Scaling the Project

Note: This section is optional but essential for scaling the project.

_{For the sake of simplicity, the styling portion of this course is skipped. Please download the templates from the course resources.}

Database Setup

Models

In Django, models are Python classes that represent database tables.

Creating a Model

Let's create a Profile model by extending the default User model provided by Django. It's recommended to define models within the respective app for better organization.

your_app_name/models.py

from django.db import models
from django.contrib.auth.models import User

class Profile(models.Model):
    profile_pic = models.ImageField(blank=True, null=True, default='default.png')
    user = models.ForeignKey(User, on_delete=models.CASCADE, null=True)

While the process may seem straightforward, understanding the use of the image field and the significance of 'default.png' requires delving deeper into the configuration of media settings.

Register the Model

Register the Profile model in the admin panel for easy management.

your_app_name/admin.py

from django.contrib import admin

from .models import Profile

admin.site.register(Profile)

_{Note: Django default uses SQLite Database as db.sqlite3 which can be seen in the project root.}

Migration

To apply the model changes to the database, perform migrations:

python manage.py makemigrations

python manage.py migrate

If the migration process completes without errors, your database is ready for use.

Configure Media Files

• Install Pillow library for image processing:

  pip install Pillow
  

• Configure media settings in settings.py:

  settings.py

  MEDIA_URL = 'images/'   # here 'images' is the folder name I choose to be for this project, can be anything
  MEDIA_ROOT = BASE_DIR / 'static/images'
  

• Update project-level URLs to handle media files:

  your_project_name/urls.py

  from django.contrib import admin
  from django.urls import path, include
  
  from django.conf import settings
  from django.conf.urls.static import static  # import static
  
  urlpatterns = [
      path('admin/', admin.site.urls),
      path('', include('lynx.urls')),
  ] + static(settings.MEDIA_URL, document_root=settings.MEDIA_ROOT)   # configure to use the media path
  

SUDO

Create SUDO

Create a superuser (sudo) account for admin operations:

python manage.py createsuperuser

Follow the prompts to set the username, email, and password for the superuser.

Admin Panel Access

Access the admin panel using the superuser credentials at localhost:port/admin while the server is running.

return redirect('login')

    context = {'form': form}

    return render(request, 'your_app_name/register.html', context=context)

def login(request):
    return render(request, 'your_app_name/login.html')
```

Crispy Forms Integration

Crispy Forms is a popular third-party Django application that provides a convenient way to style and render Django forms by integrating with popular CSS frameworks like Bootstrap, Foundation, and Bulma.

• Install the crispy forms library:

  pip install django-crispy-forms==1.14.0
  

  _{Note: Install version 1.14.0 only as V2.0 onwards things have changed.}

• Register crispy forms in settings.py:

  settings.py

  INSTALLED_APPS = [
      # other apps
      'crispy_forms',
  ]
  
  # can be used any other available packs
  CRISPY_TEMPLATE_PACK = 'bootstrap4' 
  

• Apply crispy forms to registration form in the template:

  register.html

  <div class="container bg-white shadow-md p-5 form-layout">
      <h1> Register </h1>
      <br>
  
      <form action="" method="post" autocomplete="off">
          {% csrf_token %}
  
          {{ form.username|as_crispy_field }}
          <br>
  
          {{ form.email|as_crispy_field }}
          <br>
  
          {{ form.password1|as_crispy_field }}
          <br>
  
          {{ form.password2|as_crispy_field }}
          <br>
  
          <input class="btn btn-primary" type="submit" value="Submit">
      </form>
  </div>
  

  

After registration, users can log in using their credentials.

User Registration

After completing the form accurately, you will be redirected to the login page.

The admin panel now displays a user named 'demo'.

Note: The remaining part of the Django Tutorial will be updated soon!