[change] Added default ordering to timestamped models

docs/developer/other-utilities.rst

@@ -27,6 +27,12 @@ Which use respectively ``AutoCreatedField``, ``AutoLastModifiedField``
 from ``model_utils.fields`` (self-updating fields providing the creation
 date-time and the last modified date-time).
 
+By default, querysets are ordered by newest creation time and then by
+primary key, using ``("-created", "-pk")``. A subclass defining its own
+``Meta`` class must inherit ``TimeStampedEditableModel.Meta`` to preserve
+this ordering. Explicit model ordering and ``QuerySet.order_by()`` calls
+override it.
+
 REST API Utilities
 ------------------
 

openwisp_utils/base.py

@@ -23,3 +23,4 @@ class TimeStampedEditableModel(UUIDModel):
 
     class Meta:
         abstract = True
+        ordering = ("-created", "-pk")

openwisp_utils/metric_collection/migrations/0002_alter_consent_options.py

@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+# Generated by Django 5.2.13 on 2026-08-03 20:58
+
+from django.db import migrations
+
+
+class Migration(migrations.Migration):
+
+    dependencies = [
+        ("metric_collection", "0001_initial"),
+    ]
+
+    operations = [
+        migrations.AlterModelOptions(
+            name="consent",
+            options={"ordering": ("-created", "-pk")},
+        ),
+    ]

openwisp_utils/metric_collection/tests/test_models.py

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
-from datetime import datetime, timezone
+from datetime import datetime, timedelta, timezone
 from unittest.mock import patch
+from uuid import UUID
 
 import requests
 from django.apps import apps
@@ -22,6 +23,23 @@
 
 
 class TestOpenwispVersion(TestCase):
+    def test_consent_ordering(self):
+        old = Consent.objects.create(id=UUID("00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001"))
+        tied = Consent.objects.create(id=UUID("00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000002"))
+        newest = Consent.objects.create(id=UUID("00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000003"))
+        created = datetime(2026, 1, 1, tzinfo=timezone.utc)
+        Consent.objects.filter(pk__in=[old.pk, tied.pk]).update(created=created)
+        Consent.objects.filter(pk=newest.pk).update(created=created + timedelta(days=1))
+        self.assertEqual(Consent._meta.ordering, ("-created", "-pk"))
+        self.assertEqual(
+            list(Consent.objects.values_list("pk", flat=True)),
+            [newest.pk, tied.pk, old.pk],
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(
+            list(Consent.objects.order_by("pk").values_list("pk", flat=True)),
+            [old.pk, tied.pk, newest.pk],
+        )
+
     def setUp(self):
         # The post_migrate signal creates the first OpenwispVersion object
         # and uses the actual modules installed in the Python environment.

tests/test_project/migrations/0010_alter_book_options_alter_shelf_options.py

@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+# Generated by Django 5.2.13 on 2026-08-03 20:58
+
+from django.db import migrations
+
+
+class Migration(migrations.Migration):
+
+    dependencies = [
+        ("test_project", "0009_shelf_writers"),
+    ]
+
+    operations = [
+        migrations.AlterModelOptions(
+            name="book",
+            options={"ordering": ("name", "pk")},
+        ),
+        migrations.AlterModelOptions(
+            name="shelf",
+            options={"ordering": ("-created", "-pk")},
+        ),
+    ]

tests/test_project/models.py

@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ class Shelf(TimeStampedEditableModel):
     def __str__(self):
         return self.name
 
-    class Meta:
+    class Meta(TimeStampedEditableModel.Meta):
         abstract = False
 
     def clean(self):
@@ -74,8 +74,9 @@ class Book(TimeStampedEditableModel):
     def __str__(self):
         return self.name
 
-    class Meta:
+    class Meta(TimeStampedEditableModel.Meta):
         abstract = False
+        ordering = ("name", "pk")
 
 
 class RadiusAccounting(models.Model):

tests/test_project/tests/test_model.py

@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
+from datetime import datetime, timedelta, timezone
 from unittest.mock import patch
+from uuid import UUID
 
 from django.core.exceptions import ValidationError
 from django.db import connection, models
@@ -13,6 +15,60 @@
 class TestModel(TestCase):
     TEST_KEY = "w1gwJxKaHcamUw62TQIPgYchwLKn3AA0"
 
+    def test_timestamped_model_ordering(self):
+        old_shelf = Shelf.objects.create(
+            id=UUID("00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001"), name="Old shelf"
+        )
+        tied_shelf = Shelf.objects.create(
+            id=UUID("00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000002"), name="Tied shelf"
+        )
+        newest_shelf = Shelf.objects.create(
+            id=UUID("00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000003"), name="Newest shelf"
+        )
+        old_book = Book.objects.create(
+            id=UUID("00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000004"),
+            name="Same book",
+            author="Author",
+            shelf=old_shelf,
+        )
+        tied_book = Book.objects.create(
+            id=UUID("00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000005"),
+            name="Same book",
+            author="Author",
+            shelf=tied_shelf,
+        )
+        newest_book = Book.objects.create(
+            id=UUID("00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000006"),
+            name="Other book",
+            author="Author",
+            shelf=newest_shelf,
+        )
+        created = datetime(2026, 1, 1, tzinfo=timezone.utc)
+        Shelf.objects.filter(pk__in=[old_shelf.pk, tied_shelf.pk]).update(
+            created=created
+        )
+        Shelf.objects.filter(pk=newest_shelf.pk).update(
+            created=created + timedelta(days=1)
+        )
+        Book.objects.filter(pk__in=[old_book.pk, tied_book.pk]).update(created=created)
+        Book.objects.filter(pk=newest_book.pk).update(
+            created=created + timedelta(days=1)
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(Shelf._meta.ordering, ("-created", "-pk"))
+        self.assertEqual(Book._meta.ordering, ("name", "pk"))
+        self.assertEqual(
+            list(Shelf.objects.values_list("pk", flat=True)),
+            [newest_shelf.pk, tied_shelf.pk, old_shelf.pk],
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(
+            list(Book.objects.values_list("pk", flat=True)),
+            [newest_book.pk, old_book.pk, tied_book.pk],
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(
+            list(Shelf.objects.order_by("name").values_list("pk", flat=True)),
+            [newest_shelf.pk, old_shelf.pk, tied_shelf.pk],
+        )
+
     def test_key_validator(self):
         p = Project.objects.create(name="test_project")
         p.key = "key/key"

tests/test_project/tests/test_selenium.py

@@ -652,7 +652,10 @@ def test_autocomplete_shelf_filter(self):
         select_id = "id-shelf__id-dal-filter"
         filter_css_selector = f"#select2-{select_id}-container"
         filter_options = f'//*[@id="select2-{select_id}-results"]/li'
-        filter_option_xpath = f'//*[@id="select2-{select_id}-results"]/li[2]'
+        filter_option_xpath = (
+            f'//*[@id="select2-{select_id}-results"]/li'
+            f'[contains(text(), "{factual_shelf.name}")]'
+        )
 
         result_xpath = '//*[@id="result_list"]/tbody/tr/th/a[contains(text(), "{}")]'
         self.open(url)