In previous units, you learned how to build complete features and add model choices with Codex. You discovered how to plan features, coordinate changes across files, and prompt Codex for Django-specific features like model choices.

Now, you'll learn how to prompt Codex effectively for Django user registration. In this unit, you'll build user registration step by step: first the backend (view and URL), then the frontend (template), and finally the integration (links and messages). To prompt Codex well, you need to understand the Django registration concepts you're asking for. This lesson teaches you both the Django concepts and how to prompt Codex effectively for them.

The skills you'll learn in this unit extend far beyond Django. User registration and authentication are fundamental features in almost every web application, and most frameworks have standard, well-established patterns for implementing signup and signin functionality. This is why LLM agents like Codex are usually very good at implementing registration features—they've been trained on countless examples of standard authentication patterns across different frameworks.

Whether you're working with Django, Flask, Express.js, Rails, Spring Boot, or ASP.NET, the core concepts remain similar: collect user credentials, validate them, create a user record, hash passwords securely, and manage sessions. LLM agents excel at these standard patterns because they're so common across codebases.

However, there's an important caveat: when frameworks allow customization, you must provide the LLM with context about your specific setup. For example, in Django, you might use a custom User model, add additional fields to the registration form, customize authentication backends, or use third-party packages like django-allauth.

In these cases, you need to tell Codex about your customizations:

The key takeaway: standard authentication patterns work great with LLMs out of the box, but customizations require explicit context. Always inform Codex about any deviations from the framework's default authentication setup.

Now let's see how these principles apply to Django's built-in authentication system.

Django's authentication system provides built-in tools for user registration:

• UserCreationForm: Pre-built form for user registration that handles username, password, and password confirmation
• login(): Function to automatically log in a user after registration
• messages framework: Django's built-in system for displaying success, error, and info messages to users

When prompting Codex, be specific about which Django tools you want to use:

Codex will use Django's built-in forms correctly. You can also ask Codex to explain:

Codex will explain the structure, which helps you understand what you're asking for.

When adding a registration view, be specific about:

• Which Django form to use (UserCreationForm)
• What happens after registration (login automatically, redirect)
• Form validation handling (GET shows form, POST processes it)

Codex understands Django's registration flow and will create the view correctly. You can also ask for URL patterns:

Being specific about the URL pattern and view name helps Codex implement the routing correctly.

When creating a registration template, be specific about:

• Template location (core/templates/register.html)
• Styling to match existing design
• Form field display
• Error message display

Codex will create the template with proper styling. You can also ask for specific template tags:

Being specific about template tags helps Codex implement the form correctly.

When adding a registration link and messages, be specific about:

• Where to add the link (main template)
• How to display messages
• Message styling

Codex will add the link and message display correctly. You can also ask for specific message styling:

Being specific about styling helps Codex match your existing design.

1. Be Specific About Django Tools: Mention specific Django forms and methods (UserCreationForm, login(), messages.success(), etc.)
2. Specify the Flow: Explain what should happen step by step (create user → log them in → show message → redirect)
3. Include All Steps: Ask for view, URL, template, and integration separately or together
4. Template Details: Specify template location, styling, and form field display
5. Error Handling: Ask for proper error message display in templates

This lesson teaches you how to prompt Codex effectively for Django user registration. You'll learn about Django's UserCreationForm, how to prompt Codex for registration view (backend), registration template (frontend), and registration link with messages (integration). Understanding these Django concepts helps you create better prompts, which leads to better results from Codex.