MVC and OOP in py2neo

Question

I'm looking for some "best practice" coding style using py2neo. Coming from Django ORM and Bulbs (another python neo4j library), I'm used to MVC-style separation of model from controller like this:

class Node_Type_A(Node):
    element_type = 'A node'
    modified = DateTime(default=now())

    def custom_A_method(self):
        pass

I read that this is done with metaclasses, I think it's not available in py2neo and it may well be overkill.

But I'm wondering about a good pragmatic py2neo coding style to achieve:

• some node/relationship templating (does node type A have a modified var? Of what type? Of what type is my node node_b?)

• keeping variables and methods together per node type:

  res = graph_db.create({dict})
  res.custom_A_method()
  

• saving changed variables back into the database such as a.modified = now()

What's the way to do it in py2neo? Thanks for any hints!

Answer 1

If you're working with (or coming from) Django then I recommend you look at neomodel by Rob Edwards. It's built on top of py2neo especially for use within Django but is equally usable outside that environment. It's designed for a Django model-esque coding style which should be familiar and hopefully give you what you're looking for!