Render ⋮ Redirect ⋮ HTTPResponse ⋮ TemplateView

RENDER

Render is a function that combines a given template with a given context dictionary and returns an HttpResponse object with that rendered text. It is used to render a template with some data and return the resulting HTML to the client. You use render when you want to render a template with some data and return the resulting HTML to the client. This is useful when you want to display some dynamic content to the user, such as a list of items or a form.

from django.shortcuts import render

def my_view(request):
    return render(request, 'my_template.html')

def my_view(request):
    return render(request, 'my_template.html', {'type': 'Fossil'})

def my_view(request):
    context = {'type': 'Fossil'}
    return render(request, 'my_template.html', context)

REDIRECT

Redirect is a function that returns an HttpResponseRedirect object, which is a subclass of HttpResponse. You use redirect when you want to redirect the client to a different URL. This is useful when you want to send the user to a different page after they have completed an action, such as submitting a form or logging in.

from django.shortcuts import redirect

def my_view(request):
    return redirect('homepage') # from urls.py
    return redirect('fossil-selected', pk=pk) # from urls.py with arguments
    return redirect('/some/url/')
    return redirect('/some/url/?type=Fossil')

HTTPResponse

HttpResponse can be used to return a simple HTTP response with a string of text or HTML.

from django.http import HttpResponse

def my_text(request):
    return HttpResponse('Hello, world!')

def my_html(request):
    html = '<html><body><h1>Hello, world!</h1></body></html>'
    return HttpResponse(html)

HTTPResponse can also be used to export files:

response = HttpResponse(doc_file.getvalue(), content_type='application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document')

TemplateView

TemplateView can be used to serve a static file directly fron urls.py without the need to create a view:

from django.views.generic import TemplateView

urlpatterns = [
    ....
    path('about/', TemplateView.as_view(template_name='about.html'), name='about'),
]