Create a Session in Django

Question

So far the Documentation for Django has been too technical. How do I create a session and store variables in it or get variables from it? I'm new to the Django framework, hence why the Documentation is too technical. Sessions are my 'last step'.

Answer 1

Assuming you want database based sessions (Django also offers file based sessions, and cache based sessions):

1. Open settings.py and find MIDDLEWARE_CLASSES. Add 'django.contrib.sessions.middleware.SessionMiddleware' to the list.
2. Find INSTALLED_APPS in the same file and add 'django.contrib.sessions' there.
3. Run manage.py syncdb from the command line.

After the initial setup you can use request.session in your views to store information between requests.

For example this will store the information:

request.session['name'] = 'Ludwik'

and you can retrieve it as easly:

print request.session['name']

or

if request.session['name'] == 'Ludwik':
   print 'you are awesome!'

For other things you can do with the request.session object see the documentation.

Answer 2

Ludwik's answer is the way to go, but if you want a gentler intro into the world of Django, the (free) Django Book (http://www.djangobook.com/en/2.0/) is a must-read. Chapter 14 deals with sessions (http://www.djangobook.com/en/2.0/chapter14/).