Overriding the built-in Django form widget HTML doesn't work

[Daniel Greenfeld]

After multiple attempts following the documentation and peering into the source code, I can't override built-in widget's HTML.

Reference documentation:

• ​https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/1.11/ref/forms/renderers/#overriding-built-in-widget-templates
• ​https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/1.11/ref/forms/renderers/#templatessetting

This test case pares down the problem to the barest minimum example:

​https://github.com/pydanny/django-widget-override-test-case

[Florian Apolloner]

Two things need changing:

• Change FORM_RENDERER to TemplateSettings: ​https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/1.11/ref/forms/renderers/#templatessetting
• Fix the template include paths so BASE_DIR is in there (django searches literally for django/forms/widgets…)

Closing this since it is in the documentation (​https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/1.11/ref/forms/renderers/#overriding-built-in-widget-templates):

If you use the TemplatesSetting renderer, overriding widget templates works the same as overriding any other template in your project. You can’t override built-in widget templates using the other built-in renderers.

That said we will happily take PR improving the wording.

[Florian Apolloner]

Diff to the referenced project to get it working:

diff --git a/sample/settings.py b/sample/settings.py
index 354d15a..3d87369 100644
--- a/sample/settings.py
+++ b/sample/settings.py
@@ -51,11 +51,12 @@ MIDDLEWARE = [
 ]
 
 ROOT_URLCONF = 'sample.urls'
+FORM_RENDERER = 'django.forms.renderers.TemplatesSetting'
 
 TEMPLATES = [
     {
         'BACKEND': 'django.template.backends.django.DjangoTemplates',
-        'DIRS': ['django/forms/templates', 'templates'],
+        'DIRS': [BASE_DIR, 'templates'],
         'APP_DIRS': True,
         'OPTIONS': {
             'context_processors': [

[Daniel Greenfeld]

Perhaps specifying that FORM_RENDERER = 'django.forms.renderers.TemplatesSetting' in a much more obvious way?

Launching TSD 1.11 this week so am swamped, but I'll see if I can get a PR in.

[Tim Graham]

#28102 is an accepted ticket for the documentation clarification about the need to put the full path to the built-in widget directories in DIRS.