1 ==========

     2 Django FAQ

     3 ==========

     4 

     5 General questions

     6 =================

     7 

     8 Why does this project exist?

     9 ----------------------------

    10 

    11 Django grew from a very practical need: World Online, a newspaper Web

    12 operation, is responsible for building intensive Web applications on journalism

    13 deadlines. In the fast-paced newsroom, World Online often has only a matter of

    14 hours to take a complicated Web application from concept to public launch.

    15 

    16 At the same time, the World Online Web developers have consistently been

    17 perfectionists when it comes to following best practices of Web development.

    18 

    19 In fall 2003, the World Online developers (Adrian Holovaty and Simon Willison)

    20 ditched PHP and began using Python to develop its Web sites. As they built

    21 intensive, richly interactive sites such as Lawrence.com, they began to extract

    22 a generic Web development framework that let them build Web applications more

    23 and more quickly. They tweaked this framework constantly, adding improvements

    24 over two years.

    25 

    26 In summer 2005, World Online decided to open-source the resulting software,

    27 Django. Django would not be possible without a whole host of open-source

    28 projects -- `Apache`_, `Python`_, and `PostgreSQL`_ to name a few -- and we're

    29 thrilled to be able to give something back to the open-source community.

    30 

    31 .. _Apache: http://httpd.apache.org/

    32 .. _Python: http://www.python.org/

    33 .. _PostgreSQL: http://www.postgresql.org/

    34 

    35 What does "Django" mean, and how do you pronounce it?

    36 -----------------------------------------------------

    37 

    38 Django is named after `Django Reinhardt`_, a gypsy jazz guitarist from the 1930s

    39 to early 1950s. To this day, he's considered one of the best guitarists of all time.

    40 

    41 Listen to his music. You'll like it.

    42 

    43 Django is pronounced **JANG**-oh. Rhymes with FANG-oh. The "D" is silent.

    44 

    45 .. _Django Reinhardt: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Django_Reinhardt

    46 

    47 Is Django stable?

    48 -----------------

    49 

    50 Yes. World Online has been using Django for more than three years. Sites built

    51 on Django have weathered traffic spikes of over one million hits an hour and a

    52 number of Slashdottings. Yes, it's quite stable.

    53 

    54 Does Django scale?

    55 ------------------

    56 

    57 Yes. Compared to development time, hardware is cheap, and so Django is

    58 designed to take advantage of as much hardware as you can throw at it.

    59 

    60 Django uses a "shared-nothing" architecture, which means you can add hardware

    61 at any level -- database servers, caching servers or Web/application servers.

    62 

    63 The framework cleanly separates components such as its database layer and

    64 application layer. And it ships with a simple-yet-powerful `cache framework`_.

    65 

    66 .. _`cache framework`: ../cache/

    67 

    68 Who's behind this?

    69 ------------------

    70 

    71 Django was developed at `World Online`_, the Web department of a newspaper in

    72 Lawrence, Kansas, USA.

    73 

    74 `Adrian Holovaty`_

    75     Adrian is a Web developer with a background in journalism. He was lead

    76     developer at World Online for 2.5 years, during which time Django was

    77     developed and implemented on World Online's sites. Now he works for

    78     washingtonpost.com building rich, database-backed information sites, and

    79     continues to oversee Django development. He likes playing guitar (Django

    80     Reinhardt style) and hacking on side projects such as `chicagocrime.org`_.

    81     He lives in Chicago.

    82 

    83     On IRC, Adrian goes by ``adrian_h``.

    84 

    85 `Jacob Kaplan-Moss`_

    86     Jacob is a whipper-snapper from California who spends equal time coding and

    87     cooking. He's lead developer at World Online and actively hacks on various

    88     cool side projects. He's contributed to the Python-ObjC bindings and was

    89     the first guy to figure out how to write Tivo apps in Python. Lately he's

    90     been messing with Python on the PSP. He lives in Lawrence, Kansas.

    91 

    92     On IRC, Jacob goes by ``jacobkm``.

    93 

    94 `Simon Willison`_

    95     Simon is a well-respected Web developer from England. He had a one-year

    96     internship at World Online, during which time he and Adrian developed

    97     Django from scratch. The most enthusiastic Brit you'll ever meet, he's

    98     passionate about best practices in Web development and has maintained a

    99     well-read Web-development blog for years at http://simon.incutio.com.

