+
−==========
+
−Django FAQ
+
−==========
+
−
+
−General questions
+
−=================
+
−
+
−Why does this project exist?
+
−----------------------------
+
−
+
−Django grew from a very practical need: World Online, a newspaper Web
+
−operation, is responsible for building intensive Web applications on journalism
+
−deadlines. In the fast-paced newsroom, World Online often has only a matter of
+
−hours to take a complicated Web application from concept to public launch.
+
−
+
−At the same time, the World Online Web developers have consistently been
+
−perfectionists when it comes to following best practices of Web development.
+
−
+
−In fall 2003, the World Online developers (Adrian Holovaty and Simon Willison)
+
−ditched PHP and began using Python to develop its Web sites. As they built
+
−intensive, richly interactive sites such as Lawrence.com, they began to extract
+
−a generic Web development framework that let them build Web applications more
+
−and more quickly. They tweaked this framework constantly, adding improvements
+
−over two years.
+
−
+
−In summer 2005, World Online decided to open-source the resulting software,
+
−Django. Django would not be possible without a whole host of open-source
+
−projects -- `Apache`_, `Python`_, and `PostgreSQL`_ to name a few -- and we're
+
−thrilled to be able to give something back to the open-source community.
+
−
+
−.. _Apache: http://httpd.apache.org/
+
−.. _Python: http://www.python.org/
+
−.. _PostgreSQL: http://www.postgresql.org/
+
−
+
−What does "Django" mean, and how do you pronounce it?
+
−-----------------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−Django is named after `Django Reinhardt`_, a gypsy jazz guitarist from the 1930s
+
−to early 1950s. To this day, he's considered one of the best guitarists of all time.
+
−
+
−Listen to his music. You'll like it.
+
−
+
−Django is pronounced **JANG**-oh. Rhymes with FANG-oh. The "D" is silent.
+
−
+
−.. _Django Reinhardt: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Django_Reinhardt
+
−
+
−Is Django stable?
+
−-----------------
+
−
+
−Yes. World Online has been using Django for more than three years. Sites built
+
−on Django have weathered traffic spikes of over one million hits an hour and a
+
−number of Slashdottings. Yes, it's quite stable.
+
−
+
−Does Django scale?
+
−------------------
+
−
+
−Yes. Compared to development time, hardware is cheap, and so Django is
+
−designed to take advantage of as much hardware as you can throw at it.
+
−
+
−Django uses a "shared-nothing" architecture, which means you can add hardware
+
−at any level -- database servers, caching servers or Web/application servers.
+
−
+
−The framework cleanly separates components such as its database layer and
+
−application layer. And it ships with a simple-yet-powerful `cache framework`_.
+
−
+
−.. _`cache framework`: ../cache/
+
−
+
−Who's behind this?
+
−------------------
+
−
+
−Django was developed at `World Online`_, the Web department of a newspaper in
+
−Lawrence, Kansas, USA.
+
−
+
−`Adrian Holovaty`_
+
−    Adrian is a Web developer with a background in journalism. He was lead
+
−    developer at World Online for 2.5 years, during which time Django was
+
−    developed and implemented on World Online's sites. Now he works for
+
−    washingtonpost.com building rich, database-backed information sites, and
+
−    continues to oversee Django development. He likes playing guitar (Django
+
−    Reinhardt style) and hacking on side projects such as `chicagocrime.org`_.
+
−    He lives in Chicago.
+
−
+
−    On IRC, Adrian goes by ``adrian_h``.
+
−
+
−`Jacob Kaplan-Moss`_
+
−    Jacob is a whipper-snapper from California who spends equal time coding and
+
−    cooking. He's lead developer at World Online and actively hacks on various
+
−    cool side projects. He's contributed to the Python-ObjC bindings and was
+
−    the first guy to figure out how to write Tivo apps in Python. Lately he's
+
−    been messing with Python on the PSP. He lives in Lawrence, Kansas.
+
−
+
−    On IRC, Jacob goes by ``jacobkm``.
