How to Use For Loop in Django Template: Syntax and Examples

In Django templates, use the {% for item in list %}...{% endfor %} tag to loop over items in a list or queryset. Inside the loop, you can access each item and display its properties or values.

Syntax

The Django template for loop uses the syntax {% for item in list %}...{% endfor %}. Here, item is a variable name you choose to represent each element, and list is the list or queryset you want to loop over.

• {% for item in list %}: Starts the loop, assigning each element to item.
• Loop body: Template code that runs for each item.
• {% endfor %}: Ends the loop.

django

{% for item in list %}
  {{ item }}
{% endfor %}

Example

This example shows how to loop over a list of fruits and display each fruit name in an unordered list.

django

{% comment %} Template file: fruits.html {% endcomment %}
<ul>
  {% for fruit in fruits %}
    <li>{{ fruit }}</li>
  {% endfor %}
</ul>

Output

<ul>
  <li>Apple</li>
  <li>Banana</li>
  <li>Cherry</li>
</ul>

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when using for loops in Django templates include:

• Forgetting the {% endfor %} tag, which causes template errors.
• Using a variable name in the loop that conflicts with other variables.
• Trying to modify the list inside the template (templates are for display only).
• Not passing the list or queryset to the template context from the view.

django

{% comment %} Wrong: Missing endfor {% endcomment %}
<ul>
  {% for fruit in fruits %}
    <li>{{ fruit }}</li>
<!-- Missing {% endfor %} here -->
</ul>

{% comment %} Right: Properly closed loop {% endcomment %}
<ul>
  {% for fruit in fruits %}
    <li>{{ fruit }}</li>
  {% endfor %}
</ul>

Quick Reference

Tips for using for loops in Django templates:

• Use {% for item in list %} to start and {% endfor %} to end.
• Access the current item with {{ item }}.
• Use forloop.counter for the current loop index (starting at 1).
• Use {% empty %} block to handle empty lists: {% empty %}No items found.{% endfor %}.

Key Takeaways

Use {% for item in list %}...{% endfor %} to loop over lists in Django templates.

Always close the loop with {% endfor %} to avoid template errors.

Access the current item inside the loop with {{ item }}.

Use forloop.counter to get the current iteration number starting at 1.

Use the {% empty %} tag inside the loop to handle empty lists gracefully.