Django Template String Comparison Behavior

Yes, what you're experiencing is the expected behavior in Django templates. The issue you're encountering relates to how Django templates handle object comparisons versus string representations.

The Issue Explained

When you use {{ protocol }} in your template, Django automatically calls the object's __str__ method to get its string representation for display. However, when you use protocol in a comparison within an {% if %} tag, Django compares the actual object, not its string representation.

This is why:

• {{ protocol }} outputs the string representation
• {% if protocol == 'Add-Item='|concat:room.id %} compares the object itself to a string

The Solution

Your approach of using a specific string property (protocol.cmd) is the correct way to handle this situation. By accessing a property that is already a string, you ensure you're comparing strings to strings:

DJANGOCopied
{% if protocol.cmd == 'Add-Item='|concat:room.id %}
    {% include "supplies/item-form.html" %}
{% endif %}

Alternative Approaches

If you need to compare the string representation of an object, you could:

1. Create a template filter that explicitly converts an object to its string representation
2. Add a specific string property to your model/class as you've done
3. Handle the string conversion in your view before passing the data to the template

Limitations with String Literals

This behavior is related to Django's template language limitations with string handling. As noted in the documentation, Django's template language has specific constraints around string literals and syntax characters, which is why explicit string properties or methods are often needed for comparisons.

Your solution of using the cmd property is the most straightforward and Django-idiomatic approach to this problem.