executing python script in django with arguments from the frontend - django

Question

I want to manipulate the values associated with the entries of an external mongodb database using a django webapp.
I've created the app and I'm currently displaying all the entries and their associated value in a simple table.
My idea is simply to create a button, that calls a python script with an argument (the id of that entry) and then changes it from false to true. The problem is, this seems like rocket-science, I've been at this for days now and I just can't get it to work as I have little to no proficiency when it comes to Ajax or Jquery, and all relevant examples I can find don't simply seem to pertain very well to my situation despite how basic it would appear, nor fit with Django 2.0+.
I'm using Django 2.1.5
def change_value(idnumber):
db_value = get_db_status_value(idnumber)
if db_value is True:
change_db_entry_status(idnumber, False)
else:
change_db_entry_status(idnumber, True)
my_template.html
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th> Status </th>
<th> Button </th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
{ % for entry in entry_data % }
<tr>
<td> {{ entry.status }} </td>
<td> <button type="button">{{ entry.idnumber }}</button> </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
{% endfor %}
</table>
I simply can't figure out how I can get the change_value function in there that I can create a button for and include an argument ( entry.idnumber ). This seems incredibly difficult, which from what I understand is a design principle, but it seems a shame if I can't even accomplish something as basic as above.
I was hoping someone could explain how I'm actually supposed to go about this? So far, it seems I require AJAX or Jquery (unfortunately, I barely know the basics of this, and what usually trips me up is that the urls.py which exist in both project and application level seems to work a little different in django 2.0+ compared to older versions)

Answer 1

This isn't actually difficult. It's just that you're missing an understanding of the relationship between the client and the backend code.
Once the template is rendered, the user sees it as HTML in their browser. That's it as far as the backend (ie Django) is concerned. The only way to run any further code on the server is to send another request. A request involves the browser contacting the server, which requires a URL and a view in Django.
Now, one way to send that request is via Ajax, but for your purposes that isn't necessary; since you're just learning, it's easier if you make it a simple form. So, your template might look something like this:
{% for entry in entry_data % }
<tr>
<td> {{ entry.status }} </td>
<td><form action="{% url 'change_value' idnumber=entry.idnumber %}" method="POST"> {% csrf_token %} <button type="submit">{{ entry.idnumber }}</button> </form></td>
</tr>
{% endfor %}
</tbody>
Notice how every iteration of the for loop has a separate form, which posts to a specific URL including the ID number.
Next you need a URL:
path('change_value/<int:idnumber>/', views.change_value, name='change_value'),
and update your function to actually be a view, which needs to accept a request and return a response:
def change_value(request, idnumber):
if request.method != "POST":
return HttpResponseNotAllowed()
db_value = get_db_status_value(idnumber)
if db_value:
change_db_entry_status(idnumber, False)
else:
change_db_entry_status(idnumber, True)
return redirect('/')
You always need to redirect after a POST, but you could redirect back to the same URL that rendered my_template in the first place. (Also note I've put in a test to make sure the user is actually sending a POST; you don't want Google to crawl this URL and flip your values for you.)
And that's it, now you have a button that should toggle your value.

Answer 2

The answer from #Daniel is enough for you. But if you want to use ajax so that the page does not have to refresh to change the vaue, you may do something like:
In your template make changes as:
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th> Status </th>
<th> Button </th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
{ % for entry in entry_data % }
<tr>
<td id="status"> {{ entry.status }} </td>
<td> <button type="button" onclick="change_status(this)" id="{{ entry.idnumber }}">{{ entry.idnumber }}</button> </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
{% endfor %}
and a script as:
<script>
function change_status($this){
var request_data = $this.id;
console.log("data: " + request_data);
$.post({
url: "url that leads to your view",
data : { request_data: request_data},
success : function(json) {
document.getElementById('status').innerHTML = "" //insert the data returned from the function
}
})}
</script>