],
    search_term: str,
    allowed_models: list[str] | None = None
) -> list[SearchResult]
Searches within model instances using their search fields.

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_get_navigation_items

def _get_navigation_items(
    self,
    request: HttpRequest,
    items: list[dict],
    tabs: list[dict] = None
) -> list
Processes navigation items with permissions, badges, and active states.

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_get_config

def _get_config(self, key: str, *args) -> Any
Retrieves configuration value from UNFOLD settings.

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_get_value

def _get_value(self, value: str | Callable | None, *args: Any) -> Any
Resolves a configuration value which can be a string (import path), callable, or static value.

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_get_colors

def _get_colors(self, key: str, *args) -> dict[str, dict[str, str]]
Retrieves and processes color configuration.

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_get_theme_images

def _get_theme_images(self, key: str, *args: Any) -> dict[str, str] | str | None
Retrieves theme images (logo, icon) supporting light/dark mode variants.

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_get_favicons

def _get_favicons(self, key: str, *args) -> list[Favicon]
Retrieves favicon configuration.

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_call_permission_callback

def _call_permission_callback(
    self,
    callback: str | Callable | None,
    request: HttpRequest
) -> bool
Evaluates permission callbacks for navigation items.

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Usage Example

from django.contrib import admin
from unfold.sites import UnfoldAdminSite

# Create custom admin site
site = UnfoldAdminSite(name="myadmin")

# In settings.py
UNFOLD = {
    "SITE_TITLE": "My Admin",
    "SITE_HEADER": "My Administration",
    "SITE_LOGO": "/static/logo.svg",
    "THEME": "dark",
    "SIDEBAR": {
        "show_search": True,
        "show_all_applications": True,
        "navigation": [
            {
                "title": "Content",
                "items": [
                    {
                        "title": "Articles",
                        "link": "/admin/blog/article/",
                        "icon": "article",
                    },
                ],
            },
        ],
    },
}

# Register models
from myapp.models import Article
from myapp.admin import ArticleAdmin

site.register(Article, ArticleAdmin)

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Custom Context Extension

You can extend the context by defining an extra_context method: 
class MyAdminSite(UnfoldAdminSite):
    def extra_context(self, context: dict, request: HttpRequest) -> dict:
        context["custom_value"] = "my_value"
        return context

site = MyAdminSite()

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Custom URLs

Add custom URLs by defining an extra_urls method: 
from django.urls import path

class MyAdminSite(UnfoldAdminSite):
    def extra_urls(self):
        return [
            path('custom-view/', self.admin_view(self.custom_view), name='custom'),
        ]
    
    def custom_view(self, request):
        # Your custom view logic
        pass

site = MyAdminSite()

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