HttpRequest object in Django - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

❓ component_behavior

intermediate

What does this Django view return?

Consider this Django view function. What will be the content of the HTTP response when a GET request is made with URL parameters ?name=Alice&age=30?

Django

from django.http import HttpResponse

def my_view(request):
    name = request.GET.get('name', 'Guest')
    age = request.GET.get('age', 'unknown')
    return HttpResponse(f"Name: {name}, Age: {age}")

A Name: Alice, Age: 30

B Name: Guest, Age: unknown

C Name: Alice, Age: unknown

D Name: Guest, Age: 30

💡 Hint

Look at how request.GET.get() fetches query parameters with defaults.

The request.GET dictionary contains URL query parameters. Using get('name', 'Guest') fetches 'Alice' from the URL, and similarly 'age' is '30'. So the response includes these values.

❓ state_output

intermediate

What is the value of request.method in this Django view?

If a client sends a POST request to this Django view, what will be the value of request.method inside the function?

Django

from django.http import HttpResponse

def sample_view(request):
    return HttpResponse(request.method)

A "DELETE"

B "PUT"

C "GET"

D "POST"

💡 Hint

request.method holds the HTTP method used by the client.

The request.method attribute contains the HTTP method as a string. Since the client sends a POST request, request.method will be 'POST'.

📝 Syntax

advanced

Which option correctly accesses POST data in Django?

Given a Django view handling a form submission, which code correctly retrieves the value of the 'email' field from the POST data?

Django

from django.http import HttpResponse

def form_view(request):
    # retrieve email from POST data
    email = request.POST.get('email', '')
    return HttpResponse(email)

A request.POST.get('email', '')

B request.GET['email']

C request.POST['email']

D request.body['email']

💡 Hint

POST data is accessed via request.POST dictionary-like object. Use get() to avoid errors if key missing.

request.POST is a dictionary-like object containing form data sent via POST. Using get('email', '') safely returns the value or empty string if missing.

🔧 Debug

advanced

Why does this Django view raise a KeyError?

This Django view raises a KeyError when the 'username' field is missing in the POST data. Why?

Django

from django.http import HttpResponse

def login_view(request):
    username = request.POST['username']
    return HttpResponse(f"User: {username}")

A Because HttpResponse cannot handle formatted strings

B Because request.method is not checked before accessing POST data

C Because request.POST['username'] raises KeyError if 'username' is not in POST data

D Because request.POST is empty for GET requests

💡 Hint

Accessing dictionary keys directly raises KeyError if key missing.

Using request.POST['username'] assumes the key exists. If missing, Python raises KeyError. Using get() avoids this error.

🧠 Conceptual

expert

What is the type and content of request.body in Django?

In a Django view, what is the type of request.body and what does it contain?

Django

from django.http import HttpResponse

def api_view(request):
    data = request.body
    return HttpResponse(type(data).__name__)

A str; decoded string of the request body

B bytes; raw HTTP request body as bytes

C dict; parsed JSON data from the request body

D None; request.body is empty for GET requests

💡 Hint

request.body gives raw data sent by client, not parsed automatically.

request.body is a bytes object containing the raw HTTP request body. It is not automatically decoded or parsed.