   100     He works for Yahoo UK, where he managed to score the title "Hacker Liason."

   101     He lives in London.

   102 

   103     On IRC, Simon goes by ``SimonW``.

   104 

   105 `Wilson Miner`_

   106     Wilson's design-fu makes us all look like rock stars. By day, he's an

   107     interactive designer for `Apple`. Don't ask him what he's working on, or

   108     he'll have to kill you. He lives in San Francisco.

   109 

   110     On IRC, Wilson goes by ``wilsonian``.

   111 

   112 .. _`World Online`: http://code.djangoproject.com/wiki/WorldOnline

   113 .. _`Adrian Holovaty`: http://www.holovaty.com/

   114 .. _`washingtonpost.com`: http://www.washingtonpost.com/

   115 .. _`chicagocrime.org`: http://www.chicagocrime.org/

   116 .. _`Simon Willison`: http://simon.incutio.com/

   117 .. _`simon.incutio.com`: http://simon.incutio.com/

   118 .. _`Jacob Kaplan-Moss`: http://www.jacobian.org/

   119 .. _`Wilson Miner`: http://www.wilsonminer.com/

   120 .. _`Apple`: http://www.apple.com/

   121 

   122 Which sites use Django?

   123 -----------------------

   124 

   125 The Django wiki features a consistently growing `list of Django-powered sites`_.

   126 Feel free to add your Django-powered site to the list.

   127 

   128 .. _list of Django-powered sites: http://code.djangoproject.com/wiki/DjangoPoweredSites

   129 

   130 Django appears to be a MVC framework, but you call the Controller the "view", and the View the "template". How come you don't use the standard names?

   131 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   132 

   133 Well, the standard names are debatable.

   134 

   135 In our interpretation of MVC, the "view" describes the data that gets presented

   136 to the user. It's not necessarily *how* the data *looks*, but *which* data is

   137 presented. The view describes *which data you see*, not *how you see it.* It's

   138 a subtle distinction.

   139 

   140 So, in our case, a "view" is the Python callback function for a particular URL,

   141 because that callback function describes which data is presented.

   142 

   143 Furthermore, it's sensible to separate content from presentation -- which is

   144 where templates come in. In Django, a "view" describes which data is presented,

   145 but a view normally delegates to a template, which describes *how* the data is

   146 presented.

   147 

   148 Where does the "controller" fit in, then? In Django's case, it's probably the

   149 framework itself: the machinery that sends a request to the appropriate view,

   150 according to the Django URL configuration.

   151 

   152 If you're hungry for acronyms, you might say that Django is a "MTV" framework

   153 -- that is, "model", "template", and "view." That breakdown makes much more

   154 sense.

   155 

   156 At the end of the day, of course, it comes down to getting stuff done. And,

   157 regardless of how things are named, Django gets stuff done in a way that's most

   158 logical to us.

   159 

   160 <Framework X> does <feature Y> -- why doesn't Django?

   161 -----------------------------------------------------

   162 

   163 We're well aware that there are other awesome Web frameworks out there, and

   164 we're not averse to borrowing ideas where appropriate. However, Django was

   165 developed precisely because we were unhappy with the status quo, so please be

   166 aware that "because <Framework X>" does it is not going to be sufficient reason

   167 to add a given feature to Django.

   168 

   169 Why did you write all of Django from scratch, instead of using other Python libraries?

   170 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   171 

   172 When Django was originally written a couple of years ago, Adrian and Simon

   173 spent quite a bit of time exploring the various Python Web frameworks

   174 available.

   175 

   176 In our opinion, none of them were completely up to snuff.

   177 

   178 We're picky. You might even call us perfectionists. (With deadlines.)

   179 

   180 Over time, we stumbled across open-source libraries that did things we'd

   181 already implemented. It was reassuring to see other people solving similar

   182 problems in similar ways, but it was too late to integrate outside code: We'd

   183 already written, tested and implemented our own framework bits in several

   184 production settings -- and our own code met our needs delightfully.

   185 

   186 In most cases, however, we found that existing frameworks/tools inevitably had

   187 some sort of fundamental, fatal flaw that made us squeamish. No tool fit our

   188 philosophies 100%.

