Figured out that proxy models do not call signals attached to their classes they proxy for. I used the metaclass that already had a post_save signal attached to it, and it works fine now! I took out the unnecessary apps.py now that we're no longer attaching a signal to the base model classes and just doing it to the proxies.

evennia/typeclasses/__init__.py

@@ -9,4 +9,3 @@ Attribute and Tag models are defined along with their handlers.
 
 """
 
-default_app_config = "evennia.typeclasses.apps.TypeclassesConfig"

evennia/typeclasses/apps.py

@@ -1,10 +0,0 @@
-from __future__ import unicode_literals
-
-from django.apps import AppConfig
-
-
-class TypeclassesConfig(AppConfig):
-    name = 'typeclasses'
-
-    def ready(self):
-        from . import signals

evennia/typeclasses/models.py

@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ from evennia.utils.utils import (
         class_from_module)
 from evennia.utils.logger import log_trace
 from evennia.typeclasses.django_new_patch import patched_new
+from .signals import remove_attributes_on_delete, post_save
 
 __all__ = ("TypedObject", )
 
@@ -68,14 +69,6 @@ _SA = object.__setattr__
 #
 
 
-# signal receivers. Assigned in __new__
-def post_save(sender, instance, created, **kwargs):
-    """
-    Receives a signal just after the object is saved.
-    """
-    if created:
-        instance.at_first_save()
-
 class TypeclassBase(SharedMemoryModelBase):
     """
     Metaclass which should be set for the root of model proxies
@@ -107,9 +100,9 @@ class TypeclassBase(SharedMemoryModelBase):
         # https://code.djangoproject.com/ticket/11560
         new_class = patched_new(cls, name, bases, attrs)
 
-        # attach signal
+        # attach signals
         signals.post_save.connect(post_save, sender=new_class)
-
+        signals.pre_delete.connect(remove_attributes_on_delete, sender=new_class)
         return new_class
 
 
@@ -606,7 +599,11 @@ class TypedObject(SharedMemoryModel):
 
         """
         global TICKER_HANDLER
-
+        self.permissions.clear()
+        self.attributes.clear()
+        self.aliases.clear()
+        if hasattr(self, "nicks"):
+            self.nicks.clear()
         # scrambling properties
         self.delete = self._deleted
         super(TypedObject, self).delete()

evennia/typeclasses/signals.py

@@ -1,28 +1,16 @@
-from .models import TypedObject
-from django.db.models.signals import pre_delete
 
 
-def get_subclasses(cls):
-    result = []
-    classes_to_inspect = [cls]
-    while classes_to_inspect:
-        class_to_inspect = classes_to_inspect.pop()
-        for subclass in class_to_inspect.__subclasses__():
-            if subclass not in result:
-                result.append(subclass)
-                classes_to_inspect.append(subclass)
-    return result
+# signal receivers. Assigned in __new__
+def post_save(sender, instance, created, **kwargs):
+    """
+    Receives a signal just after the object is saved.
+    """
+    if created:
+        instance.at_first_save()
 
 
 def remove_attributes_on_delete(sender, instance, **kwargs):
-    print "remove_attribtes_on_delete called in instance %s" % instance
-    instance.permissions.clear()
-    instance.attributes.clear()
-    instance.aliases.clear()
-    if hasattr(instance, "nicks"):
-        instance.nicks.clear()
+    instance.db_attributes.all().delete()
+
 
 
-for subclass in get_subclasses(TypedObject):
-    pre_delete.connect(remove_attributes_on_delete, subclass)
-    print "connected to subclass %s" % subclass