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Class-Based Views

  • Learn how to use Django Class-Based Views to build reusable and scalable application views.

  • What are Class-Based Views?

    Class-Based Views allow us to write views using Python classes instead of functions.

    Why CBVs?

    • Reusable code

    • Less repetition (DRY principle)

    • Built-in features (forms, pagination, authentication)

    • Easier to extend using inheritance

Function-Based View vs Class-Based View 

# Function-Based View
def my_view(request):
    return HttpResponse("Hello")

# Class-Based View
from django.views import View

class MyView(View):
    def get(self, request):
        return HttpResponse("Hello")

  • Types of Class-Based Views

    1. Base Views

    2. Generic Views

    3. Form Views

    4. Authentication Views

    Generic Views

    Generic Views are pre-built CBVs that handle common tasks like:

    • Listing data

    • Showing details

    • Creating, updating, deleting records

    They work mainly with Django Models.

    Why Generic Views?

    Without generic views, we repeat:

    • Querying database

    • Rendering templates

    • Handling forms

    Generic views reduce this boilerplate.

    Common Generic Views

    Generic View

    Purpose

    ListView

    Display list of objects

    DetailView

    Display single object

    CreateView

    Create new object

    UpdateView

    Update existing object

    DeleteView

    Delete object

Sample Model

models.py 

from django.db import models

class Student(models.Model):
    name = models.CharField(max_length=100)
    email = models.EmailField()
    course = models.CharField(max_length=50)

    def __str__(self):
        return self.name

  • 1. ListView

    Purpose

    Displays multiple records from database.

Student ListView

views.py 

from django.views.generic import ListView
from .models import Student

class StudentListView(ListView):
    model = Student
    template_name = 'students/student_list.html'
    context_object_name = 'students'

  • Code Description

    • model → Database table

    • template_name → HTML file

    • context_object_name → Variable name in template

Template Example

student_list.html 

<h2>Student List</h2>

{% for student in students %}
  <p>{{ student.name }} - {{ student.course }}</p>
{% endfor %}

  • 2. DetailView

    Purpose

    Shows single record details.

Student DetailView

views.py 

from django.views.generic import DetailView
from .models import Student

class StudentDetailView(DetailView):
    model = Student
    template_name = 'students/student_detail.html'

URL Configuration

urls.py 

from django.urls import path
from .views import StudentDetailView

urlpatterns = [
    path('student/<int:pk>/', StudentDetailView.as_view(), name='student_detail'),
]

  • Key Concept

    • pk → Primary Key

    • Django automatically fetches object

    3. CreateView

    Purpose

    Handles form + save logic automatically.

Student CreateView

views.py 

from django.views.generic import CreateView
from .models import Student

class StudentCreateView(CreateView):
    model = Student
    fields = ['name', 'email', 'course']
    template_name = 'students/student_form.html'
    success_url = '/students/'

  • 4. UpdateView

    Purpose

    Edit existing records.


Student UpdateView 

# views.py
from django.views.generic import UpdateView

class StudentUpdateView(UpdateView):
    model = Student
    fields = ['name', 'email', 'course']
    template_name = 'students/student_form.html'
    success_url = '/students/'

  • 5. DeleteView

    Purpose

    Delete records with confirmation.


Student DeleteView

views.py 

from django.views.generic import DeleteView

class StudentDeleteView(DeleteView):
    model = Student
    template_name = 'students/student_confirm_delete.html'
    success_url = '/students/'

  • What are Mixins?

    Mixins are small reusable classes that add extra functionality to CBVs.

    They do one job only and are combined with CBVs.

    Why Mixins?

    • Add authentication

    • Add permissions

    • Share logic

    • Avoid duplication

    Common Django Mixins

    Mixin

    Use

    LoginRequiredMixin

    Login required

    PermissionRequiredMixin

    Permission check

    UserPassesTestMixin

    Custom condition

    1. LoginRequiredMixin

    Purpose

    Restrict view to logged-in users only.

Login Required ListView

views.py 

from django.contrib.auth.mixins import LoginRequiredMixin
from django.views.generic import ListView

class SecureStudentListView(LoginRequiredMixin, ListView):
    model = Student
    template_name = 'students/student_list.html'
    login_url = '/login/'

  • Important Rule

    • Mixin must come before Generic View

    ✅ Correct:

    class MyView(LoginRequiredMixin, ListView):


    ❌ Wrong:

    class MyView(ListView, LoginRequiredMixin):

  • 2. PermissionRequiredMixin

    Purpose

    Restrict access based on user permissions.

Permission Based View 

from django.contrib.auth.mixins import PermissionRequiredMixin

class StudentCreatePermissionView(PermissionRequiredMixin, CreateView):
    model = Student
    fields = ['name', 'email', 'course']
    permission_required = 'app.add_student'

  • 3. UserPassesTestMixin

    Purpose

    Custom logic for access control.

Custom Role Check 

from django.contrib.auth.mixins import UserPassesTestMixin

class AdminOnlyView(UserPassesTestMixin, ListView):
    model = Student

    def test_func(self):
        return self.request.user.is_superuser

Custom Mixin for Common Context

mixins.py 

class CourseTitleMixin:
    course_title = "Django Advanced Course"

    def get_context_data(self, **kwargs):
        context = super().get_context_data(**kwargs)
        context['course_title'] = self.course_title
        return context
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