+
−
+
−`Simon Willison`_
+
−    Simon is a well-respected Web developer from England. He had a one-year
+
−    internship at World Online, during which time he and Adrian developed
+
−    Django from scratch. The most enthusiastic Brit you'll ever meet, he's
+
−    passionate about best practices in Web development and has maintained a
+
−    well-read Web-development blog for years at http://simon.incutio.com.
+
−    He works for Yahoo UK, where he managed to score the title "Hacker Liason."
+
−    He lives in London.
+
−
+
−    On IRC, Simon goes by ``SimonW``.
+
−
+
−`Wilson Miner`_
+
−    Wilson's design-fu makes us all look like rock stars. By day, he's an
+
−    interactive designer for `Apple`. Don't ask him what he's working on, or
+
−    he'll have to kill you. He lives in San Francisco.
+
−
+
−    On IRC, Wilson goes by ``wilsonian``.
+
−
+
−.. _`World Online`: http://code.djangoproject.com/wiki/WorldOnline
+
−.. _`Adrian Holovaty`: http://www.holovaty.com/
+
−.. _`washingtonpost.com`: http://www.washingtonpost.com/
+
−.. _`chicagocrime.org`: http://www.chicagocrime.org/
+
−.. _`Simon Willison`: http://simon.incutio.com/
+
−.. _`simon.incutio.com`: http://simon.incutio.com/
+
−.. _`Jacob Kaplan-Moss`: http://www.jacobian.org/
+
−.. _`Wilson Miner`: http://www.wilsonminer.com/
+
−.. _`Apple`: http://www.apple.com/
+
−
+
−Which sites use Django?
+
−-----------------------
+
−
+
−The Django wiki features a consistently growing `list of Django-powered sites`_.
+
−Feel free to add your Django-powered site to the list.
+
−
+
−.. _list of Django-powered sites: http://code.djangoproject.com/wiki/DjangoPoweredSites
+
−
+
−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?
+
−-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−Well, the standard names are debatable.
+
−
+
−In our interpretation of MVC, the "view" describes the data that gets presented
+
−to the user. It's not necessarily *how* the data *looks*, but *which* data is
+
−presented. The view describes *which data you see*, not *how you see it.* It's
+
−a subtle distinction.
+
−
+
−So, in our case, a "view" is the Python callback function for a particular URL,
+
−because that callback function describes which data is presented.
+
−
+
−Furthermore, it's sensible to separate content from presentation -- which is
+
−where templates come in. In Django, a "view" describes which data is presented,
+
−but a view normally delegates to a template, which describes *how* the data is
+
−presented.
+
−
+
−Where does the "controller" fit in, then? In Django's case, it's probably the
+
−framework itself: the machinery that sends a request to the appropriate view,
+
−according to the Django URL configuration.
+
−
+
−If you're hungry for acronyms, you might say that Django is a "MTV" framework
+
−-- that is, "model", "template", and "view." That breakdown makes much more
+
−sense.
+
−
+
−At the end of the day, of course, it comes down to getting stuff done. And,
+
−regardless of how things are named, Django gets stuff done in a way that's most
+
−logical to us.
+
−
+
−<Framework X> does <feature Y> -- why doesn't Django?
+
−-----------------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−We're well aware that there are other awesome Web frameworks out there, and
+
−we're not averse to borrowing ideas where appropriate. However, Django was
+
−developed precisely because we were unhappy with the status quo, so please be
+
−aware that "because <Framework X>" does it is not going to be sufficient reason
+
−to add a given feature to Django.
+
−
+
−Why did you write all of Django from scratch, instead of using other Python libraries?
+
−--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−When Django was originally written a couple of years ago, Adrian and Simon
+
−spent quite a bit of time exploring the various Python Web frameworks
+
−available.
+
−
+
−In our opinion, none of them were completely up to snuff.
+
−
+
−We're picky. You might even call us perfectionists. (With deadlines.)
+
−
+
−Over time, we stumbled across open-source libraries that did things we'd
+
−already implemented. It was reassuring to see other people solving similar
+
−problems in similar ways, but it was too late to integrate outside code: We'd
+
−already written, tested and implemented our own framework bits in several
+
−production settings -- and our own code met our needs delightfully.
