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Day 2 of 5
⏱ ~60 minutes
Django in 5 Days — Day 2

Views and URLs

Map URLs to Python functions and classes. Pass data from models to templates. Understand function-based views and class-based views.

URL Patterns

mysite/urls.py
from django.contrib import admin
from django.urls import path, include

urlpatterns = [
    path('admin/', admin.site.urls),
    path('', include('blog.urls')),
]
blog/urls.py
from django.urls import path
from . import views

urlpatterns = [
    path('', views.post_list, name='post_list'),
    path('posts//', views.post_detail, name='post_detail'),
]
blog/views.py — Function-Based Views
from django.shortcuts import render, get_object_or_404
from .models import Post

def post_list(request):
    posts = Post.objects.filter(published=True)
    return render(request, 'blog/post_list.html', {'posts': posts})

def post_detail(request, slug):
    post = get_object_or_404(Post, slug=slug, published=True)
    return render(request, 'blog/post_detail.html', {'post': post})
Class-Based Views (CBV) alternative
from django.views.generic import ListView, DetailView
from .models import Post

class PostListView(ListView):
    model = Post
    queryset = Post.objects.filter(published=True)
    template_name = 'blog/post_list.html'
    context_object_name = 'posts'
    paginate_by = 10

class PostDetailView(DetailView):
    model = Post
    template_name = 'blog/post_detail.html'
ℹ️
Use function-based views when you need custom logic. Use class-based views for standard CRUD operations — they reduce boilerplate significantly. ListView, DetailView, CreateView, UpdateView, DeleteView cover 80% of web app views.
📝 Day 2 Exercise
Add Views to Your Blog
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Day 2 Summary

  • URL patterns are matched top to bottom. Put more specific patterns first.
  • render(request, template, context) — the three things every view does.
  • get_object_or_404 returns the object or a 404 response. Use it instead of .get() in views.
  • CBVs reduce boilerplate for standard CRUD. FBVs give you full control for custom logic.
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Day 1: Models and the Django ORM
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Day 3: Templates
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