There is currently no way to pass directly "top-level" context variables to the direct_to_template() generic view. Additional parameters sent via keyword arguments to the view are currently passed into the context accessible via the 'params' dictionary. If a base template for an application requires a particular context variable though, there is no way to get that variable defined with direct_to_template as it is now. The attached patch adds extra_context, which adds the specified dictionary values into context of the template directly, without having to indirect through 'params'. It is backwards compatible with the current direct_to_template invocation as well, as any keyword arguments other than 'extra_context' will still end up in the 'params' dictionary. This patch makes direct_to_template() behave more like the other generic views.
