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Asked: 2024-11-27T12:00:09+00:00

Comprehensive Guide to Setting Up Django

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Setting up Django involves a series of steps to get the framework installed, configured, and ready for development. Here’s a detailed guide:

Prerequisites

  • Python Installation

Ensure Python is installed on your system. Django is a Python-based framework, so you need Python 3.6 or higher.

  • Check Installation:

Run python --version in your command line to check your Python version.

  • Download and Install:

If Python is not installed, download it from python.org and follow the installation instructions for your operating system.

Installing Django

  • Using pip

pip is the Python package installer, used to install Django and other packages.

  • Install pip:

Most Python installations include pip. Verify by running: 

pip --version
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  • Creating Virtual environment:

To create a virtual environment, decide upon a directory where you want to place it and run the venv module as a script with the directory path: 

python3 -m venv venv
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Activating virtual environment:

On Windows, run: 

venvScriptsactivate
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On Unix or MacOS, run: 

source venv/bin/activate
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  • Install Django:

Run pip install django to install the latest version of Django. 

pip install django
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Creating a Django Project

  • Project Initialization

Django projects contain all settings and configurations for your website.

Use django-admin startproject projectname command to create a new project. Replace projectname with your desired project name.

  • Project Structure:

The command creates a directory structure that includes:

  • manage.py:

A command-line utility for interacting with your project.

  • A directory named projectname containing:

  • init.py:

An empty file that indicates this directory is a Python package.

  • settings.py:

Configuration settings for your project.

  • urls.py:

URL declarations for your project.

  • wsgi.py:

An entry-point for WSGI-compatible web servers.

  • asgi.py:

An entry-point for ASGI-compatible web servers. 

projectname/     manage.py    projectname/         __init__.py         settings.py         urls.py         asgi.py         wsgi.py
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Running the Development Server

  • Starting the Server

Django includes a lightweight web server for development purposes.

  • Command:

Navigate to your project directory and run: 

  python manage.py runserver
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You’ll see the following output on the command line: 

Performing system checks...  System check identified no issues (0 silenced).  You have unapplied migrations; your app may not work properly until they are applied. Run 'python manage.py migrate' to apply them.  June 09, 2024 - 15:50:53 Django version 5.0, using settings 'mysite.settings' Starting development server at http://127.0.0.1:8000/ Quit the server with CONTROL-C.
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  • Accessing the Server:

Open a web browser and go to http://127.0.0.1:8000/. You should see the Django welcome page.

Django welcome page

Create New App

To create your app, make sure you’re in the same directory as manage.py and type this command: 

$ python manage.py startapp newApp
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Replace the newApp name with your desired App name

That’ll create a directory NewApp. which is laid out like this: 

newApp/     __init__.py     admin.py     apps.py     migrations/         __init__.py     models.py     tests.py     views.py
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Configuring the New App

  • Adding to INSTALLED_APPS

Include your new app in the project settings to make Django aware of it.

  • Edit settings.py:

Add 'appname', to the INSTALLED_APPS list in settings.py. 

INSTALLED_APPS = [       'newApp',   ]
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Database Setup

  • Default Database

Django uses SQLite by default, which is suitable for development and testing.

  • Settings:

The database settings are located in settings.py. No additional configuration is required for SQLite. 

DATABASES = {     'default': {         'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.sqlite3',         'NAME': BASE_DIR / 'db.sqlite3',     } }
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  • Using Other Databases

For production, you might use databases like PostgreSQL or MySQL.

  • Install Database Adapter:

Use pip install psycopg2 for PostgreSQL or pip install mysqlclient for MySQL.

  • Update settings.py:

Modify the DATABASES setting with the appropriate configuration for your database.

Applying Migrations

  • Database Schema

Migrations are Django’s way of propagating changes to your models (adding a field, deleting a model, etc.) into your database schema.

  • Create Migrations:

Run python manage.py makemigrations to create new migrations based on the changes you made to your models. 

python manage.py makemigrations
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Migrations for 'newApp':   posts/migrations/0001_initial.py     - Create model newModel
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  • Apply Migrations:

Run python manage.py migrate to apply the migrations and synchronize the database state with your models. 

python manage.py migrate
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 Apply all migrations: admin, auth, contenttypes, newApp, sessions Running migrations:   Applying contenttypes.0001_initial... OK   Applying auth.0001_initial... OK   Applying admin.0001_initial... OK   Applying admin.0002_logentry_remove_auto_add... OK   Applying admin.0003_logentry_add_action_flag_choices... OK   Applying contenttypes.0002_remove_content_type_name... OK   Applying auth.0002_alter_permission_name_max_length... OK   Applying auth.0003_alter_user_email_max_length... OK   Applying auth.0004_alter_user_username_opts... OK   Applying auth.0005_alter_user_last_login_null... OK   Applying auth.0006_require_contenttypes_0002... OK   Applying auth.0007_alter_validators_add_error_messages... OK   Applying auth.0008_alter_user_username_max_length... OK   Applying auth.0009_alter_user_last_name_max_length... OK   Applying auth.0010_alter_group_name_max_length... OK   Applying auth.0011_update_proxy_permissions... OK   Applying auth.0012_alter_user_first_name_max_length... OK   Applying posts.0001_initial... OK   Applying sessions.0001_initial... OK
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Creating a Superuser

  • Admin Interface Access

The Django admin interface allows for easy management of site content.

  • Command: Run python manage.py createsuperuser and follow the prompts to create an administrative user. 
python manage.py createsuperuser
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Username (leave blank to use 'virus'):          Email address:  Password:  Password (again):  This password is too short. It must contain at least 8 characters. This password is too common. This password is entirely numeric. Bypass password validation and create user anyway? [y/N]: y Superuser created successfully.
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Running the Development Server Again

  • Start Server

With the initial setup complete, start the development server again to ensure everything is working.

  • Command:

Run python manage.py runserver and verify that your project and apps are functioning correctly by visiting http://127.0.0.1:8000/. 

python manage.py runserver
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Thank you for reading this far. Stay tuned for a glimpse into application Configuration!

References

beginnersdjangopythonwebdev
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