How to request.user.is_authenticated() in views.py? Django

Question

I am trying to check if user is logged in from my views.py file. As depending if user is logged in it should return me different forms. But request.user.is_authenticated() or request.user.is_authenticated is not working, i always get True value.

My view:

def ContactsView(request):
    form_class = ContactForm_logged(request=request)
    form_class_nonlogged = ContactForm_nonlogged(request=request)

    # new logic!
    if request.method == 'POST':
        if request.user.is_authenticated():
            form = ContactForm_logged(data=request.POST, request = request)
        else:
            form = ContactForm_nonlogged(data=request.POST)

        if form.is_valid():
            contact_name = request.POST.get(
                'contact_name'
                , '')
            contact_email = request.POST.get(
                'contact_email'
                , '')
            form_content = request.POST.get('content', '')
            subjects = form.cleaned_data['subjects']
            subjects = dict(form.fields['subjects'].choices)[subjects]
            # Email the profile with the
            # contact information
            template = get_template('threeD/email/contact_template.txt')
            context = Context({
                'contact_name': contact_name,
                'subjects': subjects,
                'contact_email': contact_email,
                'form_content': form_content,
            })
            content = template.render(context)

            email = EmailMessage(
                "New message from " + contact_name,
                content,
                "Message - " + subjects + ' ',
                ['smart.3d.printing.facility@gmail.com'],
                headers={'Reply-To': contact_email}
            )
            email.send()
            messages.success(request, "Thank you for your message.")
            return redirect('/index/contacts/')

    else:
        if request.user.is_authenticated():
            form = ContactForm_logged(request=request)
        else:
            form = ContactForm_nonlogged()

    if request.user.is_authenticated():
        return render(request, 'threeD/contacts.html', {
            'form': form_class,
        })
    else:
        return render(request, 'threeD/contacts.html', {
            'form': form_class_nonlogged,
        })

And two of my forms:

class ContactForm_logged(forms.Form):
    contact_name = forms.CharField(required=True)
    contact_email = forms.EmailField(required=True)
    subjects = forms.ChoiceField(choices=emailsubjects)
    content = forms.CharField(
        required=True,
        widget=forms.Textarea
    )

    def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
        self.request = kwargs.pop("request")
        super(ContactForm_logged, self).__init__(*args, **kwargs)
        self.fields['contact_name'].label = "Your name:"

        if (self.request.user.first_name == '' or self.request.user.last_name ==''):
            self.fields['contact_name'].initial = 'Type your name here'
            self.fields['contact_name'].widget.attrs['readonly'] = False
        else:
            self.fields['contact_name'].initial = self.request.user.first_name
            self.fields['contact_name'].widget.attrs['readonly'] = True

        self.fields['contact_email'].label = "Your email:"

        if (self.request.user.profile.sdu_email == ''):
            if (self.request.user.email == ''):
                self.fields['contact_email'].initial = 'Type your email here'
                self.fields['contact_email'].widget.attrs['readonly'] = False
            else:
                self.fields['contact_email'].initial = self.request.user.email
                self.fields['contact_email'].widget.attrs['readonly'] = True
        else:
            self.fields['contact_email'].initial = self.request.user.profile.sdu_email
            self.fields['contact_email'].widget.attrs['readonly'] = True

        self.fields['content'].label = "What do you want to say?"
        self.fields['content'].initial = "Dear, Smart 3D printing facility team, I like this WEB server very much, but ..."

        self.fields['subjects'].label = "Please, select the subject of your message"


class ContactForm_nonlogged(forms.Form):
    contact_name = forms.CharField(required=True)
    contact_email = forms.EmailField(required=True)
    subjects = forms.ChoiceField(choices=emailsubjects)
    content = forms.CharField(
        required=True,
        widget=forms.Textarea
    )

    def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
        self.request = kwargs.pop("request")
        super(ContactForm_nonlogged, self).__init__(*args, **kwargs)
        self.fields['contact_name'].label = "Your name:"

        self.fields['contact_name'].initial = 'Type your name here'

        self.fields['contact_email'].label = "Your email:"

        self.fields['contact_email'].initial = 'Type your email here'

        self.fields['content'].label = "What do you want to say?"
        self.fields['content'].initial = "Dear, Smart 3D printing facility team, I like this WEB server very much, but ..."

        self.fields['subjects'].label = "Please, select the subject of your message"

The problem is that, whether i am logged in or am not i always get ContactForm_logged form back. And if i m not logged in than, getting ContactForm_logged form back i get an error, that "'AnonymousUser' object has no attribute 'first_name'". I read on forums that that could have happened if i call request.user.is_authenticated() wrong, but i have tried both request.user.is_authenticated() and request.user.is_authenticated, both give me the same error :/

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Answer 1

The problem is in the first line of your view method definition:

def ContactsView(request):
    form_class = ContactForm_logged(request=request)

Here you are creating an instance of ContactForm_logged class. This line will be executed every time the view method is called. So an instance of ContactForm_logged class will be created everytime, whether user is logged-in or not. Further, in the __init__ method of ContactForm_logged class you are accessing self.request.user.first_name. So when the ContactForm_logged instance is being initialized for unauthenticated requests it is raising the error: "'AnonymousUser' object has no attribute 'first_name'"

Answer 2

If you are using Django 1.10+, then you should use the property request.user.is_authenticated.

If you are using Django 1.9 or earlier, then you must use request.user.is_authenticated(). Using request.user.is_authenticated in Django 1.9 or earlier is a mistake which can cause sensitive data to be leaked, because it will always be evaluated as True.

If you are using the correct version and it is returning True, then that suggests you really are logged in.