Allow configurable separator for {module_path} placeholder

[mrmrcoleman]

NetBox version

v4.5.2

Feature type

Change to existing functionality

Proposed functionality

The {module_path} placeholder (introduced in #21436) currently joins module bay positions with a hardcoded / separator (MODULE_TOKEN_SEPARATOR in dcim/constants.py). This works well for the common <unit>/<slot>/<port> naming convention used by most modern switches and routers, but some hardware uses different separators:

• : for channelized interfaces (e.g. 1/2:3)
• - for certain legacy platforms
• . for sub-interface style naming

It would be useful to allow the separator to be configurable, either:

1. Per-template: A separator field on component templates that use {module_path}, or
2. Per-ModuleType: A separator property on the ModuleType itself, or
3. Globally: A configurable setting (though this is the least flexible option)

Justification

This was raised during review of #21436 by @sleepinggenius2 and @arthanson. The current constant-based approach was chosen deliberately to keep the initial {module_path} implementation simple, with the expectation that configurability could be added as a follow-up.

Related

• #21436 (PR introducing {module_path})
• NB-1871, NB-1486 (original issues motivating {module_path})

[mrmrcoleman]

Worth noting @rhartmann's alternative approach from the PR discussion (#21436 comment): rather than making the separator configurable, add an inherit_parent_position boolean to ModuleBay. When enabled, {module} in a sub-bay's position would resolve using the already-resolved parent position, making the separator a non-issue entirely — each bay template author picks whatever separator they want when defining positions.

rhartmann posted working patches for two variants (configurable opt-in and always-inherit) in that thread. This could potentially replace {module_path} altogether if the maintainers prefer it, since it's strictly more flexible. It's a bigger change though (new field, migration, form/API updates), which is why it wasn't included in the initial fix.

[mrmrcoleman]

Closing as superseded by PR #21753, which eliminates the hardcoded separator constant entirely - users now control the separator directly in the position field template (e.g. {module}/1, {module}-1, {module}.1).