1.A] Explain the MVC (Model-View-Controller) design pattern. How does Django implement this pattern?
Answer:
MVC (Model-View-Controller) Design Pattern
The MVC design pattern is a software architectural pattern that separates an application into three main components:
Model:
- Purpose: Represents the data and the business logic of the application. It manages the data and the rules for updating or retrieving it.
- Responsibilities: Defines the data structure, handles database interactions, and encapsulates the application’s business rules.
View:
- Purpose: Represents the user interface. It displays data from the model to the user and sends user commands to the controller.
- Responsibilities: Renders data and presents it to the user, usually in the form of HTML, and provides the means for user interaction.
Controller:
- Purpose: Acts as an intermediary between the Model and the View. It processes user input, interacts with the model, and updates the view.
- Responsibilities: Handles user input, updates the model, and selects a view for the user interface.
How Django Implements the MVC Pattern
In Django, the MVC pattern is implemented with some variations in terminology:
- Model (Django’s Implementation):
- Location: Defined in the
models.py
file. - Function: Represents the data structure of the application. Each model class corresponds to a database table and defines the schema, including fields and their types. Django handles the creation, retrieval, update, and deletion of records through this model.
# Example model in Django from django.db import models class Book(models.Model): title = models.CharField(max_length=100) author = models.CharField(max_length=100) publication_date = models.DateField()
- View (Django’s Implementation):
- Location: Defined in the
views.py
file. - Function: Contains the business logic for processing requests. It fetches data from the model, processes it if needed, and determines which template to render. In Django, views are implemented as functions or classes.
# Example view in Django from django.shortcuts import render from .models import Book def latest_books(request): books = Book.objects.all().order_by('-publication_date') return render(request, 'latest_books.html', {'books': books})
- Controller (Django’s Implementation):
- Location: Defined in the
urls.py
file. - Function: Maps URLs to views. In Django, the URL dispatcher handles the routing of requests to the appropriate view based on the requested URL.
# Example URL configuration in Django from django.urls import path from .views import latest_books urlpatterns = [ path('latest/', latest_books, name='latest_books'), ]
- View Templates (Django’s Implementation):
- Location: Defined in HTML files in the
templates
directory. - Function: Defines the user interface of the application. Django templates render data sent from views into HTML that is presented to the user.
<!-- Example template in Django --> <!DOCTYPE html> <html> <head> <title>Latest Books</title> </head> <body> <h1>Latest Books</h1> <ul> {% for book in books %} <li>{{ book.title }} by {{ book.author }}</li> {% endfor %} </ul> </body> </html>