Django Custom Context Processors

Snippet

Django Custom Context Processors

Context processors inject variables into every template context automatically, eliminating repetitive template injection. They receive the HttpRequest object and return a dictionary merged into all template contexts. Common use cases include adding navigation state, injecting analytics data, or making settings available site-wide. They execute on every render, so keep them lightweight.

snippet.py
python
# project/context_processors.py
from datetime import datetime
 
def template_variables(request):
    return {
        'current_year': datetime.now().year,
        'debug_mode': settings.DEBUG,
        'request_path': request.path,
    }
 
# settings.py
TEMPLATES = [
    {
        'BACKEND': 'django.template.backends.django.DjangoTemplates',
        'OPTIONS': {
            'context_processors': [
                'django.template.context_processors.debug',
                'django.template.context_processors.request',
                'project.context_processors.template_variables',
            ],
        },
    },
]

django

Breakdown

def template_variables(request):

Function receives request object, returns dict merged into template context

'project.context_processors.template_variables'

Dotted path string in settings activates this processor globally

'django.template.context_processors.request'

Built-in processor makes request available in templates

'debug_mode': settings.DEBUG

Templates can conditionally show/hide debug information based on this

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