Handling Flask Forms: WTForms Fields and Form Submission
This article introduces the core knowledge points of handling forms in Flask using `Flask-WTF` (based on WTForms). First, forms rely on the `Flask-WTF` extension, which needs to be installed via `pip install flask-wtf`. WTForms provides various field types (such as `StringField`, `PasswordField`, `SubmitField`, etc.) corresponding to HTML input controls. To define a form class, you need to inherit from `FlaskForm`, declare fields in the class, and set validators (e.g., `DataRequired`, `Length`, `Email`). In the example, the `LoginForm` includes username, email, password, and a submit button, with clear validation rules for each field. In view functions, you need to create a form instance, use `form.validate_on_submit()` to check POST requests and data validation. If validation passes, process the data (e.g., login verification); otherwise, render the template. The template should use `form.hidden_tag()` to generate CSRF tokens for security and display error messages using `form.errors`. The core principles include form definition, request handling, data validation, template rendering, and CSRF protection. Common issues such as missing CSRF tokens require checking `form.hidden_tag()` and `SECRET_KEY`. Validation failures can be troubleshooted via `form.errors`, and password inputs should use [note: the original text ends abruptly here, so the translation follows the provided content].
Read MoreFlask Form Handling: Complete Process from User Input to Data Display
This article introduces the complete process of implementing form handling using Flask and Flask-WTF, suitable for web development scenarios requiring user information collection. First, install the Flask and Flask-WTF extensions, then create form classes by inheriting the `FlaskForm` class, defining fields (e.g., username, password) and validation rules (required, length, email format, etc.). In Flask applications, view functions must handle GET (rendering the form) and POST (validating submitted data) requests. Use `form.validate_on_submit()` to check the request type and validate data. If validation fails, error messages are stored in `form.<field>.errors`, and templates display errors through loops. Templates must include `form.hidden_tag()` to enable CSRF protection and avoid form submission failures. Key details include: setting `SECRET_KEY` to ensure CSRF security, using redirects to prevent duplicate submissions, and encrypting stored data (e.g., passwords with bcrypt). The complete workflow is: user fills out form → frontend validation → backend validation → data processing → result display. Advanced features can extend to custom validators, multi-form handling, or file uploads. This article helps quickly master core skills of Flask form implementation from definition to data processing.
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