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Django: Web Development with Python From an idea to a prototype – a complete guide to web development with the Django framework A course in three modules BIRMINGHAM - MUMBAI Django: Web Development with Python Copyright © 2016 Packt Publishing All rights reserved. No part of this course may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews. Every effort has been made in the preparation of this course to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this course is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the authors, nor Packt Publishing, and its dealers and distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this course. Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this course by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information. Published on: August 2016 Published by Packt Publishing Ltd. Livery Place 35 Livery Street Birmingham B3 2PB, UK. ISBN 978-1-78712-138-6 www.packtpub.com Credits Authors Content Development Editor Samuel Dauzon Priyanka Mehta Aidas Bendoraitis Arun Ravindran Graphics Disha Haria Reviewers Jorge Armin Garcia Lopez Production Coordinator Aparna Bhagat Caleb Smith Deepak Thukral Patrick Chan Jake Kronika Jorge Armin Garcia Lopez Shoubhik Bose Kracekumar Ramaraju Jai Vikram Singh Verma Preface Data science is hot right now, and the need for multi-talented developers is greater than ever before. With a growing skills gap, the need for talented developers is greater than ever before. A basic grounding in building apps with a framework as minimalistic, powerful, and easy-to-learn as Django will be a useful skill to launch you on a career as an entrepreneur or web developer. Django is one of the most popular web frameworks in use today. It powers large websites, such as Pinterest, Instagram, Disqus, and NASA. With a few lines of code, you can rapidly build a functional and secure website that can scale to millions of users. For some years, web development has evolved through frameworks. Web development has become more efficient and has improved in quality. Django is a very sophisticated and popular framework. Django is based on the Python programming language, where the code is clear and easy to read. Also, Django has a lot of third-party modules that can be used in conjunction with your own apps. Django has an established and vibrant community, where you can find source code, get help, and contribute. This course is a learning path that uses module-by-module pedagogy to help novice developers learn how to easily deal with the Django framework. This course will also provide you a basic grounding in the fundamental concepts of web development with Python, as well as the hands-on experience in order to successfully build web applications with Django. [ i ] Preface What this learning path covers Module 1, Django Essentials, a practical guide, filled with many real world examples to build highly effective Django web application. It begins with step-by-step installation of Python, PIP, and Django on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS.. Module 2, Web Development with Django Cookbook, covers varying complexities to help you create multilingual, responsive, and scalable websites with Django. Module 3, Django Design Patterns and Best Practices, This module will teach you common design patterns to develop better Django code. Creating a successful web application involves much more than Django, so advanced topics including REST, testing, debugging, security, and deployment are also explored in detail in this module. What you need for this learning path To develop with Django 1.8, you will need Python 2.7 or Python 3.4, the Pillow library for image manipulation, the MySQL database and MySQLdb bindings or PostgreSQL database, virtualenv to keep each project's Python modules separated, and Git or Subversion for version control. The other software required for Django development are as follows: • PIP 1.5 • Text editor (or a Python IDE) • Web browser (the latest version, please) For Module 3, Django Design Patterns and Best Practices, it is recommend to work on a Linux-based system such as Ubuntu or Arch Linux. If you are on Windows, you can work on a Linux virtual machine using Vagrant or VirtualBox. Certain chapters might also require installing certain Python libraries or Django packages. They will be mentioned as, say—the factory_boy package. In most cases, they can be installed using pip as follows: $ pip install factory_boy Hence, it is highly recommended that you first create a separate virtual environment, as mentioned in Module 3, Chapter 2, Application Design. [ ii ] Preface Who this learning path is for Web developers who want to use modern Python-based web frameworks like Django to build powerful web applications. The course is mostly self-contained and introduces web development with Python to a reader who is familiar with web development concepts and can help him become an expert in this trade. It's intended for all levels of web developers, both students and practitioners from novice to experts. Reader feedback Feedback from our readers is always welcome. Let us know what you think about this course—what you liked or disliked. Reader feedback is important for us as it helps us develop titles that you will really get the most out of. 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Enter the name of the course in the Search box. [ iii ] Preface 5. Select the course for which you're looking to download the code files. 6. Choose from the drop-down menu where you purchased this book from. 7. Click on Code Download. You can also download the code files by clicking on the Code Files button on the course's webpage at the Packt Publishing website. This page can be accessed by entering the course's name in the Search box. Please note that you need to be logged into your Packt account. Once the file is downloaded, please make sure that you unzip or extract the folder using the latest version of: • WinRAR / 7-Zip for Windows • Zipeg / iZip / UnRarX for Mac • 7-Zip / PeaZip for Linux The code bundle for the course is also hosted on GitHub at https://github.com/ PacktPublishing/Django-Web-Development-with-Python.We also have other code bundles from our rich catalog of books and videos available at https:// github.com/PacktPublishing/. Check them out! 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