Django middleware and getting the view name?

Question

I'm trying to write my first middleware in Django.

class RefreshBalance:

    def process_view(self, request, view_func, view_args, view_kwargs):
        pass

I want to detect if a view is called and refresh a balance. I can see the 'view' argument but don't know how to I use it? For example:

if view == "login.dashboard:
   pass

How can I find out what view is being called?

score 2 · Accepted Answer · edited Jun 29 '18 at 14:03

2

From the middleware documentation:

process_view(self, request, view_func, view_args, view_kwargs) request is an HttpRequest object. view_func is the Python function that Django is about to use. (It’s the actual function object, not the name of the function as a string.)

So you need to do something like:

from login import dashboard


if view_func.__name__ == dashboard.__name__:
    pass

edited Jun 29 '18 at 14:03

Julio Marins

10,039
8
48
54

answered Jun 10 '13 at 14:10

Sid

7,511
2
28
41

One way is to compare the name. You can't compare two functions like this (`view_func == dashboard`) in python. https://stackoverflow.com/questions/33883671/how-to-test-if-two-functions-are-the-same – Julio Marins Jun 29 '18 at 14:04
Just `view_func is dashboard` should be enough. – ei-grad Oct 24 '20 at 16:50

score -1 · Answer 2 · answered Aug 07 '21 at 10:15

To answer the question:

I can see the 'view' argument but don't know how to I use it?

Then you are not using the power and beauty of python.

try this this:

breakpoint()
if view == "login.dashboard:
   pass

This will pause execution, and allow you to interact with python, at that point in code.

Once it pauses execution, the first I do is type list<ENTER> to list the code around where it stopped, just to orientate oneself.

Wish to see what type of object view is? Type type(view), and now you know!

Want to know what methods and attributes it has, dir(view), and now you know. Or pp dir(view) to pretty print it.

Oh it has a foo_very_interesting_method, try:

solong = view.foo_very_interesting_method
help(solong)

If you lucky it will print some helpful info.

Want to see the value of view.bar_attribute, type view.bar_attrbiute, and its printed for you.

When done playing type c to continue, q to quit, n to goto the next line, or s to step.

And theres a whole lot more if you research python debugger.

Enjoy being able to figure out what is going on!

Django middleware and getting the view name?

2 Answers2

Linked