# Using MediaFiles in Django
Using media files in Django involves handling user-uploaded content such as images, videos, and other files. Here’s a step-by-step guide to setting up and using media files in a Django project.
### Scenario: Handling Media Files in Django
#### Step 1: Configure Settings
1. **Open your**[`settings.py`](http://settings.py) file and add the following lines:
```python
# settings.py
MEDIA_URL = '/media/'
MEDIA_ROOT = BASE_DIR / "media"
```
#### Step 2: Create Media Directory
1. **In your project root, create a**`media` directory:
```bash
my_project/
├── my_app/
├── media/ # THIS ONE
├── static/
├── manage.py
└── settings.py
```
#### Step 3: Create a Model to Handle Media Files
1. **Define a model that includes a**`FileField` or `ImageField` in `my_app/`[`models.py`](http://models.py):
```python
# my_app/models.py
from django.db import models
class UserProfile(models.Model):
username = models.CharField(max_length=100)
profile_picture = models.ImageField(upload_to='profile_pictures/')
def __str__(self):
return self.username
```
💡
If you try to use ImageField in models , it will show error saying pillow is not installed to solve this simply install pillow library by running following code in terminal
💡
Here upload to is the path where image will be uploaded in the media folder i.e(media/profile_pictures/uploaded_img.jpg)
```bash
pip install pillow
```
#### Step 4: Configure URLs
1. **Add a URL pattern to serve media files during development in**`my_project/`[`urls.py`](http://urls.py):
```python
# my_project/urls.py
from django.contrib import admin
from django.urls import path, include
from django.conf import settings
from django.conf.urls.static import static
urlpatterns = [
path('admin/', admin.site.urls),
path('', include('my_app.urls')),
]
if settings.DEBUG:
urlpatterns += static(settings.MEDIA_URL, document_root=settings.MEDIA_ROOT)
```
#### Step 5: Create a Form to Upload Media Files
1. **Create a form for uploading media files in**`my_app/`[`forms.py`](http://forms.py):
```python
# my_app/forms.py
from django import forms
from .models import UserProfile
class UserProfileForm(forms.ModelForm):
class Meta:
model = UserProfile
fields = ['username', 'profile_picture']
```
#### Step 6: Create a View to Handle the Form
1. **Create a view to handle file uploads in**`my_app/`[`views.py`](http://views.py):
```python
# my_app/views.py
from django.shortcuts import render, redirect
from .forms import UserProfileForm
def upload_profile(request):
if request.method == 'POST':
form = UserProfileForm(request.POST, request.FILES)
if form.is_valid():
form.save()
return redirect('profile_list')
else:
form = UserProfileForm()
return render(request, 'my_app/upload_profile.html', {'form': form})
def profile_list(request):
profiles = UserProfile.objects.all()
return render(request, 'my_app/profile_list.html', {'profiles': profiles})
```
#### Step 7: Create Templates
1. **Create the template for uploading files (**`my_app/templates/my_app/upload_profile.html`):
```html
Upload Profile
Upload Profile
```
2. **Create the template for displaying the list of profiles (**`my_app/templates/my_app/profile_list.html`):
```html
Profile List
Profile List
{% for profile in profiles %}
{{ profile.username }}
{% endfor %}
```
#### Step 8: Create URLs for the Views
1. **Define URLs for the views in**`my_app/`[`urls.py`](http://urls.py):
```python
# my_app/urls.py
from django.urls import path
from .views import upload_profile, profile_list
urlpatterns = [
path('upload/', upload_profile, name='upload_profile'),
path('', profile_list, name='profile_list'),
]
```
#### Step 9: Run the Development Server
1. **Run the development server:**
```bash
python manage.py runserver
```
2. **Open a web browser and navigate to**[`http://127.0.0.1:8000/upload/`](http://127.0.0.1:8000/upload/) to upload a profile picture.
3. **Navigate to**[`http://127.0.0.1:8000/`](http://127.0.0.1:8000/) to see the list of profiles with their uploaded pictures.
This setup allows you to handle media files in your Django project, including uploading files, saving them to the file system, and displaying them on your website.