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Model tabs provide a powerful navigation system that allows you to create custom tab-based navigation across different models, views, and pages in your Django admin interface.

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Overview

Model tabs are configured at the site level and allow you to group related models or views into a tabbed interface. This is useful for creating dashboard-like views or organizing related administrative tasks.
Model tabs navigation example

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Configuration

Model tabs are configured in your admin site settings using the TABS configuration:
admin.py
from django.contrib import admin
from unfold.admin import ModelAdmin
from unfold.sites import UnfoldAdminSite

class CustomAdminSite(UnfoldAdminSite):
    def get_tabs_list(self, request):
        return [
            {
                'models': ['app_name.modelname'],
                'items': [
                    {'link': '/admin/app/model/', 'title': 'All Items'},
                    {'link': '/admin/app/model/?status=active', 'title': 'Active'},
                    {'link': '/admin/app/model/?status=archived', 'title': 'Archived'},
                ]
            }
        ]

admin_site = CustomAdminSite(name='unfoldadmin')
Model tabs are defined in the TABS configuration and can be customized per request.

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Tab Structure

Each tab configuration consists of:
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models
list[str] | list[dict]
List of model identifiers that should display these tabs. Can be strings in 'app.model' format or dictionaries with additional options.
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items
list[dict]
List of tab items to display. Each item must have link and title properties.
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page
str
Specific page identifier if tabs should only appear on certain pages (e.g., 'changelist', 'changeform').

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Basic Example

Create tabs for filtering products by status:
admin.py
from unfold.sites import UnfoldAdminSite

class MyAdminSite(UnfoldAdminSite):
    def get_tabs_list(self, request):
        return [
            {
                'models': ['shop.product'],
                'items': [
                    {
                        'title': 'All Products',
                        'link': '/admin/shop/product/',
                    },
                    {
                        'title': 'In Stock',
                        'link': '/admin/shop/product/?stock__gt=0',
                    },
                    {
                        'title': 'Out of Stock',
                        'link': '/admin/shop/product/?stock=0',
                    },
                    {
                        'title': 'Discontinued',
                        'link': '/admin/shop/product/?status=discontinued',
                    },
                ]
            }
        ]

​
Model-Specific Tabs

You can specify different tabs for changelist and detail views:
admin.py
def get_tabs_list(self, request):
    return [
        {
            'models': [
                {'name': 'shop.product', 'detail': False}  # Only on changelist
            ],
            'items': [
                {'title': 'All Products', 'link': '/admin/shop/product/'},
                {'title': 'Featured', 'link': '/admin/shop/product/?featured=true'},
            ]
        },
        {
            'models': [
                {'name': 'shop.product', 'detail': True}  # Only on detail view
            ],
            'items': [
                {'title': 'Overview', 'link': '?tab=overview'},
                {'title': 'Analytics', 'link': '?tab=analytics'},
            ]
        }
    ]
Use the detail key in model dictionaries to control whether tabs appear on the changelist (detail=False) or change form (detail=True).

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Page-Specific Tabs

Tabs can be limited to specific page types:
admin.py
def get_tabs_list(self, request):
    return [
        {
            'page': 'changelist',  # Only on list view
            'items': [
                {'title': 'Dashboard', 'link': '/admin/dashboard/'},
                {'title': 'Reports', 'link': '/admin/reports/'},
            ]
        }
    ]

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Dynamic Tab Generation

Generate tabs dynamically based on user permissions or other criteria:
admin.py
class MyAdminSite(UnfoldAdminSite):
    def get_tabs_list(self, request):
        tabs = [
            {
                'models': ['shop.product'],
                'items': [
                    {'title': 'All Products', 'link': '/admin/shop/product/'},
                ]
            }
        ]
        
        # Add admin-only tabs
        if request.user.is_superuser:
            tabs[0]['items'].extend([
                {'title': 'Pending Review', 'link': '/admin/shop/product/?status=pending'},
                {'title': 'Flagged', 'link': '/admin/shop/product/?flagged=true'},
            ])
        
        return tabs

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Active Tab Detection

The system automatically detects the active tab by comparing:
  1. The current URL path
  2. Query parameters
admin.py
# The active tab is automatically highlighted when:
# - The link matches the current path
# - All query params in the link match the current query params