+
−
+
−In most cases, however, we found that existing frameworks/tools inevitably had
+
−some sort of fundamental, fatal flaw that made us squeamish. No tool fit our
+
−philosophies 100%.
+
−
+
−Like we said: We're picky.
+
−
+
−We've documented our philosophies on the `design philosophies page`_.
+
−
+
−.. _design philosophies page: ../design_philosophies/
+
−
+
−Do you have any of those nifty "screencast" things?
+
−---------------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−You can bet your bottom they're on the way. But, since we're still hammering
+
−out a few points, we want to make sure they reflect the final state of things
+
−at Django 1.0, not some intermediary step. In other words, we don't want to
+
−spend a lot of energy creating screencasts yet, because Django APIs will shift.
+
−
+
−In the meantime, though, check out this `unofficial Django screencast`_.
+
−
+
−.. _unofficial Django screencast: http://www.throwingbeans.org/django_screencasts.html
+
−
+
−Is Django a content-management-system (CMS)?
+
−--------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−No, Django is not a CMS, or any sort of "turnkey product" in and of itself.
+
−It's a Web framework; it's a programming tool that lets you build Web sites.
+
−
+
−For example, it doesn't make much sense to compare Django to something like
+
−Drupal_, because Django is something you use to *create* things like Drupal.
+
−
+
−Of course, Django's automatic admin site is fantastic and timesaving -- but
+
−the admin site is one module of Django the framework. Furthermore, although
+
−Django has special conveniences for building "CMS-y" apps, that doesn't mean
+
−it's not just as appropriate for building "non-CMS-y" apps (whatever that
+
−means!).
+
−
+
−.. _Drupal: http://drupal.org/
+
−
+
−When will you release Django 1.0?
+
−---------------------------------
+
−
+
−Short answer: When we're comfortable with Django's APIs, have added all
+
−features that we feel are necessary to earn a "1.0" status, and are ready to
+
−begin maintaining backwards compatibility. 
+
−
+
−The merging of Django's `magic-removal branch`_ went a long way toward Django
+
−1.0.
+
−
+
−Of course, you should note that `quite a few production sites`_ use Django in
+
−its current status. Don't let the lack of a 1.0 turn you off.
+
−
+
−.. _magic-removal branch: http://code.djangoproject.com/wiki/RemovingTheMagic
+
−.. _quite a few production sites: http://code.djangoproject.com/wiki/DjangoPoweredSites
+
−
+
−How can I download the Django documentation to read it offline?
+
−---------------------------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−The Django docs are available in the ``docs`` directory of each Django tarball
+
−release. These docs are in ReST (ReStructured Text) format, and each text file
+
−corresponds to a Web page on the official Django site.
+
−
+
−Because the documentation is `stored in revision control`_, you can browse
+
−documentation changes just like you can browse code changes.
+
−
+
−Technically, the docs on Django's site are generated from the latest development
+
−versions of those ReST documents, so the docs on the Django site may offer more
+
−information than the docs that come with the latest Django release.
+
−
+
−.. _stored in revision control: http://code.djangoproject.com/browser/django/trunk/docs
+
−
+
−Where can I find Django developers for hire?
+
−--------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−Consult our `developers for hire page`_ for a list of Django developers who
+
−would be happy to help you.
+
−
+
−You might also be interested in posting a job to http://www.gypsyjobs.com/ .
+
−
+
−.. _developers for hire page: http://code.djangoproject.com/wiki/DevelopersForHire
+
−
+
−Installation questions
+
−======================
+
−
+
−How do I get started?
+
−---------------------
+
−
+
−    #. `Download the code`_.
+
−    #. Install Django (read the `installation guide`_).
+
−    #. Walk through the tutorial_.
+
−    #. Check out the rest of the documentation_, and `ask questions`_ if you
+
−       run into trouble.
+
−
+
−.. _`Download the code`: http://www.djangoproject.com/download/
+
−.. _`installation guide`: ../install/
+
−.. _tutorial:  ../tutorial1/
+
−.. _documentation: ../
+
−.. _ask questions: http://www.djangoproject.com/community/
+
−
+
−How do I fix the "install a later version of setuptools" error?
