Editing Reusable Django Packages/Apps

[[Category:Django]] [[Category:Python]] [[Category:CMS]] [[Category:Web Development]]
== Overview ==

Notes on workflow and best practices for creating and maintaining reusable packages/apps in Django.<ref>[https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/1.8/intro/reusable-apps/ How to write reusable apps] - Django Documentation</ref>

== Packaging an app ==

The properties of the project are defined in `setup.py` in the project root directory. 

This file in turn reads properties such as author and version from `__init__.py` in the root of the app itself.

Version is used to name the package, and is embedded as metadata to allow installation of updates to the pacakge.

<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
$ cd /path/to/app/source/dir/
$ python setup.py sdist
</syntaxhighlight>

== Distribution ==

Packages need to be available somewhere public in order for use in deployed web apps. 

=== Amazon S3 ===

==== Upload through web browser ====

* [https://s3.console.aws.amazon.com/s3/ Open the Amazon S3 console]. 
* Click on the bucket where the packages are stored, then click '''Upload'''.
* Either drag the package files onto the page, or click '''Add Files'''.

==== Upload on command line ====

Requires [https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/ aws cli].

View contents of a bucket:

<pre>
$ aws s3 ls <bucket-name>
</pre>

Use `s3 mv`, `s3 cp`, `s3 sync`, and `s3 rm` to manage files in the bucket. 

For example, to copy a new package to the S3 bucket:

<pre>
$ aws s3 cp ./my-django-pkg-0.0.1.tar.gz s3://my-bucket/path --acl public-read
</pre>

== Installing, uninstalling, and updating apps ==

<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
$ pip uninstall django-addresses
$ pip install ~/develop/labs/shared/django-addresses/dist/django-addresses-1.2.1.tar.gz
</syntaxhighlight>

Make sure to take at all the versions stored in the `dist` directory to confirm that the latest version is being installed, i.e. don't assume that there is only one version stored there.

== Using an app in a Django project ==

Add the app name under `INSTALLED_APPS` in the project's `settings.py` file.

<syntaxhighlight lang="python" highlight="12">
# my_project/settings.py

# ...

INSTALLED_APPS = (
    'django.contrib.admin',
    'django.contrib.auth',
    'django.contrib.contenttypes',
    'django.contrib.sessions',
    'django.contrib.messages',
    'django.contrib.staticfiels',
    'contact_info',
)
</syntaxhighlight>

== Confirming the version of an installed app ==

Use the `pip show` command, e.g.:

<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
$ pip show django-contact_info
</syntaxhighlight>

== Notes ==

=== See also ===

* [[Refactoring a Django App as a Stand-Alone Module]]

=== References ===
<references />