Search icon CANCEL
Subscription
0
Cart icon
Your Cart (0 item)
Close icon
You have no products in your basket yet
Arrow left icon
Explore Products
Best Sellers
New Releases
Books
Videos
Audiobooks
Learning Hub
Free Learning
Arrow right icon
Django Design Patterns and Best Practices
Django Design Patterns and Best Practices

Django Design Patterns and Best Practices: Easily build maintainable websites with powerful and relevant Django design patterns

Arrow left icon
Profile Icon Ravindran
Arrow right icon
S$66.99
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon 4.7 (7 Ratings)
Paperback Mar 2015 222 pages 1st Edition
eBook
S$12.99 S$52.99
Paperback
S$66.99
Subscription
Free Trial
Arrow left icon
Profile Icon Ravindran
Arrow right icon
S$66.99
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon 4.7 (7 Ratings)
Paperback Mar 2015 222 pages 1st Edition
eBook
S$12.99 S$52.99
Paperback
S$66.99
Subscription
Free Trial
eBook
S$12.99 S$52.99
Paperback
S$66.99
Subscription
Free Trial

What do you get with Print?

Product feature icon Instant access to your digital eBook copy whilst your Print order is Shipped
Product feature icon Paperback book shipped to your preferred address
Product feature icon Download this book in EPUB and PDF formats
Product feature icon Access this title in our online reader with advanced features
Product feature icon DRM FREE - Read whenever, wherever and however you want
OR
Modal Close icon
Payment Processing...
tick Completed

Shipping Address

Billing Address

Shipping Methods
Table of content icon View table of contents Preview book icon Preview Book

Django Design Patterns and Best Practices

Chapter 2. Application Design

In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

  • Gathering requirements
  • Creating a concept document
  • HTML mockups
  • How to divide a project into Apps
  • Whether to write a new app or reuse an existing one
  • Best practices before starting a project
  • Why Python 3?
  • Starting the SuperBook project

Many novice developers approach a new project by beginning to write code right away. More often than not it leads to incorrect assumptions, unused features and lost time. Spending some time with your client in understanding core requirements even in a project short on time can yield incredible results. Managing requirements is a key skill worth learning.

How to gather requirements

 

Innovation is not about saying yes to everything. It's about saying NO to all but the most crucial features.

 
 --Steve Jobs

I saved several doomed projects by spending a few days with the client to carefully listen to their needs and set the right expectations. Armed with nothing but a pencil and paper (or their digital equivalents), the process is incredibly simple but effective. Here are some of the key points to remember while gathering requirements:

  1. Talk directly to the application owners even if they are not technical savvy.
  2. Make sure you listen to their needs fully and note them.
  3. Don't use technical jargon such as "models". Keep it simple and use end-user friendly terms such as a "user profile".
  4. Set the right expectations. If something is not technically feasible or difficult, make sure you tell them right away.
  5. Sketch as much as possible. Humans are visual in nature. Websites more so. Use rough lines and stick figures...

Are you a story teller?

So what is this one page write-up? It is a simple document that explains how it feels to use the site. In almost all the projects I have worked with, when someone new joins the team, they don't normally go through every bit of paperwork. He or she would be thrilled if they find a single-page document that quickly tells them what the site is meant to be.

You can call this document whatever you like—concept document, market requirements document, customer experience documentation, or even an Epic Fragile StoryLog™ (patent pending). It really doesn't matter.

The document should focus on the user experience rather than technical or implementation details. Make it short and interesting to read. In fact, Joel Spolsky's rule number one on documenting requirements is "Be Funny".

If possible, write about a typical user (persona in marketing speak), the problem they are facing, and how the web application solves it. Imagine how they would...

HTML mockups

In the early days of building web applications, tools such as Photoshop and Flash were used extensively to get pixel-perfect mockups. They are hardly recommended or used anymore.

Giving a native and consistent experience across smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other platforms is now considered more important than getting that pixel-perfect look. In fact, most web designers directly create layouts on HTML.

Creating an HTML mockup is a lot faster and easier than before. If your web designer is unavailable, developers can use a CSS framework such as Bootstrap or ZURB Foundation framework to create pretty decent mockups.

The goal of creating a mockup is to create a realistic preview of the website. It should not merely focus on details and polish to look closer to the final product compared to a sketch, but add interactivity as well. Make your static HTML come to life with working links and some simple JavaScript-driven interactivity.

A good mockup can give 80 percent of customer...

Designing the application

When you have a fairly good idea of what you need to build, you can start to think about the implementation in Django. Once again, it is tempting to start coding away. However, when you spend a few minutes thinking about the design, you can find plenty of different ways to solve a design problem.

You can also start designing tests first, as advocated in Test-driven Design (TDD) methodology. We will see more of the TDD approach in the testing chapter.