   189 

   190 Like we said: We're picky.

   191 

   192 We've documented our philosophies on the `design philosophies page`_.

   193 

   194 .. _design philosophies page: ../design_philosophies/

   195 

   196 Do you have any of those nifty "screencast" things?

   197 ---------------------------------------------------

   198 

   199 You can bet your bottom they're on the way. But, since we're still hammering

   200 out a few points, we want to make sure they reflect the final state of things

   201 at Django 1.0, not some intermediary step. In other words, we don't want to

   202 spend a lot of energy creating screencasts yet, because Django APIs will shift.

   203 

   204 In the meantime, though, check out this `unofficial Django screencast`_.

   205 

   206 .. _unofficial Django screencast: http://www.throwingbeans.org/django_screencasts.html

   207 

   208 Is Django a content-management-system (CMS)?

   209 --------------------------------------------

   210 

   211 No, Django is not a CMS, or any sort of "turnkey product" in and of itself.

   212 It's a Web framework; it's a programming tool that lets you build Web sites.

   213 

   214 For example, it doesn't make much sense to compare Django to something like

   215 Drupal_, because Django is something you use to *create* things like Drupal.

   216 

   217 Of course, Django's automatic admin site is fantastic and timesaving -- but

   218 the admin site is one module of Django the framework. Furthermore, although

   219 Django has special conveniences for building "CMS-y" apps, that doesn't mean

   220 it's not just as appropriate for building "non-CMS-y" apps (whatever that

   221 means!).

   222 

   223 .. _Drupal: http://drupal.org/

   224 

   225 When will you release Django 1.0?

   226 ---------------------------------

   227 

   228 Short answer: When we're comfortable with Django's APIs, have added all

   229 features that we feel are necessary to earn a "1.0" status, and are ready to

   230 begin maintaining backwards compatibility. 

   231 

   232 The merging of Django's `magic-removal branch`_ went a long way toward Django

   233 1.0.

   234 

   235 Of course, you should note that `quite a few production sites`_ use Django in

   236 its current status. Don't let the lack of a 1.0 turn you off.

   237 

   238 .. _magic-removal branch: http://code.djangoproject.com/wiki/RemovingTheMagic

   239 .. _quite a few production sites: http://code.djangoproject.com/wiki/DjangoPoweredSites

   240 

   241 How can I download the Django documentation to read it offline?

   242 ---------------------------------------------------------------

   243 

   244 The Django docs are available in the ``docs`` directory of each Django tarball

   245 release. These docs are in ReST (ReStructured Text) format, and each text file

   246 corresponds to a Web page on the official Django site.

   247 

   248 Because the documentation is `stored in revision control`_, you can browse

   249 documentation changes just like you can browse code changes.

   250 

   251 Technically, the docs on Django's site are generated from the latest development

   252 versions of those ReST documents, so the docs on the Django site may offer more

   253 information than the docs that come with the latest Django release.

   254 

   255 .. _stored in revision control: http://code.djangoproject.com/browser/django/trunk/docs

   256 

   257 Where can I find Django developers for hire?

   258 --------------------------------------------

   259 

   260 Consult our `developers for hire page`_ for a list of Django developers who

   261 would be happy to help you.

   262 

   263 You might also be interested in posting a job to http://www.gypsyjobs.com/ .

   264 

   265 .. _developers for hire page: http://code.djangoproject.com/wiki/DevelopersForHire

   266 

   267 Installation questions

   268 ======================

   269 

   270 How do I get started?

   271 ---------------------

   272 

   273     #. `Download the code`_.

   274     #. Install Django (read the `installation guide`_).

   275     #. Walk through the tutorial_.

   276     #. Check out the rest of the documentation_, and `ask questions`_ if you

   277        run into trouble.

   278 

   279 .. _`Download the code`: http://www.djangoproject.com/download/

   280 .. _`installation guide`: ../install/

   281 .. _tutorial:  ../tutorial1/

   282 .. _documentation: ../

   283 .. _ask questions: http://www.djangoproject.com/community/

   284 

   285 How do I fix the "install a later version of setuptools" error?

   286 ---------------------------------------------------------------

   287 

   288 Just run the ``ez_setup.py`` script in the Django distribution.

   289 

   290 What are Django's prerequisites?

   291 --------------------------------

   292 

   293 Django requires Python_ 2.3 or later. No other Python libraries are required

   294 for basic Django usage.

