Chapter 2. Django Quick Start Guide

In this chapter, we’ll guide you through the essential steps to get started with Django. By following this quick start guide, you will set up a working Django project, learn how to create and configure your development environment, and understand key Django components such as views, templates, and URL routing. This chapter is ideal for beginners who want to dive right into building a Django project.

What We Cover in This Chapter

The following topics are covered in this chapter:

Install Python

In this section, we’ll walk through installing Python on your system. Django requires Python to run, so ensuring that you have the latest version of Python installed is essential before proceeding with any Django setup.

Install Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code is a powerful and popular code editor that makes writing and managing Django projects easier. In this section, we’ll show you how to download, install, and configure Visual Studio Code to work with Django.

Create Project Directory

In this section, we’ll guide you through setting up a project directory where you’ll store all your Django project files. This organization is key for keeping your project structure clear and manageable.

Set Up Virtual Environment

Creating a virtual environment allows you to isolate your Django project’s dependencies from other projects. In this section, we’ll show you how to set up a virtual environment for your Django project using the command line.

Install Django

In this section, we’ll demonstrate how to install Django using the pip package manager, ensuring that you have the latest stable version of Django installed in your virtual environment.

Start Django Project

This section will walk you through starting a new Django project using the django-admin startproject command, creating the necessary project files and configurations for your Django app.

Run Server

We’ll show you how to run Django’s built-in development server to preview your project locally. This is an important step for testing your project as you build it.

Database Migration

In this section, we’ll explain how to apply database migrations to set up the required database tables for your Django app using Django’s migration system.

URL dispatcher – urls.py

The urls.py file is used to map URLs to views in your Django project. In this section, we’ll guide you through setting up URL patterns and connecting them to views.

Create Superuser

To access Django’s built-in admin interface, you need to create a superuser. In this section, we’ll show you how to create a superuser for your Django project.

Start App

Now that the project is set up, you’ll need to create individual apps within the project. We’ll demonstrate how to create a new Django app with the startapp command and set it up for development.

Create HTML Templates

In this section, we’ll show you how to create HTML templates in Django, which are used to render dynamic content in response to HTTP requests.

Create Views

Views handle the business logic of your Django application. In this section, we’ll cover both function-based views and class-based views for handling HTTP requests and rendering responses.

Add URL Patterns

Once you have views in place, you need to map URLs to those views. This section explains how to add URL patterns in Django’s urls.py to route incoming requests to the appropriate view.

Project vs. App

In Django, a project is a collection of settings and configurations, while an app is a module that contains specific functionality for your project. In this section, we’ll explore the difference between a Django project and an app, and why this distinction is important for structuring your code.

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