Django Class-Based Views: Complete Guide

Class-Based Views (CBVs) let you build views using Python classes instead of functions. They provide reusable patterns for common tasks like displaying lists, forms, and detail pages. This guide covers the most important CBVs and when to use them.

Function vs Class-Based Views

# Function-Based View (FBV)
from django.shortcuts import render, get_object_or_404
from .models import Product

def product_list(request):
    products = Product.objects.filter(is_active=True)
    return render(request, 'products/list.html', {'products': products})

# Same thing as Class-Based View (CBV)
from django.views.generic import ListView

class ProductListView(ListView):
    model = Product
    template_name = 'products/list.html'
    context_object_name = 'products'
    queryset = Product.objects.filter(is_active=True)

The Most Common CBVs

ListView — Display a List

from django.views.generic import ListView

class ProductListView(ListView):
    model = Product
    template_name = 'products/list.html'
    context_object_name = 'products'
    paginate_by = 12
    ordering = ['-created_at']

    def get_queryset(self):
        qs = super().get_queryset().filter(is_active=True)
        category = self.request.GET.get('category')
        if category:
            qs = qs.filter(category__slug=category)
        return qs

    def get_context_data(self, **kwargs):
        context = super().get_context_data(**kwargs)
        context['categories'] = Category.objects.all()
        return context

DetailView — Display a Single Object

from django.views.generic import DetailView

class ProductDetailView(DetailView):
    model = Product
    template_name = 'products/detail.html'
    context_object_name = 'product'
    slug_field = 'slug'          # model field
    slug_url_kwarg = 'slug'     # URL parameter name

    def get_context_data(self, **kwargs):
        context = super().get_context_data(**kwargs)
        context['related'] = Product.objects.filter(
            category=self.object.category
        ).exclude(pk=self.object.pk)[:4]
        return context

CreateView — Create an Object

from django.views.generic import CreateView
from django.contrib.auth.mixins import LoginRequiredMixin
from django.urls import reverse_lazy

class ProductCreateView(LoginRequiredMixin, CreateView):
    model = Product
    fields = ['title', 'description', 'price', 'category']
    template_name = 'products/create.html'
    success_url = reverse_lazy('product_list')

    def form_valid(self, form):
        form.instance.author = self.request.user
        return super().form_valid(form)

UpdateView — Edit an Object

from django.views.generic import UpdateView

class ProductUpdateView(LoginRequiredMixin, UpdateView):
    model = Product
    fields = ['title', 'description', 'price']
    template_name = 'products/edit.html'

    def get_success_url(self):
        return self.object.get_absolute_url()

DeleteView — Delete an Object

from django.views.generic import DeleteView

class ProductDeleteView(LoginRequiredMixin, DeleteView):
    model = Product
    template_name = 'products/confirm_delete.html'
    success_url = reverse_lazy('product_list')

URL Configuration

# urls.py
from django.urls import path
from . import views

urlpatterns = [
    path('', views.ProductListView.as_view(), name='product_list'),
    path('<slug:slug>/', views.ProductDetailView.as_view(), name='product_detail'),
    path('create/', views.ProductCreateView.as_view(), name='product_create'),
    path('<slug:slug>/edit/', views.ProductUpdateView.as_view(), name='product_edit'),
    path('<slug:slug>/delete/', views.ProductDeleteView.as_view(), name='product_delete'),
]

Useful Mixins

from django.contrib.auth.mixins import (
    LoginRequiredMixin,      # Require login
    PermissionRequiredMixin, # Require specific permission
    UserPassesTestMixin,     # Custom permission logic
)

# Only the author can edit their product
class ProductUpdateView(LoginRequiredMixin, UserPassesTestMixin, UpdateView):
    model = Product
    fields = ['title', 'price']

    def test_func(self):
        product = self.get_object()
        return self.request.user == product.author

FormView — Custom Forms

from django.views.generic import FormView
from .forms import ContactForm

class ContactView(FormView):
    template_name = 'contact.html'
    form_class = ContactForm
    success_url = reverse_lazy('contact_thanks')

    def form_valid(self, form):
        form.send_email()
        return super().form_valid(form)

When to Use FBV vs CBV

Key Methods to Override

Summary

• ListView for listing objects with pagination and filtering
• DetailView for showing a single object
• CreateView/UpdateView for form handling with automatic model saving
• DeleteView for confirmation and deletion
• Use mixins for authentication and permissions
• Override get_queryset() and get_context_data() for customization
• Mix FBVs and CBVs freely — use what makes sense for each view