   295 

   296 For a development environment -- if you just want to experiment with Django --

   297 you don't need to have a separate Web server installed; Django comes with its

   298 own lightweight development server. For a production environment, we recommend

   299 `Apache 2`_ and mod_python_, although Django follows the WSGI_ spec, which

   300 means it can run on a variety of server platforms.

   301 

   302 If you want to use Django with a database, which is probably the case, you'll

   303 also need a database engine. PostgreSQL_ is recommended, because we're

   304 PostgreSQL fans, and MySQL_ and `SQLite 3`_ are also supported.

   305 

   306 .. _Python: http://www.python.org/

   307 .. _Apache 2: http://httpd.apache.org/

   308 .. _mod_python: http://www.modpython.org/

   309 .. _WSGI: http://www.python.org/peps/pep-0333.html

   310 .. _PostgreSQL: http://www.postgresql.org/

   311 .. _MySQL: http://www.mysql.com/

   312 .. _`SQLite 3`: http://www.sqlite.org/

   313 

   314 Do I lose anything by using Python 2.3 versus newer Python versions, such as Python 2.5?

   315 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   316 

   317 No. Django itself is guaranteed to work with any version of Python from 2.3

   318 and higher.

   319 

   320 If you use a Python version newer than 2.3, you will, of course, be able to

   321 take advantage of newer Python features in your own code, along with the speed

   322 improvements and other optimizations that have been made to the Python language

   323 itself. But the Django framework itself should work equally well on 2.3 as it

   324 does on 2.4 or 2.5.

   325 

   326 Do I have to use mod_python?

   327 ----------------------------

   328 

   329 Although we recommend mod_python for production use, you don't have to use it,

   330 thanks to the fact that Django uses an arrangement called WSGI_. Django can

   331 talk to any WSGI-enabled server. The most common non-mod_python deployment

   332 setup is FastCGI. See `How to use Django with FastCGI`_ for full information.

   333 

   334 Also, see the `server arrangements wiki page`_ for other deployment strategies.

   335 

   336 If you just want to play around and develop things on your local computer, use

   337 the development Web server that comes with Django. Things should Just Work.

   338 

   339 .. _WSGI: http://www.python.org/peps/pep-0333.html

   340 .. _How to use Django with FastCGI: ../fastcgi/

   341 .. _server arrangements wiki page: http://code.djangoproject.com/wiki/ServerArrangements

   342 

   343 How do I install mod_python on Windows?

   344 ---------------------------------------

   345 

   346     * For Python 2.4, grab mod_python from `win32 build of mod_python for

   347       Python 2.4`_.

   348     * For Python 2.4, check out this `Django on Windows howto`_.

   349     * For Python 2.3, grab mod_python from http://www.modpython.org/ and read

   350       `Running mod_python on Apache on Windows2000`_.

   351     * Also, try this (not Windows-specific) `guide to getting mod_python

   352       working`_.

   353 

   354 .. _`win32 build of mod_python for Python 2.4`: http://www.lehuen.com/nicolas/index.php/2005/02/21/39-win32-build-of-mod_python-314-for-python-24

   355 .. _`Django on Windows howto`: http://thinkhole.org/wp/2006/04/03/django-on-windows-howto/

   356 .. _`Running mod_python on Apache on Windows2000`: http://groups-beta.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/msg/139af8c83a5a9d4f

   357 .. _`guide to getting mod_python working`: http://www.dscpl.com.au/articles/modpython-001.html

   358 

   359 Will Django run under shared hosting (like TextDrive or Dreamhost)?

   360 -------------------------------------------------------------------

   361 

   362 See our `Django-friendly Web hosts`_ page.

   363 

   364 .. _`Django-friendly Web hosts`: http://code.djangoproject.com/wiki/DjangoFriendlyWebHosts

   365 

   366 Should I use the official version or development version?

   367 ---------------------------------------------------------

   368 

   369 The Django developers improve Django every day and are pretty good about not

   370 checking in broken code. We use the development code (from the Subversion

   371 repository) directly on our servers, so we consider it stable. With that in

   372 mind, we recommend that you use the latest development code, because it

   373 generally contains more features and fewer bugs than the "official" releases.

