Django URLs

In Django, URLs are used to define the paths through which users can access different parts of your web application. The URLconf (URL configuration) maps specific URL patterns to corresponding views, which handle the request and return a response.

How Django URL Mapping Works?

1. User Request: A user visits a URL like http://abc.com/home.

2. URLconf: Django matches the URL against patterns defined in urls.py.

3. View: The matched pattern invokes the corresponding view.

4. Response: The view processes the request and returns a response (HTML, JSON, etc.).

URL Syntax:

Django uses the path() function to define URL patterns.

path(route, view, kwargs=None, name=None)

route: The URL pattern to match (e.g., ‘about/’).

view: The view function/class to handle the request.

kwargs: Optional parameters passed to the view.

name: A unique name to refer to the URL (useful in templates and redirects).

How to create Django URLs?

There are two types of creation of Django URLs.

1. Project-Level URLs

When you create a Django project, a urls.py file is generated in the project folder (e.g., myproject/urls.py). This file routes top-level URLs and includes app-specific URLs.

Example (myproject/urls.py):

from django.contrib import admin
from django.urls import path, include

urlpatterns = [
    path('admin/', admin.site.urls),          # Admin site
    path('myapp/', include('myapp.urls')),    # Include URLs from an app
]

2. App-Level URLs

Each app can have its own urls.py to defining app-specific routes.

Example (myapp/urls.py):

from django.urls import path
from . import views

urlpatterns = [
    path('', views.home, name='home'),  # Root URL of the app
    path('about/', views.about, name='about'),
]

How to create Dynamic URLs?

Django URLs can capture dynamic values using <type:variable> syntax.
<int:variable>: Matches an integer (e.g., /article/2/).
<str:variable>: Matches a string (default).

Example:

from django.urls import path
from . import views

urlpatterns = [
    path('article/<int:id>/', views.article, name='article'),  # Example: /article/2/
    path('user/<str:username>/', views.user_profile, name='user_profile'),  # Example: /user/john/
]