NDB validator argument vs extending base property classes

Question

I'm using AppEngine NDB properties and I wonder what would be the best approach to:

• limit StringProperty to be not longer than 100 characters
• apply regexp validation to StringProperty
• prohibit IntegerProperty to be less than 0

Would it be best to use the validator argument or to subclass base ndb properties?

Answer 1

It depends. Are the restrictions one-off or is any particular restriction going to be reused in many different fields/models?

For one-off restrictions, the validator argument is simpler and involves less boilerplate.

For reuse, subclassing lets you avoid having to repeatedly specify the validator argument.