python - Optional get parameters in django?

Question

Can someone please explain how you can write a url pattern and view that allows optional parameters? I've done this successfully, but I always break the url template tag.

Here's what I have currently:

Pattern

(r'^so/(?P<required>d+)/?(?P<optional>(.*))/?$', 'myapp.so')

View

def so(request, required, optional):

If I use the url template tag in this example providing both arguments, it works just fine; however, if I omit the optional argument, I get a reversing error.

How can I accomplish this?

Thanks, Pete

Answer 1

I generally make two patterns with a named url:

url(r'^so/(?P<required>d+)/$', 'myapp.so', name='something'),
url(r'^so/(?P<required>d+)/(?P<optional>.*)/$', 'myapp.so', name='something_else'),