   374 

   375 Using Django

   376 ============

   377 

   378 Why do I get an error about importing DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE?

   379 -------------------------------------------------------------

   380 

   381 Make sure that:

   382 

   383     * The environment variable DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE is set to a fully-qualified

   384       Python module (i.e. "mysite.settings.main").

   385 

   386     * Said module is on ``sys.path`` (``import mysite.settings.main`` should work).

   387 

   388     * The module doesn't contain syntax errors (of course).

   389 

   390     * If you're using mod_python but *not* using Django's request handler,

   391       you'll need to work around a mod_python bug related to the use of

   392       ``SetEnv``; before you import anything from Django you'll need to do

   393       the following::

   394 

   395             os.environ.update(req.subprocess_env)

   396 

   397       (where ``req`` is the mod_python request object).

   398 

   399 I can't stand your template language. Do I have to use it?

   400 ----------------------------------------------------------

   401 

   402 We happen to think our template engine is the best thing since chunky bacon,

   403 but we recognize that choosing a template language runs close to religion.

   404 There's nothing about Django that requires using the template language, so

   405 if you're attached to ZPT, Cheetah, or whatever, feel free to use those.

   406 

   407 Do I have to use your model/database layer?

   408 -------------------------------------------

   409 

   410 Nope. Just like the template system, the model/database layer is decoupled from

   411 the rest of the framework.

   412 

   413 The one exception is: If you use a different database library, you won't get to

   414 use Django's automatically-generated admin site. That app is coupled to the

   415 Django database layer.

   416 

   417 How do I use image and file fields?

   418 -----------------------------------

   419 

   420 Using a ``FileField`` or an ``ImageField`` in a model takes a few steps:

   421 

   422     #. In your settings file, define ``MEDIA_ROOT`` as the full path to

   423        a directory where you'd like Django to store uploaded files. (For

   424        performance, these files are not stored in the database.) Define

   425        ``MEDIA_URL`` as the base public URL of that directory. Make sure that

   426        this directory is writable by the Web server's user account.

   427 

   428     #. Add the ``FileField`` or ``ImageField`` to your model, making sure

   429        to define the ``upload_to`` option to tell Django to which subdirectory

   430        of ``MEDIA_ROOT`` it should upload files.

   431 

   432     #. All that will be stored in your database is a path to the file

   433        (relative to ``MEDIA_ROOT``). You'll must likely want to use the

   434        convenience ``get_<fieldname>_url`` function provided by Django. For

   435        example, if your ``ImageField`` is called ``mug_shot``, you can get the

   436        absolute URL to your image in a template with

   437        ``{{ object.get_mug_shot_url }}``.

   438 

   439 Databases and models

   440 ====================

   441 

   442 How can I see the raw SQL queries Django is running?

   443 ----------------------------------------------------

   444 

   445 Make sure your Django ``DEBUG`` setting is set to ``True``. Then, just do

   446 this::

   447 

   448     >>> from django.db import connection

   449     >>> connection.queries

   450     [{'sql': 'SELECT polls_polls.id,polls_polls.question,polls_polls.pub_date FROM polls_polls',

   451     'time': '0.002'}]

   452 

   453 ``connection.queries`` is only available if ``DEBUG`` is ``True``. It's a list

   454 of dictionaries in order of query execution. Each dictionary has the following::

   455 

   456     ``sql`` -- The raw SQL statement

   457     ``time`` -- How long the statement took to execute, in seconds.

   458 

   459 ``connection.queries`` includes all SQL statements -- INSERTs, UPDATES,

   460 SELECTs, etc. Each time your app hits the database, the query will be recorded.

   461 

   462 Can I use Django with a pre-existing database?

   463 ----------------------------------------------

   464 

   465 Yes. See `Integrating with a legacy database`_.

   466 

   467 .. _`Integrating with a legacy database`: ../legacy_databases/

   468 

   469 If I make changes to a model, how do I update the database?

   470 -----------------------------------------------------------

   471 

   472 If you don't mind clearing data, your project's ``manage.py`` utility has an

   473 option to reset the SQL for a particular application::

   474 

   475     manage.py reset appname

   476 

   477 This drops any tables associated with ``appname`` and recreates them.

   478 

   479 If you do care about deleting data, you'll have to execute the ``ALTER TABLE``

   480 statements manually in your database. That's the way we've always done it,

   481 because dealing with data is a very sensitive operation that we've wanted to

   482 avoid automating. That said, there's some work being done to add partially

   483 automated database-upgrade functionality.

