Use Python types to declare document fields

docs/persistence.rst

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ layer for your application.
 For more comprehensive examples have a look at the examples_ directory in the
 repository.
 
-.. _examples: https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch-dsl-py/tree/master/examples
+.. _examples: https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch-dsl-py/tree/main/examples
 
 .. _doc_type:
 
@@ -66,14 +66,14 @@ settings in elasticsearch (see :ref:`life-cycle` for details).
 Data types
 ~~~~~~~~~~
 
-The ``Document`` instances should be using native python types like
+The ``Document`` instances use native python types like ``str`` and
 ``datetime``. In case of ``Object`` or ``Nested`` fields an instance of the
-``InnerDoc`` subclass should be used just like in the ``add_comment`` method in
-the above example where we are creating an instance of the ``Comment`` class.
+``InnerDoc`` subclass is used, as in the ``add_comment`` method in the above
+example where we are creating an instance of the ``Comment`` class.
 
 There are some specific types that were created as part of this library to make
-working with specific field types easier, for example the ``Range`` object used
-in any of the `range fields
+working with some field types easier, for example the ``Range`` object used in
+any of the `range fields
 <https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/range.html>`_:
 
 .. code:: python
@@ -103,6 +103,169 @@ in any of the `range fields
     # empty range is unbounded
     Range().lower # None, False
 
+Python Type Hints
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Document fields can be defined using standard Python type hints if desired.
+Here are some simple examples:
+
+.. code:: python
+
+    from typing import Optional
+
+    class Post(Document):
+        title: str                      # same as title = Text(required=True)
+        created_at: Optional[datetime]  # same as created_at = Date(required=False)
+        published: bool                 # same as published = Boolean(required=True)    
+
+It is important to note that when using ``Field`` subclasses such as ``Text``,
+``Date`` and ``Boolean``, they must be given in the right-side of an assignment,
+as shown in examples above. Using these classes as type hints will result in
+errors.
+
+Python types are mapped to their corresponding field type according to the
+following table:
+
+.. list-table:: Python type to DSL field mappings
+   :header-rows: 1
+
+   * - Python type
+     - DSL field
+   * - ``str``
+     - ``Text(required=True)``
+   * - ``bool``
+     - ``Boolean(required=True)``
+   * - ``int``
+     - ``Integer(required=True)``
+   * - ``float``
+     - ``Float(required=True)``
+   * - ``bytes``
+     - ``Binary(required=True)``
+   * - ``datetime``
+     - ``Date(required=True)``
+   * - ``date``
+     - ``Date(format="yyyy-MM-dd", required=True)``
+   * - ``InnerDocSubclass``
+     - ``Object(InnerDocSubclass)``
+   * - ``List(InnerDocSubclass)``
+     - ``Nested(InnerDocSubclass)``
+
+As noted in the last two rows of the table, a field can also be given a type
+hint of an ``InnerDoc`` subclass, in which case it becomes an ``Object`` field
+of that class. When the ``InnerDoc`` subclass is wrapped with ``List``, a
+``Nested`` field is created instead.
+
+.. code:: python
+
+    from typing import List
+
+    class Address(InnerDoc):
+        ...
+
+    class Comment(InnerDoc):
+        ...
+
+    class Post(Document):
+        address: Address         # same as address = Object(Address)
+        comments: List[Comment]  # same as comments = Nested(Comment)
+
+Unfortunately it is impossible to have Python type hints that uniquely
+identify every possible Elasticsearch field type. To choose a field type that
+is different than the ones in the table above, the field instance can be added
+explicitly as a right-side assignment in the field declaration. The next
+example creates a field that is typed as ``str``, but is mapped to ``Keyword``
+instead of ``Text``:
+
+.. code:: python
+
+    class MyDocument(Document):
+        category: str = Keyword(required=True)
+
+This form can also be used when additional options need to be given to
+initialize the field, such as when using custom analyzer settings:
+
+.. code:: python
+
+    class Comment(InnerDoc):
+        content: str = Text(analyzer='snowball', required=True)
+
+The standard ``Optional`` modifier from the Python ``typing`` package can be
+used to change a typed field from required to optional. The ``List`` modifier
+can be added to a field to convert it to an array, similar to using the
+``multi=True`` argument on the field object.
+
+When using type hints as above, subclasses of ``Document`` and ``InnerDoc``
+inherit some of the behaviors associated with Python dataclasses, as defined by
+`PEP 681 <https://peps.python.org/pep-0681/>`_ and the
+`dataclass_transform decorator <https://typing.readthedocs.io/en/latest/spec/dataclasses.html#dataclass-transform>`_.
