Render HTML template in Django

In the previous article, we talked about the views in which we are returning the HTTP response. Now let's see how to render an HTML file as a response.

First of all, you have to change setting.py . In TEMPLATES array add html folder path in DIRS option.

# myproject/setting.py
TEMPLATES = [
    {
        'BACKEND': 'django.template.backends.django.DjangoTemplates',
        'DIRS': ['templates'],
        'APP_DIRS': True,
        'OPTIONS': {
            'context_processors': [
                'django.template.context_processors.debug',
                'django.template.context_processors.request',
                'django.contrib.auth.context_processors.auth',
                'django.contrib.messages.context_processors.messages',
            ],
        },
    },
]

Now, for creating templates for your project follow the steps given below.

create a templates directory in your project

The first step is to create a directory as you described in settings.py for storing HTML files. In my case, I will create a directory called "templates" at the root of your project.

Create a template file

Inside the templates directory, create a new file with a name that corresponds to the view that you want to use the template with. For example, if you have a view that displays a home page of your website, you might create a file called "home.html".

Define a template

In the template file, you will define the structure of the web page. This can include HTML tags, variables, and control structures such as loops and conditions. you can read about it in the official documentation. write some random HTML in the home.html

    <!DOCTYPE html>
    <html lang="en">
    <head>
        <meta charset="UTF-8">
        <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge">
        <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
        <title>Home</title>
    </head>
    <body>
        <h1>{{ msg }}</h1>
        <ul>
            <li>item1</li>
            <li>item2</li>
            <li>item3</li>
            <li>item4</li>
        </ul>
    </body>
    </html>

Use the template in a view

In the view that corresponds to the template, use the render() function to render the template and return it to the browser. The render() function takes two arguments: the request object and the name of the template. you can give 3rd argument as context which contains a bunch of key-value pair which can be accessed in html file. For example, to render the "home.html" template, you would use the following code:

# home/views.py
from django.shortcuts import render
# Create your views here.
def index(request):
    return render(request, 'home.html',{msg:"Hello World"})

Include the template in the URL

Finally, you will need to include the template in the URL. To do this, you will need to add a URL pattern that maps the URL to the view. For example, you might use the following code.

# home/urls.py
from django.urls import path
from home import views
urlpatterns = [
    path('', views.index, name='index'),
]

That's it! You should now have a basic understanding of how to use templates in Django. Remember that you can use templates to create dynamic web pages that can be easily reused across different views and applications. With the knowledge of how to use templates in Django, you can create more complex and powerful web applications.

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Render HTML template in Django

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