#27957: User facing error messages should avoid technical jargon
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Reporter: Jon Dufresne | Owner: nobody
Type: Cleanup/optimization | Status: new
Component: Forms | Version: master
Severity: Normal | Keywords:
Triage Stage: Unreviewed | Has patch: 0
Needs documentation: 0 | Needs tests: 0
Patch needs improvement: 0 | Easy pickings: 0
UI/UX: 0 |
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Some error messages in `django.forms.models` use technical jargon that is
often very confusing to normal web users. For example, the words "foreign
key" and "primary key". I think the error messages should target a general
web audience instead of developers.
Scenario: A `ModelForm` is used to submit GET requests. A user copies a
URL with a query string and passes it to a friend. Upon entering the URL,
a typo is introduced. This typo results in an error that could read:
> "123a" is not a valid value for a primary key.
Most web users have no idea what a primary key is and therefore will be
confused by what steps to take to fix the error. I think Django should
avoid technical database terms in user facing error messages.
I'm proposing the following changes, but I'm very open to alternative
phrasing that would give a more useful error message in more situations:
> "%(pk)s" is not a valid value for a primary key.
Becomes
> "%(pk)s" is not a valid value.
And
> The inline foreign key did not match the parent instance primary key.
Becomes
> The inline value did not match the parent instance.
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Ticket URL: <https://code.djangoproject.com/ticket/27957>
Django <https://code.djangoproject.com/>
The Web framework for perfectionists with deadlines.
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