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479 lines
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479 lines
16 KiB
Plaintext
.. _topics-http-sessions:
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===================
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How to use sessions
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===================
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Django provides full support for anonymous sessions. The session framework lets
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you store and retrieve arbitrary data on a per-site-visitor basis. It stores
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data on the server side and abstracts the sending and receiving of cookies.
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Cookies contain a session ID -- not the data itself.
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Enabling sessions
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=================
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Sessions are implemented via a piece of :ref:`middleware <ref-middleware>`.
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To enable session functionality, do the following:
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* Edit the ``MIDDLEWARE_CLASSES`` setting and make sure
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``MIDDLEWARE_CLASSES`` contains ``'django.contrib.sessions.middleware.SessionMiddleware'``.
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The default ``settings.py`` created by ``django-admin.py startproject`` has
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``SessionMiddleware`` activated.
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* Add ``'django.contrib.sessions'`` to your ``INSTALLED_APPS`` setting,
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and run ``manage.py syncdb`` to install the single database table
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that stores session data.
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.. versionchanged:: 1.0
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This step is optional if you're not using the database session backend;
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see `configuring the session engine`_.
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If you don't want to use sessions, you might as well remove the
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``SessionMiddleware`` line from ``MIDDLEWARE_CLASSES`` and ``'django.contrib.sessions'``
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from your ``INSTALLED_APPS``. It'll save you a small bit of overhead.
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Configuring the session engine
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==============================
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.. versionadded:: 1.0
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By default, Django stores sessions in your database (using the model
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``django.contrib.sessions.models.Session``). Though this is convenient, in
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some setups it's faster to store session data elsewhere, so Django can be
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configured to store session data on your filesystem or in your cache.
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Using file-based sessions
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-------------------------
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To use file-based sessions, set the ``SESSION_ENGINE`` setting to
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``"django.contrib.sessions.backends.file"``.
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You might also want to set the ``SESSION_FILE_PATH`` setting (which defaults
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to output from ``tempfile.gettempdir()``, most likely ``/tmp``) to control
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where Django stores session files. Be sure to check that your Web server has
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permissions to read and write to this location.
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Using cache-based sessions
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--------------------------
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To store session data using Django's cache system, set ``SESSION_ENGINE``
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to ``"django.contrib.sessions.backends.cache"``. You'll want to make sure
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you've configured your cache; see the :ref:`cache documentation <topics-cache>` for details.
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.. _cache documentation: ../cache/
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.. note::
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You should probably only use cache-based sessions if you're using the
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Memcached cache backend. The local-memory cache backend doesn't retain data
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long enough to be a good choice, and it'll be faster to use file or
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database sessions directly instead of sending everything through the file
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or database cache backends.
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Using sessions in views
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=======================
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When ``SessionMiddleware`` is activated, each ``HttpRequest`` object -- the
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first argument to any Django view function -- will have a ``session``
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attribute, which is a dictionary-like object. You can read it and write to it.
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A session object has the following standard dictionary methods:
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* ``__getitem__(key)``
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Example: ``fav_color = request.session['fav_color']``
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* ``__setitem__(key, value)``
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Example: ``request.session['fav_color'] = 'blue'``
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* ``__delitem__(key)``
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Example: ``del request.session['fav_color']``. This raises ``KeyError``
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if the given ``key`` isn't already in the session.
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* ``__contains__(key)``
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Example: ``'fav_color' in request.session``
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* ``get(key, default=None)``
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Example: ``fav_color = request.session.get('fav_color', 'red')``
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* ``keys()``
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* ``items()``
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* ``setdefault()``
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* ``clear()``
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.. versionadded:: 1.0
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``setdefault()`` and ``clear()`` are new in this version.
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It also has these methods:
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* ``flush()``
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.. versionadded:: 1.0
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Delete the current session data from the database and regenerate the
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session key value that is sent back to the user in the cookie. This is
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used if you want to ensure that the previous session data can't be
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accessed again from the user's browser (for example, the
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``django.contrib.auth.logout()`` method calls it).
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* ``set_test_cookie()``
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Sets a test cookie to determine whether the user's browser supports
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cookies. Due to the way cookies work, you won't be able to test this
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until the user's next page request. See `Setting test cookies`_ below for
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more information.
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* ``test_cookie_worked()``
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Returns either ``True`` or ``False``, depending on whether the user's
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browser accepted the test cookie. Due to the way cookies work, you'll
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have to call ``set_test_cookie()`` on a previous, separate page request.
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See `Setting test cookies`_ below for more information.
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* ``delete_test_cookie()``
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Deletes the test cookie. Use this to clean up after yourself.
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* ``set_expiry(value)``
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.. versionadded:: 1.0
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Sets the expiration time for the session. You can pass a number of
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different values:
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* If ``value`` is an integer, the session will expire after that
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many seconds of inactivity. For example, calling
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``request.session.set_expiry(300)`` would make the session expire
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in 5 minutes.
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* If ``value`` is a ``datetime`` or ``timedelta`` object, the
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session will expire at that specific date/time.
