Templates

In Django, templates are used to generate HTML dynamically. They are files containing static parts of the desired HTML output as well as template tags and variables which generate dynamic content. Here’s an overview of how templates work in Django:

Creating Templates

  1. Directory Structure: Templates are typically stored in a directory named templates within your Django app. If it doesn't exist, create it in the app directory (myapp/templates/).
  2. Template Files: Create HTML files within the templates directory. These files will contain the structure of your web pages with placeholders for dynamic content.
    <!-- myapp/templates/base.html -->
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>{% block title %}{% endblock %}</title>
</head>
<body>
    <div id="content">
        {% block content %}
        {% endblock %}
    </div>
</body>
</html>

    In this example, {% block %} tags define areas that child templates can override. They allow you to create a base template that can be extended by other templates.

Rendering Templates

  1. Views: Views in Django are Python functions or classes that receive HTTP requests and return HTTP responses. They render templates with data to generate dynamic HTML.
    # views.py
from django.shortcuts import render
from .models import MyModel

def my_view(request):
    queryset = MyModel.objects.all()
    context = {
        'queryset': queryset,
    }
    return render(request, 'myapp/template.html', context)

    In this example, render() is used to render the template.html template with the context dictionary passed as data.
  2. Context: The context dictionary contains data that you want to display in the template. It can include querysets, lists, variables, or any other Python objects.
  3. Template Tags: Django provides template tags to add logic and control flow to your templates. Common tags include:
    • {% for %}: Iterates over a list.
    • {% if %}: Conditionally displays content.
    • {% include %}: Includes another template.
    • {% url %}: Generates URLs using named URL patterns.
    <!-- myapp/templates/template.html -->
{% extends 'myapp/base.html' %}

{% block title %}
    My Template
{% endblock %}

{% block content %}
    <ul>
    {% for item in queryset %}
        <li>{{ item.name }}</li>
    {% endfor %}
    </ul>
{% endblock %}

    Here, {{ }} is used to render variables passed from the view (item.name).

Static Files in Templates

  1. Static Files: CSS, JavaScript, and images are stored in the static directory within each app (myapp/static/myapp/). Load static files in templates using the {% static %} template tag.
    <!-- myapp/templates/template.html -->
{% load static %}

<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="{% static 'myapp/style.css' %}">
    • {% load static %}: Loads the static tag library.
    • {% static 'myapp/style.css' %}: Generates the URL for the static file style.css.

Conclusion

Templates in Django provide a powerful way to generate HTML dynamically by combining static HTML with template tags and variables. They facilitate the separation of logic (views and models) from presentation (templates), making it easier to maintain and scale web applications. Refer to Django's documentation for more details on template tags, filters, and advanced usage scenarios.

Table of Contents