django MultiValueDictKeyError error, how do I deal with it

Question

Use the MultiValueDict's get method. This is also present on standard dicts and is a way to fetch a value while providing a default if it does not exist.

is_private = request.POST.get('is_private', False)

Generally,

my_var = dict.get(<key>, <default>)

Choose what is best for you:

1

is_private = request.POST.get('is_private', False);

If is_private key is present in request.POST the is_private variable will be equal to it, if not, then it will be equal to False.

2

if 'is_private' in request.POST:
    is_private = request.POST['is_private']
else:
    is_private = False

3

from django.utils.datastructures import MultiValueDictKeyError
try:
    is_private = request.POST['is_private']
except MultiValueDictKeyError:
    is_private = False

You get that because you're trying to get a key from a dictionary when it's not there. You need to test if it is in there first.

try:

is_private = 'is_private' in request.POST

or

is_private = 'is_private' in request.POST and request.POST['is_private']

depending on the values you're using.

Another thing to remember is that request.POST['keyword'] refers to the element identified by the specified html name attribute keyword.

So, if your form is:

<form action="/login/" method="POST">
  <input type="text" name="keyword" placeholder="Search query">
  <input type="number" name="results" placeholder="Number of results">
</form>

then, request.POST['keyword'] and request.POST['results'] will contain the value of the input elements keyword and results, respectively.