   484 

   485 Do Django models support multiple-column primary keys?

   486 ------------------------------------------------------

   487 

   488 No. Only single-column primary keys are supported.

   489 

   490 But this isn't an issue in practice, because there's nothing stopping you from

   491 adding other constraints (using the ``unique_together`` model option or

   492 creating the constraint directly in your database), and enforcing the

   493 uniqueness at that level. Single-column primary keys are needed for things such

   494 as the admin interface to work; e.g., you need a simple way of being able to

   495 specify an object to edit or delete.

   496 

   497 How do I add database-specific options to my CREATE TABLE statements, such as specifying MyISAM as the table type?

   498 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   499 

   500 We try to avoid adding special cases in the Django code to accommodate all the

   501 database-specific options such as table type, etc. If you'd like to use any of

   502 these options, create an `SQL initial data file`_ that contains ``ALTER TABLE``

   503 statements that do what you want to do. The initial data files are executed in

   504 your database after the ``CREATE TABLE`` statements.

   505 

   506 For example, if you're using MySQL and want your tables to use the MyISAM table

   507 type, create an initial data file and put something like this in it::

   508 

   509     ALTER TABLE myapp_mytable ENGINE=MyISAM;

   510 

   511 As explained in the `SQL initial data file`_ documentation, this SQL file can

   512 contain arbitrary SQL, so you can make any sorts of changes you need to make.

   513 

   514 .. _SQL initial data file: ../model_api/#providing-initial-sql-data

   515 

   516 Why is Django leaking memory?

   517 -----------------------------

   518 

   519 Django isn't known to leak memory. If you find your Django processes are

   520 allocating more and more memory, with no sign of releasing it, check to make

   521 sure your ``DEBUG`` setting is set to ``True``. If ``DEBUG`` is ``True``, then

   522 Django saves a copy of every SQL statement it has executed.

   523 

   524 (The queries are saved in ``django.db.connection.queries``. See

   525 `How can I see the raw SQL queries Django is running?`_.)

   526 

   527 To fix the problem, set ``DEBUG`` to ``False``.

   528 

   529 If you need to clear the query list manually at any point in your functions,

   530 just call ``reset_queries()``, like this::

   531 

   532     from django import db

   533     db.reset_queries()

   534 

   535 The admin site

   536 ==============

   537 

   538 I can't log in. When I enter a valid username and password, it just brings up the login page again, with no error messages.

   539 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   540 

   541 The login cookie isn't being set correctly, because the domain of the cookie

   542 sent out by Django doesn't match the domain in your browser. Try these two

   543 things:

   544 

   545     * Set the ``SESSION_COOKIE_DOMAIN`` setting in your admin config file

   546       to match your domain. For example, if you're going to

   547       "http://www.mysite.com/admin/" in your browser, in

   548       "myproject.settings" you should set ``SESSION_COOKIE_DOMAIN = 'www.mysite.com'``.

   549 

   550     * Some browsers (Firefox?) don't like to accept cookies from domains that

   551       don't have dots in them. If you're running the admin site on "localhost"

   552       or another domain that doesn't have a dot in it, try going to

   553       "localhost.localdomain" or "127.0.0.1". And set

   554       ``SESSION_COOKIE_DOMAIN`` accordingly.

   555 

   556 I can't log in. When I enter a valid username and password, it brings up the login page again, with a "Please enter a correct username and password" error.

   557 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   558 

   559 If you're sure your username and password are correct, make sure your user

   560 account has ``is_active`` and ``is_staff`` set to True. The admin site only

   561 allows access to users with those two fields both set to True.

   562 

   563 How can I prevent the cache middleware from caching the admin site?

   564 -------------------------------------------------------------------

   565 

   566 Set the ``CACHE_MIDDLEWARE_ANONYMOUS_ONLY`` setting to ``True``. See the

   567 `cache documentation`_ for more information.

