extends - Django Template Tags

Last Updated : 20 May, 2025

Django’s {% extends %} tag allows you to reuse a base template across multiple pages, so you don’t have to repeat the same HTML code in every template. This makes your templates cleaner, easier to maintain, and helps keep a consistent layout throughout your site.

Syntax:

{% extends 'base_template.html' %}

Example: Assume the following directory structure:

project_root/
templates/
base.html
app/
child.html

You would extend the base template in child.html like this:

{% extends "base.html" %}

or, if the base is inside the app folder:

{% extends "app/base.html" %}

extends - Django template Tags Explanation

Illustration of How to use extends tag in Django templates using an Example. Consider a project named geeksforgeeks having an app named geeks.

Refer to the following articles to check how to create a project and an app in Django.

How to Create a Basic Project using MVT in Django?
How to Create an App in Django ?

Example Project Structure:

myproject/
templates/
geeks.html # Base template
extendedgeeks.html # Child template extending geeks.html
myapp/
views.py
urls.py

Step 1: Create a Base Template (geeks.html)

This template defines the main structure of your page with a content block that child templates can override.

HTML

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>My Site</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Main Template Header</h1>

    {% block content %}
    <!-- Default content can go here -->
    {% endblock %}

    <footer>
        <p>Footer information here</p>
    </footer>
</body>
</html>

Step 2: Create a Child Template (extendedgeeks.html)

This template extends geeks.html and overrides the content block to provide page-specific content.

HTML

{% extends "geeks.html" %}

{% block content %}
    <h2>GeeksForGeeks is the Best</h2>
    <p>Welcome to the extended template example!</p>
{% endblock %}

Step 3: Define a View to Render the Template (views.py)

In your Django app’s views.py:

Python

from django.shortcuts import render

def geeks_view(request):
    return render(request, "extendedgeeks.html")

Step 4: Configure URL Pattern (urls.py)

Add the URL path to access your view in urls.py:

Python

from django.urls import path
from .views import geeks_view

urlpatterns = [
    path('', geeks_view, name='geeks_home'),
]

Step 5: Run the Development Server

Make sure your virtual environment is activated, then run:

python manage.py runserver

Let's check if data is displayed from both the templates in extendedgeeks.html by visiting URL- http://127.0.0.1:8000/ in your browser, you should see:

The header from geeks.html
The content from extendedgeeks.html
The footer from geeks.html

extends-django-templates-tags

Note: {% extends variable %} uses the value of variable. If the variable evaluates to a string, Django will use that string as the name of the parent template. If the variable evaluates to a Template object, Django will use that object as the parent template.

Also Read: Template Filters

if - Django Template Tags

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