A NetBox 4.5.x plugin that adds a Custom Objects tab to standard object detail pages,
showing any Custom Object instances from the netbox_custom_objects plugin that reference
those objects via OBJECT or MULTIOBJECT fields.
The tab includes pagination, text search, column sorting, type filtering, and tag filtering, with HTMX-powered partial updates so table interactions don't reload the full page.
- NetBox 4.5.0 – 4.5.99
netbox_custom_objectsplugin installed and configured
| Plugin version | NetBox version |
|---|---|
| 1.0.x | 4.5.x |
source /opt/netbox/venv/bin/activate
pip install netbox-custom-objects-tabAdd to NetBox configuration.py:
PLUGINS = [
'netbox_custom_objects',
'netbox_custom_objects_tab',
]
# Optional — defaults shown below
PLUGINS_CONFIG = {
'netbox_custom_objects_tab': {
'models': ['dcim.*', 'ipam.*', 'virtualization.*', 'tenancy.*', 'contacts.*'],
'label': 'Custom Objects',
'weight': 2000,
}
}Restart NetBox. No database migrations required.
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
models |
['dcim.*', 'ipam.*', 'virtualization.*', 'tenancy.*', 'contacts.*'] |
Models that get the Custom Objects tab. Accepts app_label.model_name strings or app_label.* wildcards to register every model in an app. |
label |
'Custom Objects' |
Text displayed on the tab. |
weight |
2000 |
Controls tab position in the tab bar; lower values appear further left. |
# Default — all common NetBox apps
'models': ['dcim.*', 'ipam.*', 'virtualization.*', 'tenancy.*', 'contacts.*']
# Only specific models
'models': ['dcim.device', 'dcim.site', 'ipam.prefix']
# Mix wildcards and specifics
'models': ['dcim.*', 'virtualization.*', 'ipam.ipaddress']
# Third-party plugin models work identically
'models': ['dcim.*', 'ipam.*', 'inventory_monitor.*']Third-party plugin models are fully supported — Django treats plugin apps and built-in apps the same way in the app registry. Add the plugin's app label and restart NetBox once.
The tab is hidden automatically (hide_if_empty=True) when no custom objects reference
the object being viewed, so it only appears when relevant.
Results are paginated using NetBox's standard EnhancedPaginator. The page size respects
the user's personal NetBox preference and can be overridden with ?per_page=N in the URL.
Page controls appear at the top and bottom of the table.
A search box in the card header filters results by:
- Custom Object instance display name
- Custom Object Type name
- Field label
Filtering uses the ?q= query parameter and is applied before pagination.
A dropdown (shown when 2 or more Custom Object Types are present) lets you narrow
results to a single type. Uses the ?type=<slug> query parameter. The dropdown
auto-submits on selection and is populated from the types actually present in the
current result set.
A dropdown (shown when at least one linked Custom Object has a tag) lets you narrow
results to objects with a specific tag. Uses the ?tag=<slug> query parameter. The
dropdown auto-submits on selection and is populated from the tags present across the
full result set. Tag data is pre-fetched in bulk so there is no N+1 query cost.
Clicking the Type, Object, or Field column header sorts the table in-memory. A second click on the same header reverses the direction. The active column shows an up/down arrow icon. Sort state is preserved when the search form is submitted.
Pagination clicks, column sort clicks, search form submissions, type-dropdown changes,
and tag-dropdown changes all update the table zone in-place using HTMX — no full page
reload. The URL is updated via pushState so links stay shareable and the browser back
button returns to the previous filter/page state.
Each row includes a Value column showing the actual field value on the Custom Object instance:
- Object fields: a link to the related object.
- Multi-Object fields: comma-separated links to the related objects, truncated at 3 with an ellipsis when more are present.
A Configure Table button in the card header opens a NetBox modal that lets
authenticated users show, hide, and reorder the table columns (Type, Object, Value,
Field, Tags). Preferences are stored per-user in UserConfig and respected on every
subsequent page load, including HTMX partial updates. The Actions column is always
visible and cannot be hidden.
Each row has right-aligned action buttons, shown only when the user has the relevant permission:
- Edit (pencil icon) — links to the Custom Object instance's edit page. Shown when the user has
changepermission on the object. - Delete (trash icon) — links to the Custom Object instance's delete confirmation page. Shown when the user has
deletepermission on the object.
Users without either permission see no action buttons in the row. After completing either action, NetBox redirects back to the Custom Objects tab on the same parent object.
The tab badge (shown in the tab bar on every detail page) is computed with a
COUNT(*) query per field — no object rows are fetched. Full object rows are only
loaded when the tab itself is opened. This keeps detail page loads fast even when
thousands of custom objects reference an object.
When a Custom Object Type has a field of type Object or Multi-Object pointing to a NetBox model (e.g. Device), any Custom Object instances with that field set will appear in the "Custom Objects" tab on the referenced object's detail page.
The tab displays:
| Column | Content |
|---|---|
| Type | Custom Object Type name (sortable); links to the type detail page when the user has view permission |
| Object | Link to the Custom Object instance (sortable) |
| Value | The value stored in the linking field — a link for Object fields, comma-separated links for Multi-Object fields |
| Field | The field that holds the reference (sortable) |
| Tags | Colored tag badges assigned to the Custom Object instance; — when none |
| (actions) | Edit and Delete buttons, each shown only when the user has the corresponding permission |
- Open an issue on GitHub
Pull requests are welcome. For significant changes, please open an issue first.
Apache-2.0