Added a DictMixin.

app/avtryck/models.py

@@ -1,5 +1,44 @@
 from google.appengine.ext import db
 
+class DictMixin(object):
+    # this method stolen from 
+    # http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1531501/json-serialization-of-google-app-engine-models
+    # thank you, David Wilson
+    def to_dict(self):
+        model = self
+        output = {}
+        for key, prop in model.properties().iteritems():
+            value = getattr(model, key)
+
+            if value is None or isinstance(value, SIMPLE_TYPES):
+                output[key] = value
+            elif isinstance(value, date):
+                # Convert date/datetime to ms-since-epoch ("new Date()").
+                ms = time.mktime(value.utctimetuple()) * 1000
+                ms += getattr(value, 'microseconds', 0) / 1000
+                output[key] = int(ms)
+            elif isinstance(value, db.Model):
+                output[key] = to_dict(value)
+            else:
+                raise ValueError('cannot encode ' + repr(prop))
+        output["id"] = model.key().id()
+        return output
+
+    def update_from_dict(self, dict_representation):
+        for k, v in dict_representation.iteritems():
+            if hasattr(self, k):
+                logging.info("%s = %s" % (k,v))
+                field_type = type(getattr(self, k))
+                logging.info(field_type)
+                if field_type == long:
+                    v = int(v)
+                if field_type == datetime:
+                    logging.info(v)
+                    v = datetime.fromtimestamp(v/1000) # microseconds in javascript
+                    logging.info(v)
+                setattr(self, k, v)
+
+
 class Profile(db.Model):
     google_user = db.UserProperty()
 
@@ -25,7 +64,7 @@ class Place(db.Model):
     radius = db.FloatProperty()
     records = db.ListProperty(db.Key)
 
-class Route(db.Model):
+class Route(db.Model, DictMixin):
     title = db.StringProperty()
     desc = db.TextProperty()
     creator = db.ReferenceProperty(Profile)