+
−---------------------------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−Just run the ``ez_setup.py`` script in the Django distribution.
+
−
+
−What are Django's prerequisites?
+
−--------------------------------
+
−
+
−Django requires Python_ 2.3 or later. No other Python libraries are required
+
−for basic Django usage.
+
−
+
−For a development environment -- if you just want to experiment with Django --
+
−you don't need to have a separate Web server installed; Django comes with its
+
−own lightweight development server. For a production environment, we recommend
+
−`Apache 2`_ and mod_python_, although Django follows the WSGI_ spec, which
+
−means it can run on a variety of server platforms.
+
−
+
−If you want to use Django with a database, which is probably the case, you'll
+
−also need a database engine. PostgreSQL_ is recommended, because we're
+
−PostgreSQL fans, and MySQL_ and `SQLite 3`_ are also supported.
+
−
+
−.. _Python: http://www.python.org/
+
−.. _Apache 2: http://httpd.apache.org/
+
−.. _mod_python: http://www.modpython.org/
+
−.. _WSGI: http://www.python.org/peps/pep-0333.html
+
−.. _PostgreSQL: http://www.postgresql.org/
+
−.. _MySQL: http://www.mysql.com/
+
−.. _`SQLite 3`: http://www.sqlite.org/
+
−
+
−Do I lose anything by using Python 2.3 versus newer Python versions, such as Python 2.5?
+
−----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−No. Django itself is guaranteed to work with any version of Python from 2.3
+
−and higher.
+
−
+
−If you use a Python version newer than 2.3, you will, of course, be able to
+
−take advantage of newer Python features in your own code, along with the speed
+
−improvements and other optimizations that have been made to the Python language
+
−itself. But the Django framework itself should work equally well on 2.3 as it
+
−does on 2.4 or 2.5.
+
−
+
−Do I have to use mod_python?
+
−----------------------------
+
−
+
−Although we recommend mod_python for production use, you don't have to use it,
+
−thanks to the fact that Django uses an arrangement called WSGI_. Django can
+
−talk to any WSGI-enabled server. The most common non-mod_python deployment
+
−setup is FastCGI. See `How to use Django with FastCGI`_ for full information.
+
−
+
−Also, see the `server arrangements wiki page`_ for other deployment strategies.
+
−
+
−If you just want to play around and develop things on your local computer, use
+
−the development Web server that comes with Django. Things should Just Work.
+
−
+
−.. _WSGI: http://www.python.org/peps/pep-0333.html
+
−.. _How to use Django with FastCGI: ../fastcgi/
+
−.. _server arrangements wiki page: http://code.djangoproject.com/wiki/ServerArrangements
+
−
+
−How do I install mod_python on Windows?
+
−---------------------------------------
+
−
+
−    * For Python 2.4, grab mod_python from `win32 build of mod_python for
+
−      Python 2.4`_.
+
−    * For Python 2.4, check out this `Django on Windows howto`_.
+
−    * For Python 2.3, grab mod_python from http://www.modpython.org/ and read
+
−      `Running mod_python on Apache on Windows2000`_.
+
−    * Also, try this (not Windows-specific) `guide to getting mod_python
+
−      working`_.
+
−
+
−.. _`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
+
−.. _`Django on Windows howto`: http://thinkhole.org/wp/2006/04/03/django-on-windows-howto/
+
−.. _`Running mod_python on Apache on Windows2000`: http://groups-beta.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/msg/139af8c83a5a9d4f
+
−.. _`guide to getting mod_python working`: http://www.dscpl.com.au/articles/modpython-001.html
+
−
+
−Will Django run under shared hosting (like TextDrive or Dreamhost)?
+
−-------------------------------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−See our `Django-friendly Web hosts`_ page.
+
−
+
−.. _`Django-friendly Web hosts`: http://code.djangoproject.com/wiki/DjangoFriendlyWebHosts
+
−
+
−Should I use the official version or development version?
