Week-4

Hey everyone,

This week we'll be starting with the back end part of Web Development, through the use of the software framework Django. The framework is majorly based on Python, so a brief overview would be required to start with it.

If you already know the basics of Python, dive right in to the Django tutorials. Even if you don't know Python or just aren't comfortable with it, we have some great resourses for you to build a working base of Python.

Link for brief tutorials on Python and pip

What is Django?

Django is a high-level Python Web framework that encourages rapid development and clean, pragmatic design. Built by experienced developers, it takes care of much of the hassle of Web development, so you can focus on writing your app without needing to reinvent the wheel. It’s free and open source. Checkout this article for getting an overview of what is Django:

• Introduction to Django (Grundy, WnCC)

Installing Django

We assume you have Python up and running to begin with. If not, take a look at the supplementary article on Python.

Here is an extract of the installation guide from the official website.

Installing an official release with pip

This is the recommended way to install Django.

1. Install pip. The easiest is to use the standalone pip installer. If your distribution already has pip installed, you might need to update it if it’s outdated. If it’s outdated, you’ll know because installation won’t work.

Optional

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2. Take a look at venv. This tool provides isolated Python environments, which are more practical than installing packages systemwide. It also allows installing packages without administrator privileges. The contributing tutorial walks through how to create a virtual environment.

3. After you’ve created and activated a virtual environment, enter the command: $ python -m pip install Django

Also checkout this video if you are facing trouble with virtual environments, through virtualenv

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Here is a video for Django introduction and installation through pip.

Getting Started with Django

Once Django is up and running, its time to get your hands dirty with some code.

We'll be using the learning by implementation approach, so that you can build something as you continue to learn. So, take a look at this YouTube Playlist that guides through making a basic blog application with Django.

Alternatively, we recommend a tutorials, wherein you'll be building a basic poll application. Visit all the 7 parts of the tutorial to get your poll site ready to deploy.

Note:

We require that you only go through either text or video tutorials for the creating the application. Both cover more-or-less the same amount of content. There is no need to go through both. Make sure that you build the project along with the tutorials as you will need to submit those by the end of the week.