Show undefined variable errors in Django templates?

Question

How can I ask Django to tell me when it encounters, for example, an undefined variable error while it\'s rendering templates?

I\'ve tried the obvious DEBUG = T

Answer 1

I am use next:

import logging

from django.utils.html import format_html
from django.utils.safestring import mark_safe


class InvalidTemplateVariable(str):
    """
    Class for override output that the Django template system
    determinated as invalid (e.g. misspelled) variables.
    """

    # styles for display message in HTML`s pages
    styles = mark_safe('style="color: red; font-weight: bold;"')

    def __mod__(self, variable):
        """Overide a standart output here."""

        # access to current settings
        from django.conf import settings

        # display the message on page in make log it only on stage development
        if settings.DEBUG is True:

            # format message with captured variable
            msg = 'Attention! A variable "{}" does not exists.'.format(variable)

            # get logger and make
            logger = self.get_logger()
            logger.warning(msg)

            # mark text as non-escaped in HTML
            return format_html('{}', self.styles, msg)

        # on production it will be not displayed
        return ''

    def get_logger(self):
        """Create own logger with advanced error`s details."""

        logger = logging.getLogger(self.__class__.__name__)

        logger.setLevel(logging.DEBUG)

        handler = logging.StreamHandler()
        handler.setLevel(logging.DEBUG)

        formatter = logging.Formatter('%(asctime)s - %(name)s - %(levelname)s - %(message)s')

        handler.setFormatter(formatter)

        logger.addHandler(handler)

        return logger

Usage in settings file (by default it settings.py):

TEMPLATES = [
    {
        ......
        'OPTIONS': {
            .....................
            'string_if_invalid': InvalidTemplateVariable('%s'),
            .....................
        },

    },
]

or directly

TEMPLATES[0]['OPTIONS']['string_if_invalid'] = InvalidTemplateVariable('%s')

A result if DEBUG = True:

On page

In console

> System check identified 1 issue (0 silenced). October 03, 2016 -
> 12:21:40 Django version 1.10.1, using settings 'settings.development'
> Starting development server at http://127.0.0.1:8000/ Quit the server
> with CONTROL-C. 2016-10-03 12:21:44,472 - InvalidTemplateVariable -
> WARNING - Attention! A variable "form.media" does not exists.