+
−---------------------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−The Django developers improve Django every day and are pretty good about not
+
−checking in broken code. We use the development code (from the Subversion
+
−repository) directly on our servers, so we consider it stable. With that in
+
−mind, we recommend that you use the latest development code, because it
+
−generally contains more features and fewer bugs than the "official" releases.
+
−
+
−Using Django
+
−============
+
−
+
−Why do I get an error about importing DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE?
+
−-------------------------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−Make sure that:
+
−
+
−    * The environment variable DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE is set to a fully-qualified
+
−      Python module (i.e. "mysite.settings.main").
+
−
+
−    * Said module is on ``sys.path`` (``import mysite.settings.main`` should work).
+
−
+
−    * The module doesn't contain syntax errors (of course).
+
−
+
−    * If you're using mod_python but *not* using Django's request handler,
+
−      you'll need to work around a mod_python bug related to the use of
+
−      ``SetEnv``; before you import anything from Django you'll need to do
+
−      the following::
+
−
+
−            os.environ.update(req.subprocess_env)
+
−
+
−      (where ``req`` is the mod_python request object).
+
−
+
−I can't stand your template language. Do I have to use it?
+
−----------------------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−We happen to think our template engine is the best thing since chunky bacon,
+
−but we recognize that choosing a template language runs close to religion.
+
−There's nothing about Django that requires using the template language, so
+
−if you're attached to ZPT, Cheetah, or whatever, feel free to use those.
+
−
+
−Do I have to use your model/database layer?
+
−-------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−Nope. Just like the template system, the model/database layer is decoupled from
+
−the rest of the framework.
+
−
+
−The one exception is: If you use a different database library, you won't get to
+
−use Django's automatically-generated admin site. That app is coupled to the
+
−Django database layer.
+
−
+
−How do I use image and file fields?
+
−-----------------------------------
+
−
+
−Using a ``FileField`` or an ``ImageField`` in a model takes a few steps:
+
−
+
−    #. In your settings file, define ``MEDIA_ROOT`` as the full path to
+
−       a directory where you'd like Django to store uploaded files. (For
+
−       performance, these files are not stored in the database.) Define
+
−       ``MEDIA_URL`` as the base public URL of that directory. Make sure that
+
−       this directory is writable by the Web server's user account.
+
−
+
−    #. Add the ``FileField`` or ``ImageField`` to your model, making sure
+
−       to define the ``upload_to`` option to tell Django to which subdirectory
+
−       of ``MEDIA_ROOT`` it should upload files.
+
−
+
−    #. All that will be stored in your database is a path to the file
+
−       (relative to ``MEDIA_ROOT``). You'll must likely want to use the
+
−       convenience ``get_<fieldname>_url`` function provided by Django. For
+
−       example, if your ``ImageField`` is called ``mug_shot``, you can get the
+
−       absolute URL to your image in a template with
+
−       ``{{ object.get_mug_shot_url }}``.
+
−
+
−Databases and models
+
−====================
+
−
+
−How can I see the raw SQL queries Django is running?
+
−----------------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−Make sure your Django ``DEBUG`` setting is set to ``True``. Then, just do
+
−this::
+
−
+
−    >>> from django.db import connection
+
−    >>> connection.queries
+
−    [{'sql': 'SELECT polls_polls.id,polls_polls.question,polls_polls.pub_date FROM polls_polls',
+
−    'time': '0.002'}]
+
−
+
−``connection.queries`` is only available if ``DEBUG`` is ``True``. It's a list
+
−of dictionaries in order of query execution. Each dictionary has the following::
+
−
+
−    ``sql`` -- The raw SQL statement
+
−    ``time`` -- How long the statement took to execute, in seconds.
+
−
+
−``connection.queries`` includes all SQL statements -- INSERTs, UPDATES,
+
−SELECTs, etc. Each time your app hits the database, the query will be recorded.
+
−
+
−Can I use Django with a pre-existing database?
+
−----------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−Yes. See `Integrating with a legacy database`_.
+
−
+
−.. _`Integrating with a legacy database`: ../legacy_databases/
+
−
+
−If I make changes to a model, how do I update the database?
