Little fixes

django_tables2/__init__.py

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # coding: utf-8
-from .tables import Table, TableBase, table_factory  # noqa: F401
+from .tables import Table, TableBase, table_factory
 from .columns import (BooleanColumn, Column, CheckBoxColumn, DateColumn,
                       DateTimeColumn, EmailColumn, FileColumn, JSONColumn,
                       LinkColumn, ManyToManyColumn, RelatedLinkColumn, TemplateColumn,
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 __version__ = '1.17.1'
 
 __all__ = (
-    'Table', 'TableBase',
+    'Table', 'TableBase', 'table_factory',
     'BooleanColumn', 'Column', 'CheckBoxColumn', 'DateColumn', 'DateTimeColumn',
     'EmailColumn', 'FileColumn', 'JSONColumn', 'LinkColumn', 'ManyToManyColumn',
     'RelatedLinkColumn', 'TemplateColumn', 'TimeColumn', 'URLColumn',

django_tables2/tables.py

@@ -622,7 +622,8 @@ class Table(TableBase):
 # Table = DeclarativeColumnsMetaclass(str('Table'), (TableBase, ), {})
 
 
-def table_factory(model, table=Table, **kwargs):
+def table_factory(model, table=Table, fields=None, exclude=None,
+                  localize=None):
     """
 
     Arguments:
@@ -637,21 +638,21 @@ def table_factory(model, table=Table, **kwargs):
         localize (list of str): Fields to localize
     """
     attrs = {'model': model}
-    if kwargs.get('fields'):
-        attrs['fields'] = kwargs['fields']
-    if kwargs.get('exclude'):
-        attrs['exclude'] = kwargs['exclude']
-    if kwargs.get('localize'):
-        attrs['localize'] = kwargs['localize']
+    if fields is not None:
+        attrs['fields'] = fields
+    if exclude is not None:
+        attrs['exclude'] = exclude
+    if localize is not None:
+        attrs['localize'] = localize
     # If parent form class already has an inner Meta, the Meta we're
     # creating needs to inherit from the parent's inner meta.
     parent = (object,)
     if hasattr(table, 'Meta'):
         parent = (table.Meta, object)
     Meta = type(str('Meta'), parent, attrs)
-    # Give this new form class a reasonable name.
+    # Give this new table class a reasonable name.
     class_name = model.__name__ + str('Table')
-    # Class attributes for the new form class.
+    # Class attributes for the new table class.
     table_class_attrs = {
         'Meta': Meta,
     }

django_tables2/views.py

@@ -23,9 +23,15 @@ def get_table_class(self):
         '''
         Return the class to use for the table.
         '''
-        if self.table_class is None:
-            self.table_class = tables.table_factory(self.model)
-        return self.table_class
+        if self.table_class:
+            return self.table_class
+        if self.model:
+            return tables.table_factory(self.model)
+        klass = type(self).__name__
+        raise ImproperlyConfigured(
+            "You must either specify {0}.table_class or"
+            "{0}.model".format(klass)
+        )
 
     def get_context_table_name(self, table):
         '''

docs/pages/generic-mixins.rst

@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ template.
 The following view parameters are supported:
 
 - ``table_class`` –- the table class to use, e.g. ``SimpleTable``, if not specfied
-  a default table will be provided.
+  and ``model`` is provided, a default table will be created on-the-fly.
 - ``table_data`` (or ``get_table_data()``) -- the data used to populate the table
 - ``context_table_name`` -- the name of template variable containing the table object
 - ``table_pagination`` (or ``get_table_pagination``) -- pagination

tests/test_models.py

@@ -526,9 +526,12 @@ def test_factory_localize_argument(self):
         self.assertEqual(Table._meta.localize, localize)
 
     def test_factory_with_meta(self):
-        localize = ('username',)
+        fields = ('first_name',)
 
-        class Meta:
-            fields = ('first_name',)
+        class TableWithMeta(tables.Table):
+            first_name = tables.Column()
+            class Meta:
+                fields = ('first_name',)
 
-        tables.table_factory(Person, localize=localize)
+        Table = tables.table_factory(Person, table=TableWithMeta)
+        self.assertEqual(Table.Meta.fields, fields)

tests/test_views.py

@@ -35,10 +35,6 @@ class SimpleView(DispatchHookMixin, tables.SingleTableView):
     model = Region  # required for ListView
 
 
-class SimpleNoTableClassView(DispatchHookMixin, tables.SingleTableView):
-    model = Region  # required for ListView
-
-
 class SimplePaginatedView(DispatchHookMixin, tables.SingleTableView):
     table_class = SimpleTable
     table_pagination = {'per_page': 1}
@@ -200,10 +196,22 @@ def test_get_tables_class(self):
         self.assertEqual(table_class, view.table_class)
 
     def test_get_tables_class_auto(self):
+        class SimpleNoTableClassView(tables.SingleTableView):
+            model = Region
+
         view = SimpleNoTableClassView()
         table_class = view.get_table_class()
         self.assertEqual(table_class.__name__, 'RegionTable')
 
+    def test_get_tables_class_raises_no_model(self):
+        class SimpleNoTableClassNoModelView(tables.SingleTableView):
+            model = None
+            table_class = None
+
+        view = SimpleNoTableClassNoModelView()
+        with self.assertRaises(ImproperlyConfigured):
+            view.get_table_class()
+
 
 class SingleTableMixinTest(TestCase):
     def test_with_non_paginated_view(self):