   568 

   569 .. _cache documentation: ../cache/#the-per-site-cache

   570 

   571 How do I automatically set a field's value to the user who last edited the object in the admin?

   572 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   573 

   574 At this point, Django doesn't have an official way to do this. But it's an oft-requested

   575 feature, so we're discussing how it can be implemented. The problem is we don't want to couple

   576 the model layer with the admin layer with the request layer (to get the current user). It's a

   577 tricky problem.

   578 

   579 One person hacked up a `solution that doesn't require patching Django`_, but note that it's an

   580 unofficial solution, and there's no guarantee it won't break at some point.

   581 

   582 .. _solution that doesn't require patching Django: http://lukeplant.me.uk/blog.php?id=1107301634

   583 

   584 How do I limit admin access so that objects can only be edited by the users who created them?

   585 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   586 

   587 See the answer to the previous question.

   588 

   589 My admin-site CSS and images showed up fine using the development server, but they're not displaying when using mod_python.

   590 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   591 

   592 See `serving the admin files`_ in the "How to use Django with mod_python"

   593 documentation.

   594 

   595 .. _serving the admin files: ../modpython/#serving-the-admin-files

   596 

   597 My "list_filter" contains a ManyToManyField, but the filter doesn't display.

   598 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

   599 

   600 Django won't bother displaying the filter for a ``ManyToManyField`` if there

   601 are fewer than two related objects.

   602 

   603 For example, if your ``list_filter`` includes ``sites``, and there's only one

   604 site in your database, it won't display a "Site" filter. In that case,

   605 filtering by site would be meaningless.

   606 

   607 How can I customize the functionality of the admin interface?

   608 -------------------------------------------------------------

   609 

   610 You've got several options. If you want to piggyback on top of an add/change

   611 form that Django automatically generates, you can attach arbitrary JavaScript

   612 modules to the page via the model's ``class Admin`` ``js`` parameter. That

   613 parameter is a list of URLs, as strings, pointing to JavaScript modules that

   614 will be included within the admin form via a ``<script>`` tag.

   615 

   616 If you want more flexibility than simply tweaking the auto-generated forms,

   617 feel free to write custom views for the admin. The admin is powered by Django

   618 itself, and you can write custom views that hook into the authentication

   619 system, check permissions and do whatever else they need to do.

   620 

   621 If you want to customize the look-and-feel of the admin interface, read the

   622 next question.

   623 

   624 The dynamically-generated admin site is ugly! How can I change it?

   625 ------------------------------------------------------------------

   626 

   627 We like it, but if you don't agree, you can modify the admin site's

   628 presentation by editing the CSS stylesheet and/or associated image files. The

   629 site is built using semantic HTML and plenty of CSS hooks, so any changes you'd

   630 like to make should be possible by editing the stylesheet. We've got a

   631 `guide to the CSS used in the admin`_ to get you started.

   632 

   633 .. _`guide to the CSS used in the admin`: ../admin_css/

   634 

   635 How do I create users without having to edit password hashes?

   636 -------------------------------------------------------------

   637 

   638 If you'd like to use the admin site to create users, upgrade to the Django

   639 development version, where this problem was fixed on Aug. 4, 2006.

   640 

   641 You can also use the Python API. See `creating users`_ for full info.

   642 

   643 .. _creating users: ../authentication/#creating-users

   644 

   645 Contributing code

   646 =================

   647 

   648 How can I get started contributing code to Django?

   649 --------------------------------------------------

   650 

   651 Thanks for asking! We've written an entire document devoted to this question.

   652 It's titled `Contributing to Django`_.

   653 

   654 .. _Contributing to Django: ../contributing/

   655 

   656 I submitted a bug fix in the ticket system several weeks ago. Why are you ignoring my patch?

   657 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   658 

   659 Don't worry: We're not ignoring you!

   660 

   661 It's important to understand there is a difference between "a ticket is being

   662 ignored" and "a ticket has not been attended to yet." Django's ticket system

   663 contains hundreds of open tickets, of various degrees of impact on end-user

   664 functionality, and Django's developers have to review and prioritize.

   665 

   666 Besides, if your feature request stands no chance of inclusion in Django, we

   667 won't ignore it -- we'll just close the ticket. So if your ticket is still

   668 open, it doesn't mean we're ignoring you; it just means we haven't had time to

   669 look at it yet.