Whichever approach you take, it is best to stop and think—"Which are the different ways in which I can implement this? What are the trade-offs? Which factors are more important in our context? Finally, which approach is the best?"

Experienced Django developers look at the overall project in different ways. Sticking to the DRY principle (or sometimes because they get lazy), they think—"Have I seen this functionality before? For instance, can this social login feature be implemented using a...

Before starting the project

While preparing a development environment, make sure that you have the following in place:

  • A fresh Python virtual environment: Python 3 includes the venv module or you can install virtualenv. Both of them prevent polluting your global Python library.
  • Version control: Always use a version control tool such as Git or Mercurial. They are life savers. You can also make changes much more confidently and fearlessly.
  • Choose a project template: Django's default project template is not the only option. Based on your needs try others such as twoscoops (https://github.com/twoscoops/django-twoscoops-project) or edge (https://github.com/arocks/edge).
  • Deployment pipeline: I usually worry about this a bit later, but having an easy deployment process helps to show early progress. I prefer Fabric or Ansible.

How to gather requirements


 

Innovation is not about saying yes to everything. It's about saying NO to all but the most crucial features.

 
 --Steve Jobs

I saved several doomed projects by spending a few days with the client to carefully listen to their needs and set the right expectations. Armed with nothing but a pencil and paper (or their digital equivalents), the process is incredibly simple but effective. Here are some of the key points to remember while gathering requirements:

  1. Talk directly to the application owners even if they are not technical savvy.

  2. Make sure you listen to their needs fully and note them.

  3. Don't use technical jargon such as "models". Keep it simple and use end-user friendly terms such as a "user profile".

  4. Set the right expectations. If something is not technically feasible or difficult, make sure you tell them right away.

  5. Sketch as much as possible. Humans are visual in nature. Websites more so. Use rough lines and stick figures. No need to be perfect.

  6. Break down process...

Are you a story teller?


So what is this one page write-up? It is a simple document that explains how it feels to use the site. In almost all the projects I have worked with, when someone new joins the team, they don't normally go through every bit of paperwork. He or she would be thrilled if they find a single-page document that quickly tells them what the site is meant to be.

You can call this document whatever you like—concept document, market requirements document, customer experience documentation, or even an Epic Fragile StoryLog™ (patent pending). It really doesn't matter.

The document should focus on the user experience rather than technical or implementation details. Make it short and interesting to read. In fact, Joel Spolsky's rule number one on documenting requirements is "Be Funny".

If possible, write about a typical user (persona in marketing speak), the problem they are facing, and how the web application solves it. Imagine how they would explain the experience to a friend. Try...

Left arrow icon Right arrow icon

Description

If you want to learn how best to utilize commonly found patterns and learn best practices in developing applications with Django, this is the book for you. This book, like Django itself, is accessible to amateur and professional developers alike and assumes little in the way of prior experience. Although written for Python 3, the majority of the code in this book works in Python 2 or can be easily translated.

Who is this book for?

If you want to learn how best to utilize commonly found patterns and learn best practices in developing applications with Django, this is the book for you. This book, like Django itself, is accessible to amateur and professional developers alike and assumes little in the way of prior experience.

What you will learn

  • Understand common design patterns that can help you write better Django code
  • Discover the latest best practices and idioms in this rapidly evolving framework
  • Deep dive into various aspects of Django from Models and Views to testing and deployment
  • Get to grips with difficult topics such as dealing with legacy code and debugging
  • Familiarize yourself with the various nuances of web development such as browser attacks and databases
  • Reduce the maintenance burden with welltested, cleaner code
  • Show your work to the world by learning about hosting, deploying, and securing your Django projects
Estimated delivery fee Deliver to Singapore

Standard delivery 10 - 13 business days

S$11.95

Premium delivery 5 - 8 business days

S$54.95
(Includes tracking information)

Product Details

Country selected
Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Mar 31, 2015
Length: 222 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781783986644
Category :
Languages :
Tools :

What do you get with Print?

Product feature icon Instant access to your digital eBook copy whilst your Print order is Shipped
Product feature icon Paperback book shipped to your preferred address
Product feature icon Download this book in EPUB and PDF formats
Product feature icon Access this title in our online reader with advanced features
Product feature icon DRM FREE - Read whenever, wherever and however you want
OR
Modal Close icon
Payment Processing...
tick Completed

Shipping Address

Billing Address

Shipping Methods
Estimated delivery fee Deliver to Singapore

Standard delivery 10 - 13 business days

S$11.95

Premium delivery 5 - 8 business days

S$54.95
(Includes tracking information)

Product Details

Publication date : Mar 31, 2015
Length: 222 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781783986644
Category :
Languages :
Tools :