+To add per-field dataclass options such as ``default`` or ``default_factory``,
+the ``mapped_field()`` wrapper can be used on the right side of a typed field
+declaration:
+
+.. code:: python
+
+    class MyDocument(Document):
+        title: str = mapped_field(default="no title")
+        created_at: datetime = mapped_field(default_factory=datetime.now)
+        published: bool = mapped_field(default=False)
+        category: str = mapped_field(Keyword(required=True), default="general")
+
+When using the ``mapped_field()`` wrapper function, an explicit field type
+instance can be passed as a first positional argument, as the ``category``
+field does in the example above.
+
+Static type checkers such as `mypy <https://mypy-lang.org/>`_ and
+`pyright <https://github.com/microsoft/pyright>`_ can use the type hints and
+the dataclass-specific options added to the ``mapped_field()`` function to
+improve type inference and provide better real-time suggestions in IDEs.
+
+One situation in which type checkers can't infer the correct type is when
+using fields as class attributes. Consider the following example:
+
+.. code:: python
+
+    class MyDocument(Document):
+        title: str
+
+    doc = MyDocument()
+    # doc.title is typed as "str" (correct)
+    # MyDocument.title is also typed as "str" (incorrect)
+
+To help type checkers correctly identify class attributes as such, the ``M``
+generic must be used as a wrapper to the type hint, as shown in the next
+examples:
+
+.. code:: python
+
+    from elasticsearch_dsl import M
+
+    class MyDocument(Document):
+        title: M[str]
+        created_at: M[datetime] = mapped_field(default_factory=datetime.now)
+
+    doc = MyDocument()
+    # doc.title is typed as "str"
+    # doc.created_at is typed as "datetime"
+    # MyDocument.title is typed as "InstrumentedField"
+    # MyDocument.created_at is typed as "InstrumentedField"
+
+Note that the ``M`` type hint does not provide any runtime behavior and its use
+is not required, but it can be useful to eliminate spurious type errors in IDEs
+or type checking builds.
+
+The ``InstrumentedField`` objects returned when fields are accessed as class
+attributes are proxies for the field instances that can be used anywhere a
+field needs to be referenced, such as when specifying sort options in a
+``Search`` object:
+
+.. code:: python
+
+    # sort by creation date descending, and title ascending
+    s = MyDocument.search().sort(-MyDocument.created_at, MyDocument.title)
+
+When specifying sorting order, the ``+`` and ``-`` unary operators can be used
+on the class field attributes to indicate ascending and descending order.
+
 Note on dates
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

elasticsearch_dsl/__init__.py

@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 from .aggs import A
 from .analysis import analyzer, char_filter, normalizer, token_filter, tokenizer
 from .document import AsyncDocument, Document
-from .document_base import InnerDoc, MetaField
+from .document_base import InnerDoc, M, MetaField, mapped_field
 from .exceptions import (
     ElasticsearchDslException,
     IllegalOperation,
@@ -148,6 +148,7 @@
     "Keyword",
     "Long",
     "LongRange",
+    "M",
     "Mapping",
     "MetaField",
     "MultiSearch",
@@ -178,6 +179,7 @@
     "char_filter",
     "connections",
     "construct_field",
+    "mapped_field",
     "normalizer",
     "token_filter",
     "tokenizer",

elasticsearch_dsl/_async/document.py

@@ -18,10 +18,11 @@
 import collections.abc
 
 from elasticsearch.exceptions import NotFoundError, RequestError
+from typing_extensions import dataclass_transform
 
 from .._async.index import AsyncIndex
 from ..async_connections import get_connection
-from ..document_base import DocumentBase, DocumentMeta
+from ..document_base import DocumentBase, DocumentMeta, mapped_field
 from ..exceptions import IllegalOperation
 from ..utils import DOC_META_FIELDS, META_FIELDS, merge
 from .search import AsyncSearch
@@ -62,6 +63,7 @@ def construct_index(cls, opts, bases):
         return i
 
 
+@dataclass_transform(field_specifiers=(mapped_field,))
 class AsyncDocument(DocumentBase, metaclass=AsyncIndexMeta):
     """
     Model-like class for persisting documents in elasticsearch.

elasticsearch_dsl/_sync/document.py

@@ -18,10 +18,11 @@
 import collections.abc
 
 from elasticsearch.exceptions import NotFoundError, RequestError
+from typing_extensions import dataclass_transform
 
 from .._sync.index import Index
 from ..connections import get_connection
-from ..document_base import DocumentBase, DocumentMeta
+from ..document_base import DocumentBase, DocumentMeta, mapped_field
 from ..exceptions import IllegalOperation
 from ..utils import DOC_META_FIELDS, META_FIELDS, merge
 from .search import Search
@@ -60,6 +61,7 @@ def construct_index(cls, opts, bases):
         return i
 
 
+@dataclass_transform(field_specifiers=(mapped_field,))
 class Document(DocumentBase, metaclass=IndexMeta):
     """
     Model-like class for persisting documents in elasticsearch.