Accessor API Reference

The config object is your single interface to all configuration values. Import it once:

from django_sysconfig.accessor import config

It's a module-level singleton — import it anywhere, use it everywhere.

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Path notation

All methods accept a path in one of two forms:

• String path — dot notation with exactly three segments: "app_label.section.field"
• Field reference — a Field instance from your config class (see reading-writing guide)

If a string path doesn't have exactly three dot-separated parts, InvalidPathError is raised.

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Reading

config.get(path, default=<unset>)

Returns the typed value for the given path.

• If a value has been saved to the database, that value is returned (deserialized to the correct Python type).
• If no value is saved, the field's defined default is returned.
• If default is passed and no field-level default, that fallback is returned. Invalid paths and unknown apps/fields always raise — default does not suppress them.

# Returns the saved value or the field's default
site_name = config.get("myapp.general.site_name")     # str
max_items = config.get("myapp.general.max_items")     # int
live_mode = config.get("billing.general.live_mode")   # bool

# Fallback for a registered field with no saved value and no field default
value = config.get("myapp.general.some_field", default=None)

Returns: The deserialized value in its correct Python type. Raises: InvalidPathError, AppNotFoundError, FieldNotFoundError.

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config.is_set(path)

Returns True if the field has a value explicitly saved in the database. Returns False if the field is only at its default (no row has ever been written).

config.is_set("myapp.general.site_name")  # False on fresh install
# ... staff member saves the value via admin UI ...
config.is_set("myapp.general.site_name")  # True

Useful for onboarding checklists or detecting whether required setup steps have been completed.

Returns: boolRaises: InvalidPathError, AppNotFoundError, FieldNotFoundError.

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Writing

config.set(path, value)

Validates and saves a single value to the database, invalidates the cache, and calls the field's on_save callback if defined.

config.set("myapp.general.site_name", "Acme Corp")
config.set("myapp.general.max_items", 500)
config.set("billing.general.live_mode", True)
config.set("billing.pricing.tax_rate", Decimal("0.15"))

The value is validated against the field's validators before being written. If validation fails, ConfigValidationError is raised and nothing is saved.

Returns: NoneRaises: InvalidPathError, AppNotFoundError, FieldNotFoundError, ConfigValidationError, ConfigValueError.

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config.set_many(values)

Validates and saves multiple values atomically in a single database transaction. Cache invalidation and on_save callbacks fire after the transaction commits, one per changed path.

config.set_many({
    "myapp.general.site_name": "Acme Corp",
    "myapp.general.max_items": 500,
    "billing.pricing.tax_rate": Decimal("0.15"),
})

If any value fails validation, the entire transaction is rolled back and no values are saved.

Returns: int Number of values set Raises: InvalidPathError, AppNotFoundError, FieldNotFoundError, ConfigValidationError, ConfigValueError.

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Thread safety

The config accessor is thread-safe. The underlying ConfigRegistry is read-only after startup. All reads and writes go through Django's cache and ORM, which are designed for concurrent access.