+
−-----------------------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−If you don't mind clearing data, your project's ``manage.py`` utility has an
+
−option to reset the SQL for a particular application::
+
−
+
−    manage.py reset appname
+
−
+
−This drops any tables associated with ``appname`` and recreates them.
+
−
+
−If you do care about deleting data, you'll have to execute the ``ALTER TABLE``
+
−statements manually in your database. That's the way we've always done it,
+
−because dealing with data is a very sensitive operation that we've wanted to
+
−avoid automating. That said, there's some work being done to add partially
+
−automated database-upgrade functionality.
+
−
+
−Do Django models support multiple-column primary keys?
+
−------------------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−No. Only single-column primary keys are supported.
+
−
+
−But this isn't an issue in practice, because there's nothing stopping you from
+
−adding other constraints (using the ``unique_together`` model option or
+
−creating the constraint directly in your database), and enforcing the
+
−uniqueness at that level. Single-column primary keys are needed for things such
+
−as the admin interface to work; e.g., you need a simple way of being able to
+
−specify an object to edit or delete.
+
−
+
−How do I add database-specific options to my CREATE TABLE statements, such as specifying MyISAM as the table type?
+
−------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−We try to avoid adding special cases in the Django code to accommodate all the
+
−database-specific options such as table type, etc. If you'd like to use any of
+
−these options, create an `SQL initial data file`_ that contains ``ALTER TABLE``
+
−statements that do what you want to do. The initial data files are executed in
+
−your database after the ``CREATE TABLE`` statements.
+
−
+
−For example, if you're using MySQL and want your tables to use the MyISAM table
+
−type, create an initial data file and put something like this in it::
+
−
+
−    ALTER TABLE myapp_mytable ENGINE=MyISAM;
+
−
+
−As explained in the `SQL initial data file`_ documentation, this SQL file can
+
−contain arbitrary SQL, so you can make any sorts of changes you need to make.
+
−
+
−.. _SQL initial data file: ../model_api/#providing-initial-sql-data
+
−
+
−Why is Django leaking memory?
+
−-----------------------------
+
−
+
−Django isn't known to leak memory. If you find your Django processes are
+
−allocating more and more memory, with no sign of releasing it, check to make
+
−sure your ``DEBUG`` setting is set to ``True``. If ``DEBUG`` is ``True``, then
+
−Django saves a copy of every SQL statement it has executed.
+
−
+
−(The queries are saved in ``django.db.connection.queries``. See
+
−`How can I see the raw SQL queries Django is running?`_.)
+
−
+
−To fix the problem, set ``DEBUG`` to ``False``.
+
−
+
−If you need to clear the query list manually at any point in your functions,
+
−just call ``reset_queries()``, like this::
+
−
+
−    from django import db
+
−    db.reset_queries()
+
−
+
−The admin site
+
−==============
+
−
+
−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.
+
−---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−The login cookie isn't being set correctly, because the domain of the cookie
+
−sent out by Django doesn't match the domain in your browser. Try these two
+
−things:
+
−
+
−    * Set the ``SESSION_COOKIE_DOMAIN`` setting in your admin config file
+
−      to match your domain. For example, if you're going to
+
−      "http://www.mysite.com/admin/" in your browser, in
+
−      "myproject.settings" you should set ``SESSION_COOKIE_DOMAIN = 'www.mysite.com'``.
+
−
+
−    * Some browsers (Firefox?) don't like to accept cookies from domains that
+
−      don't have dots in them. If you're running the admin site on "localhost"
+
−      or another domain that doesn't have a dot in it, try going to
+
−      "localhost.localdomain" or "127.0.0.1". And set
+
−      ``SESSION_COOKIE_DOMAIN`` accordingly.
+
−
+
−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.
+
−-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−If you're sure your username and password are correct, make sure your user
+
−account has ``is_active`` and ``is_staff`` set to True. The admin site only
+
−allows access to users with those two fields both set to True.
+
−
+
−How can I prevent the cache middleware from caching the admin site?
+
−-------------------------------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−Set the ``CACHE_MIDDLEWARE_ANONYMOUS_ONLY`` setting to ``True``. See the
+
−`cache documentation`_ for more information.
