Django User Registration: 'backend' Attribute Missing in AJAX Call

Backend
1

I’m having trouble with user registration in Django when using AJAX. My code usually works fine in regular views, but it’s throwing an AttributeError when I try to register users asynchronously.

Here’s a simplified version of what I’m doing:

def register_user(request):
    if request.method == 'POST':
        form = CustomUserForm(request.POST)
        if form.is_valid():
            new_user = form.save(commit=False)
            new_user.username = generate_username(new_user.email)
            new_user.backend = 'django.contrib.auth.backends.ModelBackend'
            new_user.save()
            
            login(request, new_user)
            return JsonResponse({'status': 'success', 'name': new_user.first_name})
    return JsonResponse({'status': 'error'})

The error occurs during user login. It complains that the User object doesn’t have a ‘backend’ attribute, even though I’m explicitly setting it. Has anyone encountered this issue with AJAX calls or found a solution?

2

yo ava89, i’ve seen this b4. try removing the backend line altogether. django usually handles that automatically. if that dnt work, try using authenticate() like ryan suggested. like this:

new_user = authenticate(username=new_user.username, password=form.cleaned_data[‘password’])
login(request, new_user)

hope this helps!

3

hmm interesting issue! have u tried using authenticate() before login()? it mite help set the backend attribute correctly. also, whats ur ajax call look like? maybe theres somethin funky goin on there? could u share that part of ur code too?

4

I’ve encountered a similar issue in the past. The problem likely stems from how Django handles authentication in AJAX contexts. Instead of manually setting the backend, try using the authenticate() function before login(). This ensures proper backend initialization. Here’s a modified version of your code that should work:

from django.contrib.auth import authenticate, login

def register_user(request):
    if request.method == 'POST':
        form = CustomUserForm(request.POST)
        if form.is_valid():
            new_user = form.save()
            new_user.username = generate_username(new_user.email)
            new_user.save()
            
            authenticated_user = authenticate(username=new_user.username, password=form.cleaned_data['password'])
            if authenticated_user:
                login(request, authenticated_user)
                return JsonResponse({'status': 'success', 'name': new_user.first_name})
    return JsonResponse({'status': 'error'})

This approach should resolve the ‘backend’ attribute issue while maintaining the functionality you’re aiming for.