django distinct doesn't return just unique fields -

i've models chat messages 3 fields:

sender, recipient ( foreignkey user model ) , message textfield.

i'm trying select unique conversations either sender either recipient field (exclude request.user). , i'm bit messed in how implement that.

i've 2 issues:

message.objects.filter(q(sender = request.user)|q(recipient = request.user)).values('sender').distinct() 

doesn't return list of unique records ( order_by ). i've lot absolutely same senders: {'sender': 4l}, {'sender': 4l} (the same recipients).

and second issue is:

do need concatenate 2 queysets (for senders , recipients) or there way whole list of conversations current request.user?

upd. ok, here table content:

mysql> select id, sender_id, recipient_id, body messages_message ; +----+-----------+--------------+-----------+ | id | sender_id | recipient_id | body      | +----+-----------+--------------+-----------+ |  1 |         4 |            1 | message 1 | |  2 |         4 |            1 | message 2 | +----+-----------+--------------+-----------+ 

and here result of

message.objects.filter(q(sender = request.user)|q(recipient = request.user)).values('sender').distinct()  [{'sender': 4l}, {'sender': 4l}] 

but expected [{'sender': 4l}].

so, what's wrong?

upd2. model:

class message(models.model):     body = models.textfield(_("body"))     sender = models.foreignkey(user, related_name='sent_messages', verbose_name=_("sender"))     recipient = models.foreignkey(user, related_name='received_messages', null=true, blank=true, verbose_name=_("recipient"))     sent_at = models.datetimefield(_("sent at"), null=true, blank=true) 

i need select conversation partners (people sent or received message request.user) of current user.

just $.02, think sort of logic handled better python sql. if use query params specific 1 db, kind of defeats purpose of orm, in opinion.

i try this:

messages = message.objects.filter(q(sender = request.user)|q(recipient = request.user)) ## need 'q'? ## 

then:

partners = set() m in messages:     partners.add(m.sender)     partners.add(m.recipient) 

if going @ set often, cache it.

but might better make partners field of user, , add every time message sent. no complex query ever need made, simple user.partners.

i assume need user object send message anyway, shouldn't overhead.