+
−
+
−.. _cache documentation: ../cache/#the-per-site-cache
+
−
+
−How do I automatically set a field's value to the user who last edited the object in the admin?
+
−-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−At this point, Django doesn't have an official way to do this. But it's an oft-requested
+
−feature, so we're discussing how it can be implemented. The problem is we don't want to couple
+
−the model layer with the admin layer with the request layer (to get the current user). It's a
+
−tricky problem.
+
−
+
−One person hacked up a `solution that doesn't require patching Django`_, but note that it's an
+
−unofficial solution, and there's no guarantee it won't break at some point.
+
−
+
−.. _solution that doesn't require patching Django: http://lukeplant.me.uk/blog.php?id=1107301634
+
−
+
−How do I limit admin access so that objects can only be edited by the users who created them?
+
−---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−See the answer to the previous question.
+
−
+
−My admin-site CSS and images showed up fine using the development server, but they're not displaying when using mod_python.
+
−---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−See `serving the admin files`_ in the "How to use Django with mod_python"
+
−documentation.
+
−
+
−.. _serving the admin files: ../modpython/#serving-the-admin-files
+
−
+
−My "list_filter" contains a ManyToManyField, but the filter doesn't display.
+
−----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−Django won't bother displaying the filter for a ``ManyToManyField`` if there
+
−are fewer than two related objects.
+
−
+
−For example, if your ``list_filter`` includes ``sites``, and there's only one
+
−site in your database, it won't display a "Site" filter. In that case,
+
−filtering by site would be meaningless.
+
−
+
−How can I customize the functionality of the admin interface?
+
−-------------------------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−You've got several options. If you want to piggyback on top of an add/change
+
−form that Django automatically generates, you can attach arbitrary JavaScript
+
−modules to the page via the model's ``class Admin`` ``js`` parameter. That
+
−parameter is a list of URLs, as strings, pointing to JavaScript modules that
+
−will be included within the admin form via a ``<script>`` tag.
+
−
+
−If you want more flexibility than simply tweaking the auto-generated forms,
+
−feel free to write custom views for the admin. The admin is powered by Django
+
−itself, and you can write custom views that hook into the authentication
+
−system, check permissions and do whatever else they need to do.
+
−
+
−If you want to customize the look-and-feel of the admin interface, read the
+
−next question.
+
−
+
−The dynamically-generated admin site is ugly! How can I change it?
+
−------------------------------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−We like it, but if you don't agree, you can modify the admin site's
+
−presentation by editing the CSS stylesheet and/or associated image files. The
+
−site is built using semantic HTML and plenty of CSS hooks, so any changes you'd
+
−like to make should be possible by editing the stylesheet. We've got a
+
−`guide to the CSS used in the admin`_ to get you started.
+
−
+
−.. _`guide to the CSS used in the admin`: ../admin_css/
+
−
+
−How do I create users without having to edit password hashes?
+
−-------------------------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−If you'd like to use the admin site to create users, upgrade to the Django
+
−development version, where this problem was fixed on Aug. 4, 2006.
+
−
+
−You can also use the Python API. See `creating users`_ for full info.
+
−
+
−.. _creating users: ../authentication/#creating-users
+
−
+
−Contributing code
+
−=================
+
−
+
−How can I get started contributing code to Django?
+
−--------------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−Thanks for asking! We've written an entire document devoted to this question.
+
−It's titled `Contributing to Django`_.
+
−
+
−.. _Contributing to Django: ../contributing/
+
−
+
−I submitted a bug fix in the ticket system several weeks ago. Why are you ignoring my patch?
+
−--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
−
+
−Don't worry: We're not ignoring you!
+
−
+
−It's important to understand there is a difference between "a ticket is being
+
−ignored" and "a ticket has not been attended to yet." Django's ticket system
+
−contains hundreds of open tickets, of various degrees of impact on end-user
+
−functionality, and Django's developers have to review and prioritize.
+
−
+
−Besides, if your feature request stands no chance of inclusion in Django, we
+
−won't ignore it -- we'll just close the ticket. So if your ticket is still
+
−open, it doesn't mean we're ignoring you; it just means we haven't had time to
+
−look at it yet.