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* If ``value`` is ``0``, the user's session cookie will expire
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when the user's Web browser is closed.
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* If ``value`` is ``None``, the session reverts to using the global
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session expiry policy.
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* ``get_expiry_age()``
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.. versionadded:: 1.0
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Returns the number of seconds until this session expires. For sessions
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with no custom expiration (or those set to expire at browser close), this
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will equal ``settings.SESSION_COOKIE_AGE``.
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* ``get_expiry_date()``
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.. versionadded:: 1.0
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Returns the date this session will expire. For sessions with no custom
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expiration (or those set to expire at browser close), this will equal the
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date ``settings.SESSION_COOKIE_AGE`` seconds from now.
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* ``get_expire_at_browser_close()``
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.. versionadded:: 1.0
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Returns either ``True`` or ``False``, depending on whether the user's
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session cookie will expire when the user's Web browser is closed.
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You can edit ``request.session`` at any point in your view. You can edit it
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multiple times.
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Session object guidelines
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-------------------------
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* Use normal Python strings as dictionary keys on ``request.session``. This
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is more of a convention than a hard-and-fast rule.
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* Session dictionary keys that begin with an underscore are reserved for
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internal use by Django.
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* Don't override ``request.session`` with a new object, and don't access or
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set its attributes. Use it like a Python dictionary.
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Examples
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--------
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This simplistic view sets a ``has_commented`` variable to ``True`` after a user
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posts a comment. It doesn't let a user post a comment more than once::
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def post_comment(request, new_comment):
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if request.session.get('has_commented', False):
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return HttpResponse("You've already commented.")
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c = comments.Comment(comment=new_comment)
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c.save()
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request.session['has_commented'] = True
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return HttpResponse('Thanks for your comment!')
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This simplistic view logs in a "member" of the site::
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def login(request):
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m = Member.objects.get(username=request.POST['username'])
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if m.password == request.POST['password']:
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request.session['member_id'] = m.id
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return HttpResponse("You're logged in.")
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else:
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return HttpResponse("Your username and password didn't match.")
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...And this one logs a member out, according to ``login()`` above::
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def logout(request):
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try:
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del request.session['member_id']
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except KeyError:
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pass
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return HttpResponse("You're logged out.")
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The standard ``django.contrib.auth.logout()`` function actually does a bit
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more than this to prevent inadvertent data leakage. It calls
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``request.session.flush()``. We are using this example as a demonstration of
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how to work with session objects, not as a full ``logout()`` implementation.
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Setting test cookies
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====================
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As a convenience, Django provides an easy way to test whether the user's
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browser accepts cookies. Just call ``request.session.set_test_cookie()`` in a
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view, and call ``request.session.test_cookie_worked()`` in a subsequent view --
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not in the same view call.
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This awkward split between ``set_test_cookie()`` and ``test_cookie_worked()``
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is necessary due to the way cookies work. When you set a cookie, you can't
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actually tell whether a browser accepted it until the browser's next request.
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It's good practice to use ``delete_test_cookie()`` to clean up after yourself.
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Do this after you've verified that the test cookie worked.
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Here's a typical usage example::
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def login(request):
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if request.method == 'POST':
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if request.session.test_cookie_worked():
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request.session.delete_test_cookie()
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return HttpResponse("You're logged in.")
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else:
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return HttpResponse("Please enable cookies and try again.")
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request.session.set_test_cookie()
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return render_to_response('foo/login_form.html')
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Using sessions out of views
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===========================
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.. versionadded:: 1.0
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An API is available to manipulate session data outside of a view::
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>>> from django.contrib.sessions.backends.db import SessionStore
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>>> s = SessionStore(session_key='2b1189a188b44ad18c35e113ac6ceead')
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>>> s['last_login'] = datetime.datetime(2005, 8, 20, 13, 35, 10)
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>>> s['last_login']
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datetime.datetime(2005, 8, 20, 13, 35, 0)
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>>> s.save()
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If you're using the ``django.contrib.sessions.backends.db`` backend, each
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session is just a normal Django model. The ``Session`` model is defined in
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``django/contrib/sessions/models.py``. Because it's a normal model, you can
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access sessions using the normal Django database API::
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>>> from django.contrib.sessions.models import Session
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>>> s = Session.objects.get(pk='2b1189a188b44ad18c35e113ac6ceead')
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>>> s.expire_date
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datetime.datetime(2005, 8, 20, 13, 35, 12)
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Note that you'll need to call ``get_decoded()`` to get the session dictionary.
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This is necessary because the dictionary is stored in an encoded format::
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>>> s.session_data
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'KGRwMQpTJ19hdXRoX3VzZXJfaWQnCnAyCkkxCnMuMTExY2ZjODI2Yj...'
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>>> s.get_decoded()
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{'user_id': 42}
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When sessions are saved
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=======================
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By default, Django only saves to the session database when the session has been
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modified -- that is if any of its dictionary values have been assigned or
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deleted::
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# Session is modified.
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request.session['foo'] = 'bar'
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# Session is modified.
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del request.session['foo']
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# Session is modified.
