Django, creating a functional search bar and search results page

Question

I'm having trouble working with inherited code to make a functional search bar. I've been having the most trouble properly creating a search_results page.

I stripped down my search_results page to having only one line. search_results.html: <div>You searched for {{ query }}</div> but right now, the search_results page doesn't render {{ query }}. No text that the user previously entered appears. All that shows up on that page is "You searched for"

searchbox.html

<form class="search" action="{% url 'search' %}" method='post'>
  {% csrf_token %}
  <input type="search" placeholder="Search here..." name="usr_query" 
      value='{{ query }}' required>
  <button type="submit">Search</button>
</form>

views.py

def search(request):
  query = request.POST['usr_query']
  print "QUERY: "
  print query
  t = loader.get_template('gtr_site/test_search_results.html')
  c = Context({ 'query': query,})
  return HttpResponse(t.render(c))

I was getting a little cautious and added that "print" statement... and it does print out what the user enters in the search bar. But that isn't being generated on my search_results page.

Whats the reasoning for this?

edit:

Adding urls.py

urlpatterns = [
    url(r'^$', views.index, name='index'),
    url(r'^about/$', views.about, name='about'),
    url(r'^contact/$', views.contact, name='contact'),
    url(r'^search_engine/$', views.statement_search_engine, name='statement-search') # <- url for searchbox.html,
    url(r'^test_search_results/$', views.search, name='test-search'), # <- url for searchresults.
    url(r'^(?P<statement_id>.+)/$', views.statement_page, name='statement'),
] + static(settings.STATIC_URL, document_root=settings.STATIC_ROOT)

Answer 1

Change value='{{ request.GET.usr_query }}' to value="{{ query }}"

Right now you are forcing it to show the GET parameter. That works on initial page load (which is typically a GET) but at that point you haven't done any searching. You submit the search (properly in my opinion, but it is debatable) as a POST. The search function uses the POST parameter and returns in in context as query, which is correct. But then you display the GET value of usr_query - which does not exist at this point because the page is now a POSTed page. Change the value= and it should work.

Answer 2

Short answer:

Seems like this slipped by:

c = Context({ 'query': query,})

This is in views.py. Context() doesn't cause any error messages but... In order to get the functinality I needed, all I had to do was remove this function and make the c variable a regular dictionary.

I included the Context function because of this stackoverflow question Writing a very basic search form in Django

Answer 3

Your Searchbox.html method is a 'post' instead of a 'get'

<form class="search" action="{% url 'search' %}" method='get'>
     {% csrf_token %}
     <input type="search" placeholder="Search here..." name="usr_query" 
        value='{{ query }}' required>
     <button type="submit">Search</button>
</form>

views.py

class search(ListView):
    model = YourModel #The model model you want to search
    template_name = 'gtr_site/test_search_results.html'


    def get_queryset(self):
   
        query = self.request.GET.get('usr_query')
        object_list = YourModel.objects.filter(modelfield__icontains=query)
        return object_list

The in your webpage probably index.html you should add the return.

  {% for result in object_list %} 
    {{ result.name }}   
  {% endfor %}