{
    'title': 'Active Products',
    'link': '/admin/shop/product/?status=active',
    # Will be active when viewing /admin/shop/product/?status=active
    # But not when viewing /admin/shop/product/?status=active&page=2
}
For active tab detection to work correctly, ensure your tab links include all necessary query parameters.
Generate links dynamically using the link_callback option:
admin.py
from django.urls import reverse

def get_tabs_list(self, request):
    return [
        {
            'models': ['shop.product'],
            'items': [
                {
                    'title': 'All Products',
                    'link_callback': lambda req: reverse('admin:shop_product_changelist'),
                },
                {
                    'title': 'My Products',
                    'link_callback': lambda req: f"{reverse('admin:shop_product_changelist')}?owner={req.user.id}",
                },
            ]
        }
    ]
Use link_callback when you need to generate links dynamically based on the request object.

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Combining with Sidebar Navigation

Model tabs work alongside sidebar navigation. When a sidebar link is active, the system checks if any associated model tabs should also be highlighted:
admin.py
class MyAdminSite(UnfoldAdminSite):
    def get_navigation(self, request):
        return [
            {
                'title': 'Products',
                'link': '/admin/shop/product/',
                # This sidebar link will be active when any product tab is active
            },
        ]
    
    def get_tabs_list(self, request):
        return [
            {
                'models': ['shop.product'],
                'items': [
                    {'title': 'All', 'link': '/admin/shop/product/'},
                    {'title': 'Active', 'link': '/admin/shop/product/?status=active'},
                ]
            }
        ]

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Permissions

Filter tabs based on user permissions:
admin.py
class MyAdminSite(UnfoldAdminSite):
    def get_tabs_list(self, request):
        tabs = [
            {
                'models': ['shop.product'],
                'items': []
            }
        ]
        
        # Check permissions before adding items
        from shop.models import Product
        opts = Product._meta
        
        if request.user.has_perm(f'{opts.app_label}.view_{opts.model_name}'):
            tabs[0]['items'].append({
                'title': 'All Products',
                'link': '/admin/shop/product/',
            })
        
        if request.user.has_perm(f'{opts.app_label}.change_{opts.model_name}'):
            tabs[0]['items'].append({
                'title': 'Pending Approval',
                'link': '/admin/shop/product/?status=pending',
            })
        
        return tabs

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Best Practices

Choose clear, action-oriented titles that describe what users will see.
# Good
{'title': 'Active Orders', 'link': '...'}
{'title': 'Pending Shipment', 'link': '...'}

# Avoid
{'title': 'Tab 1', 'link': '...'}
{'title': 'Other', 'link': '...'}
Use consistent query parameter names across your tabs for better maintainability.
# Good - consistent parameter names
{'title': 'Active', 'link': '/admin/shop/product/?status=active'}
{'title': 'Inactive', 'link': '/admin/shop/product/?status=inactive'}

# Avoid - inconsistent parameters
{'title': 'Active', 'link': '/admin/shop/product/?status=active'}
{'title': 'Inactive', 'link': '/admin/shop/product/?is_active=false'}
Too many tabs can overwhelm users. Consider grouping or using a different navigation pattern if you need more than 6-7 tabs.
Tab navigation adapts to smaller screens, but test your tab configuration on mobile devices to ensure a good experience.

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Technical Details

Model tabs are processed through:
  • unfold.sites.UnfoldAdminSite.get_tabs_list() - Returns tab configuration
  • unfold.sites.UnfoldAdminSite._get_is_tab_active() - Determines active tab
  • unfold.templatetags.unfold.tab_list - Renders tabs in templates
Template tag usage: 
{% load unfold %}
{% tab_list 'changelist' opts %}

Inline Tabs

Organize related model inlines in tabs

Fieldset Tabs

Create tabs within fieldsets

Sidebar Navigation

Configure the sidebar navigation

Custom Pages

Add custom pages to the admin

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