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request.session['foo'] = {}
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# Gotcha: Session is NOT modified, because this alters
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# request.session['foo'] instead of request.session.
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request.session['foo']['bar'] = 'baz'
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In the last case of the above example, we can tell the session object
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explicitly that it has been modified by setting the ``modified`` attribute on
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the session object::
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request.session.modified = True
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To change this default behavior, set the ``SESSION_SAVE_EVERY_REQUEST`` setting
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to ``True``. If ``SESSION_SAVE_EVERY_REQUEST`` is ``True``, Django will save
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the session to the database on every single request.
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Note that the session cookie is only sent when a session has been created or
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modified. If ``SESSION_SAVE_EVERY_REQUEST`` is ``True``, the session cookie
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will be sent on every request.
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Similarly, the ``expires`` part of a session cookie is updated each time the
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session cookie is sent.
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Browser-length sessions vs. persistent sessions
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===============================================
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You can control whether the session framework uses browser-length sessions vs.
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persistent sessions with the ``SESSION_EXPIRE_AT_BROWSER_CLOSE`` setting.
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By default, ``SESSION_EXPIRE_AT_BROWSER_CLOSE`` is set to ``False``, which
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means session cookies will be stored in users' browsers for as long as
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``SESSION_COOKIE_AGE``. Use this if you don't want people to have to log in
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every time they open a browser.
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If ``SESSION_EXPIRE_AT_BROWSER_CLOSE`` is set to ``True``, Django will use
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browser-length cookies -- cookies that expire as soon as the user closes his or
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her browser. Use this if you want people to have to log in every time they open
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a browser.
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.. versionadded:: 1.0
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This setting is a global default and can be overwritten at a per-session level
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by explicitly calling ``request.session.set_expiry()`` as described above in
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`using sessions in views`_.
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Clearing the session table
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==========================
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Note that session data can accumulate in the ``django_session`` database table
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and Django does *not* provide automatic purging. Therefore, it's your job to
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purge expired sessions on a regular basis.
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To understand this problem, consider what happens when a user uses a session.
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When a user logs in, Django adds a row to the ``django_session`` database
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table. Django updates this row each time the session data changes. If the user
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logs out manually, Django deletes the row. But if the user does *not* log out,
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the row never gets deleted.
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Django provides a sample clean-up script in ``django-admin.py cleanup``.
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That script deletes any session in the session table whose ``expire_date`` is
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in the past -- but your application may have different requirements.
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Settings
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========
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A few :ref:`Django settings <ref-settings>` give you control over session behavior:
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SESSION_ENGINE
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--------------
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.. versionadded:: 1.0
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Default: ``django.contrib.sessions.backends.db``
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Controls where Django stores session data. Valid values are:
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* ``'django.contrib.sessions.backends.db'``
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* ``'django.contrib.sessions.backends.file'``
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* ``'django.contrib.sessions.backends.cache'``
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See `configuring the session engine`_ for more details.
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SESSION_FILE_PATH
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-----------------
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.. versionadded:: 1.0
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Default: ``/tmp/``
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If you're using file-based session storage, this sets the directory in
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which Django will store session data.
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SESSION_COOKIE_AGE
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------------------
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Default: ``1209600`` (2 weeks, in seconds)
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The age of session cookies, in seconds.
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SESSION_COOKIE_DOMAIN
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---------------------
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Default: ``None``
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The domain to use for session cookies. Set this to a string such as
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``".lawrence.com"`` for cross-domain cookies, or use ``None`` for a standard
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domain cookie.
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SESSION_COOKIE_NAME
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-------------------
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Default: ``'sessionid'``
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The name of the cookie to use for sessions. This can be whatever you want.
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SESSION_COOKIE_SECURE
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---------------------
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Default: ``False``
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Whether to use a secure cookie for the session cookie. If this is set to
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``True``, the cookie will be marked as "secure," which means browsers may
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ensure that the cookie is only sent under an HTTPS connection.
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SESSION_EXPIRE_AT_BROWSER_CLOSE
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-------------------------------
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Default: ``False``
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Whether to expire the session when the user closes his or her browser. See
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"Browser-length sessions vs. persistent sessions" above.
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SESSION_SAVE_EVERY_REQUEST
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--------------------------
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Default: ``False``
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Whether to save the session data on every request. If this is ``False``
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(default), then the session data will only be saved if it has been modified --
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that is, if any of its dictionary values have been assigned or deleted.
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.. _Django settings: ../settings/
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Technical details
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=================
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* The session dictionary should accept any pickleable Python object. See
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`the pickle module`_ for more information.
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* Session data is stored in a database table named ``django_session`` .
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* Django only sends a cookie if it needs to. If you don't set any session
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data, it won't send a session cookie.
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.. _`the pickle module`: http://www.python.org/doc/current/lib/module-pickle.html
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Session IDs in URLs
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===================
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The Django sessions framework is entirely, and solely, cookie-based. It does
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not fall back to putting session IDs in URLs as a last resort, as PHP does.
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This is an intentional design decision. Not only does that behavior make URLs
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ugly, it makes your site vulnerable to session-ID theft via the "Referer"
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header.
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