# Django Form vs HTML form
**URL:** \
**Category:** Using Django\
**Created:** [June 29, 2021, 5:35pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/django-form-vs-html-form/8570 "2021-06-29T17:35:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1
Hello,
What is the difference between model based or normal Django form and normal html form for being used in CRUD?
By normal HTML form I mean just get the HTML form fields by name and values in the request.POST.get and then using it for Create/update with the help of {% csrf\_token %}.
I mean is it wrong or OK?
Thank you.
---
An html form is only what is rendered in the browser. A Django form is a _lot_ more than that. The [Working with forms](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/3.2/topics/forms/#working-with-forms) page covers this in a lot more detail, and does a better job than what I could do here.
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> [@anxious01210](#):
>
> I mean is it wrong or OK?
``
I would go on to say that I consider it **very** wrong. The facilities provided by the Django forms consists of a lot of features that you should be doing (or must do) when processing form input. (This includes things like validating fields, checking form integrity, performing data type conversions, etc.)
You can either write the code yourself to do all that - in which case I’d be asking why you’re even bothering to use Django at all, or you can use Django as designed and intended.
``
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Hello,
I do that because when I use a bootstrap theme for the front-end it has beautiful style and if I use the HTML form fields names & values with request.POST.get in my views.py then the style of the front-end will stay the same as it was designed for all the screen sizes, … .
So I wanted to know that if it was ok then I will do the same in my project.
Here I copied a piece of the code from the related .py files for you to check:
Hello Ken,
## Thanks for the explanation. Here is example that I am talking about.
sm\_app.Models.py :
# Overriding the Default Django Auth User and adding One More Field (user\_type)
class CustomUser(AbstractUser):
“”“Django data model CustomUser”“”
user\_type\_data = ((1, ‘HOD’), (2, ‘Teacher’), (3, ‘Student’), (4, ‘Parent’), (5, ‘Staff’))
user\_type = models.CharField(default=1, choices=user\_type\_data, max\_length=10)
class Parent(models.Model):
“”“Django data model Admin”“”
admin = models.OneToOneField(CustomUser, on\_delete=models.CASCADE, blank=True, null=True)
created\_at = models.DateTimeField(auto\_now\_add=True)
updated\_at = models.DateTimeField(auto\_now=True)
class Staff(models.Model):
“”“Django data model Admin”“”
admin = models.OneToOneField(CustomUser, on\_delete=models.CASCADE, blank=True, null=True)
created\_at = models.DateTimeField(auto\_now\_add=True)
updated\_at = models.DateTimeField(auto\_now=True)
class AdminHOD(models.Model):
“”“Django data model Admin”“”
admin = models.OneToOneField(CustomUser, on\_delete=models.CASCADE, blank=True, null=True)
created\_at = models.DateTimeField(auto\_now\_add=True)
updated\_at = models.DateTimeField(auto\_now=True)
class Teacher(models.Model):
“”“Django data model Teacher”“”
admin = models.OneToOneField(CustomUser, on\_delete=models.CASCADE, blank=True, null=True)
address = models.TextField()
created\_at = models.DateTimeField(auto\_now\_add=True)
updated\_at = models.DateTimeField(auto\_now=True)
class Course(models.Model):
“”“Django data model Course”“”
course\_name = models.CharField(max\_length=100)
created\_at = models.DateTimeField(auto\_now\_add=True)
updated\_at = models.DateTimeField(auto\_now=True)
```
# def __str__ (self):
# return str(self.course_name)
```
class Subject(models.Model):
“”“Django data model Subject”“”
course\_id = models.ForeignKey(Course, on\_delete=models.CASCADE)
teacher\_id = models.ForeignKey(CustomUser, on\_delete=models.CASCADE)
subject\_name = models.CharField(max\_length=100)
created\_at = models.DateTimeField(auto\_now\_add=True)
updated\_at = models.DateTimeField(auto\_now=True)
```
# def __str__ (self):
# return str(self.subject_name)
```
class Student(models.Model):
“”“Django data model Student”“”
admin = models.OneToOneField(CustomUser, on\_delete=models.CASCADE, blank=True, null=True)
gender = models.CharField(max\_length=100)
profile\_pic = models.ImageField(upload\_to=“SM\_app/students”)
address = models.TextField()
course\_id = models.ForeignKey(Course, on\_delete=models.DO\_NOTHING)
session\_start\_year = models.DateField(blank=True, null=True)
session\_end\_year = models.DateField(blank=True, null=True)
created\_at = models.DateTimeField(auto\_now\_add=True)
updated\_at = models.DateTimeField(auto\_now=True)
