A little while ago, I was approached about building a basic web site for a small store. The requirements were pretty typical and read like a menu of web development tutorials. This was to be a data driven site that any decent web developer could build. I, however, am not a web developer, decent or otherwise. So, I turned the assignment down and decided it's time I looked into learning something about web development.
I looked at everything from ASP to Java to PHP and even the likes of Drupal and Joomla. I liked the ideas and patterns behind Django as a framework ( MVC = :) ) and Python as a language. The combination seemed like perfect middle ground to me. Things were going well as I worked through the tutorial and explored the documentation to dig deeper into core Django topics. Where am I today? I'm struggling a bit with Django, to be honest. Or maybe I'm struggling with Python, I'm not completely certain which. Maybe it's because I'm trying to learn web development and Python at the same time. I'm certainly no genius, but I'm not a bonehead either...at least my mother doesn't think so. ;) The individual technical ideas are presented well and I can always find enough information to learn more. But Django as a whole feels less cohesive. Or maybe it's that Django sometimes feels...TOO flexible? There are certainly a lot of choices in terms of how much Django to use and how much to roll yourself. Guidance seems to be offered on a per-module basis. Maybe that's just how it is and I'm looking for structure where there is none available. I'm not sure what to override...when to call the super classes corresponding method. Do I have to concern myself with the test cookie idea? Should I name my URLs? Is mixing positional and keyword arguments OK? Are generic views the best way, or just the quickest way? I guess it boils down to a concern over making poor choices and learning bad habits. If I'm going to spend any amount of time with this web development hing, I want to do it right. I'm also fighting my urge to build everything myself. Sure it would be plenty flexible, but it would also take longer and wouldn't leverage the great work done by all of Django's contributors. So, what am I rattling on about then? Judging by some of the posts I've read since joining the group, I'm sure there are a bunch of folks who would appreciate some guidance and / or best practices from the more experienced Django developers. I understand everyone learns and progresses differently, but I would really appreciate your take on things. How much do you use built in Django functionality? Are there components you tend to avoid? Do you use Django only for certain types of projects? Do you struggle with Python or Django? Is the source code a good place to spend some time? Is your authentication system home-grown? Have you been bitten in the behind by using too much Django? Not enough? I realize this is a lot to ask, but I think it's a good thing that we help newer developers do things the right way. I certainyl want to become a contributing member of this group, but not until I won't give bad advice and flat out wrong answers. ;) I've gone through a good chunk of the Django Book online. Is this a good resource or do you have other recommendations? There aren't all that many books on Django, but there are a few. Do any do a better job than the others of guiding you to the best way to build web sites / apps? I sure wish there was a book that kept pace with the changes and the miost recent version. Is the fact that there isn't much available a bad sign? Just jump in and adjust as I learn my lessons? Regards, Robin -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Django users" group. To post to this group, send email to django-users@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to django-users+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/django-users?hl=en.