The assumption in this guide is that you are starting from a Django web app with classic, server-side rendered HTML as your architecture, with zero or minimal existing Javascript.
The approach I recommend is:
- Read the htmx docs
- Work out the simplest way of applying the flow control and changes necessary in a Django view.
- After you have done step 2 at least 3 or 4 times, look for nicer patterns or abstractions.
In particular, abstracting too early will cause you pain. Just stick to if
statements etc until you know you have something better.
I also strongly recommend starting from function based views, and not class based views. There are many excellent reasons to prefer function based views by default, especially when we are talking about views that are generating HTML, but if you are doing htmx there are even more. To see and extract good htmx patterns, you need to:
- see the complete control flow
- be able to re-arrange the control flow
Using CBVs will seriously hinder you in both these.
In my experience so far, the best patterns for using htmx are likely to be project specific — most of the ones documented here have worked across several projects, but may not fit everywhere. While both Django and htmx are mature, the best patterns for the combination of these two is still an area for growth and needs refining. So for now I’m suggesting that if you like anything you see in this repo, you should:
- copy-paste it freely into your project (the code is in public domain)
- improve on it (and discard it if it gets in your way)
- if you want, share your improvements or alternatives back here, in discussions or as a pull request.
But don’t ask me to release this code as a library, and I suggest you shouldn’t either (at least not yet).