```
# def __str__ (self):
# return str(self.admin.first_name)
```
## . . .
Part of sm\_app.urls.py :
```
path('add_student/', HoDViews.add_student, name='add_student'),
path('add_student_save/', HoDViews.add_student_save, name='add_student_save'),
path('edit_student//', HoDViews.edit_student, name='edit_student'),
path('edit_student_save/', HoDViews.edit_student_save, name='edit_student_save'),
```
## . . .
Part of views.py :
def add\_student(request):
courses = Course.objects.all()
context = {‘courses’: courses}
return render(request, ‘hod\_template/add\_student\_template.html’, context)
def add\_student\_save(request):
if request.method != ‘POST’:
return HttpResponse(‘Method Not Allowed’)
else:
first\_name = request.POST.get(‘first\_name’)
last\_name = request.POST.get(‘last\_name’)
username = request.POST.get(‘username’)
email = request.POST.get(‘email’)
password = request.POST.get(‘password’)
address = request.POST.get(‘address’)
session\_start = request.POST.get(‘session\_start’)
session\_end = request.POST.get(‘session\_end’)
course\_id = request.POST.get(‘course’)
gender = request.POST.get(‘gender’)
```
try:
# Manager methods¶ ==> https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/3.2/ref/contrib/auth/ - create_user is a method already defined in django.contrib.auth AbstractUser model and objects is the model manager here.
user = CustomUser.objects.create_user(username=username, password=password, email=email,
first_name=first_name, last_name=last_name, user_type=3)
user.student.address = address
course_obj = Course.objects.get(id=course_id)
user.student.course_id = course_obj
user.student.session_start_year = session_start
user.student.session_end_year = session_end
user.student.gender = gender
user.student.profile_pic = ''
user.save()
messages.success(request, 'Successfully added the Student.')
return HttpResponseRedirect('/add_student')
except:
messages.error(request, 'Failed to add the Student.')
return HttpResponseRedirect('/add_student')
```
def manage\_student(request):
students = Student.objects.all()
context = {‘students’: students}
return render(request, ‘hod\_template/manage\_student\_template.html’, context)
def edit\_student(request, student\_id): # This student\_id is actually student.admin.id
courses = Course.objects.all()
student = Student.objects.get(admin=student\_id)
context = {‘courses’: courses, ‘student’: student}
return render(request, ‘hod\_template/edit\_student\_template.html’, context)
def edit\_student\_save(request):
if request.method != ‘POST’:
return HttpResponse(‘
## Method is not allowed!
’)
else:
student\_id = request.POST.get(‘student\_id’)
first\_name = request.POST.get(‘first\_name’)
last\_name = request.POST.get(‘last\_name’)
username = request.POST.get(‘username’)
email = request.POST.get(‘email’)
address = request.POST.get(‘address’)
session\_start = request.POST.get(‘session\_start’)
session\_end = request.POST.get(‘session\_end’)
course\_id = request.POST.get(‘course’)
gender = request.POST.get(‘gender’)
try:
user = CustomUser.objects.get(id=student\_id)
user.first\_name = first\_name
user.last\_name = last\_name
user.username = username
user.email = email
user.save()
```
student = Student.objects.get(admin=student_id)
student.address = address
student.session_start_year = session_start
student.session_end_year = session_end
student.gender = gender
course = Course.objects.get(id=course_id)
student.course_id = course
student.save()
messages.success(request, 'Successfully Edited Student.')
return HttpResponseRedirect('/edit_student/' + student_id)
except:
messages.error(request, 'Failed to Edit Student!')
return HttpResponseRedirect('/edit_student/' + student_id)
```
## . . .
edit\_student\_save.html :
```
```
## . . .
Thanks.
---
When posting code here, please enclose it between line of three backtick - ` characters. That ensures the code stays properly formatted.
Also, you can specify the css classes to be used in form fields - both for model forms and non-model forms. Hand-crafting the html provides no benefits.
If you’ve got a specific question as to how to handle something, please trim your code down to the smallest sample demonstrating the issue.
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