How to handle several search fields on one page using raw sql?

Question

I have for now two serach field(planning to add more) and I want to use only raw sql whem filtering the objects(I know that Django provides ORM which makes life so much easier, but in my work right now I need to use SQL) I know how to do it with ORM in Django,like this:

def my_view(request):
    value_one = request.GET.get("value_one", None)
    value_two = request.GET.get("value_two", None)
    value_three = request.GET.get("value_three", None)

    objects = MyModel.objects.all()

    if value_one:
        objects = objects.filter(field_one=value_one)
    if value_two:
        objects = objects.filter(field_two=value_two)
    if value_three:
        objects = objects.filter(field_three=value_three)

But is there a way to use SQL instead of filtering?

def profile(request):
    cursor = connection.cursor()    
    value_one = request.GET.get("searchage", None)
    value_two = request.GET.get("search", None)
    objects= cursor.execute('SELECT * from People p JOIN Jobs j on p.JobId = j.Id ')
    objects = dictfetchall(cursor)
    if value_one:
        objects = cursor.execute('SELECT * from People p JOIN Jobs j on p.JobId = j.Id WHERE p.Age = %s',[value_one] )
    if value_two:
        objects = ???
    return render(request,'personal.html', {'value1':value_one, 'value2':value_two, 'objects':objects})

I have only one idea and it's to have if clause like this

if value_one and value_two:
..
elif value_one and !value_two:
...
elif !value_one and value_two:

But if I have more than 2 search fields it gets kind of difficult and time-consuming to write every clause. Is there another way out without Django ORM?

Answer 1

you can combine all the conditions you want into one sql statement

SELECT * from People p 
JOIN Jobs j on p.JobId = j.Id 
where (p.Age = [value_one] or [value_one] is null)
and (p.birthdate = [value_two] or [value_two] is null)
and ...

so this way you don't need have several sql command and checking the values :

def profile(request):
    cursor = connection.cursor()    
    value_one = request.GET.get("searchage", None)
    value_two = request.GET.get("search", None)
    objects= cursor.execute(<query above>)
    objects = dictfetchall(cursor)
    return render(request,'personal.html', {'value1':value_one, 'value2':value_two, 'objects':objects})