Packt Subscriptions

See our plans and pricing
Modal Close icon
$19.99 billed monthly
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Simple pricing, no contract
$199.99 billed annually
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Choose a DRM-free eBook or Video every month to keep
Feature tick icon PLUS own as many other DRM-free eBooks or Videos as you like for just S$6 each
Feature tick icon Exclusive print discounts
$279.99 billed in 18 months
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Choose a DRM-free eBook or Video every month to keep
Feature tick icon PLUS own as many other DRM-free eBooks or Videos as you like for just S$6 each
Feature tick icon Exclusive print discounts

Frequently bought together


Stars icon
Total S$25.98 S$105.98 S$80.00 saved
Django Design Patterns and Best Practices
S$66.99
Mastering Python Design Patterns
S$66.99
Total S$25.98S$105.98 S$80.00 saved Stars icon
Banner background image

Table of Contents

13 Chapters
1. Django and Patterns Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
2. Application Design Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
3. Models Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
4. Views and URLs Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
5. Templates Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
6. Admin Interface Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
7. Forms Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
8. Dealing with Legacy Code Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
9. Testing and Debugging Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
10. Security Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
11. Production-ready Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
A. Python 2 versus Python 3 Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

Top Reviews
Rating distribution
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon 4.7
(7 Ratings)
5 star 85.7%
4 star 0%
3 star 14.3%
2 star 0%
1 star 0%
Filter icon Filter
Top Reviews

Filter reviews by




kaytam Nov 26, 2015
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
This book is great for beginners and seasoned developers of the Django framework. It is relatively easy to follow and the examples' content and rationale are well explained. I haven't gotten through the whole book, but so far it is dense with great information and advice.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
anand reddy pandikunta Apr 15, 2015
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
You need to be familiar with Python & know basics of building an app with Django before starting this book!I have read articles written by Arun Ravindran and watched his screencasts & talks. So I brought the book as soon as it released.The book has various design patterns to solve everyday problems while building web apps. It also engages readers with stories & examples to get a better understanding of concepts.If You have started Django, this book will save a lot of time. If You are an experienced developer, You will find some patterns & best practices to clean up Your code.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Marc M. S. Jun 23, 2015
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
You have to know some basics of Python and Django to read this book, but it is very readable and well organized.It offer the opportunity to understand deeply the django framework and designs patterns. It provide solutions to every day problems a django developer may encounter. The examples provided allow you to practice and understand the key concepts. I recommand to improve your best practices.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Mark Lyon Aug 20, 2015
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
This book offer helpful guidance for beginning Django developers.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Alex Jun 16, 2015
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Arun has made an excellent contribution to the myriad "learn Django" environment. I highly recommend this book to people who have completed the infamous polls tutorial as it represents a great survey of topics that the beginner would greatly benefit from using in practice.The treatments on models and class based views are particularly noteworthy. It would have been nice seeing some more content on custom template tags but alas that's almost a book in and of itself. Forms are properly treated as the data validating powerhouses they are. The comprehensive overview of testing is really fantastic along with recommendations on debugging tools that are standard amongst Django developers.If you are looking to go from beginner to affective in Django - this is a great way to do that.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Get free access to Packt library with over 7500+ books and video courses for 7 days!
Start Free Trial

FAQs

What is the delivery time and cost of print book? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Shipping Details

USA:

'

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the US within 10-15 business days

Premium: Trackable Delivery to most addresses in the US within 3-8 business days

UK:

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 7-9 business days.
Shipments are not trackable

Premium: Trackable delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 3-4 business days!
Add one extra business day for deliveries to Northern Ireland and Scottish Highlands and islands

EU:

Premium: Trackable delivery to most EU destinations within 4-9 business days.

Australia:

Economy: Can deliver to P. O. Boxes and private residences.
Trackable service with delivery to addresses in Australia only.
Delivery time ranges from 7-9 business days for VIC and 8-10 business days for Interstate metro
Delivery time is up to 15 business days for remote areas of WA, NT & QLD.

Premium: Delivery to addresses in Australia only
Trackable delivery to most P. O. Boxes and private residences in Australia within 4-5 days based on the distance to a destination following dispatch.

India:

Premium: Delivery to most Indian addresses within 5-6 business days

Rest of the World:

Premium: Countries in the American continent: Trackable delivery to most countries within 4-7 business days

Asia:

Premium: Delivery to most Asian addresses within 5-9 business days

Disclaimer:
All orders received before 5 PM U.K time would start printing from the next business day. So the estimated delivery times start from the next day as well. Orders received after 5 PM U.K time (in our internal systems) on a business day or anytime on the weekend will begin printing the second to next business day. For example, an order placed at 11 AM today will begin printing tomorrow, whereas an order placed at 9 PM tonight will begin printing the day after tomorrow.


Unfortunately, due to several restrictions, we are unable to ship to the following countries:

  1. Afghanistan
  2. American Samoa
  3. Belarus
  4. Brunei Darussalam
  5. Central African Republic
  6. The Democratic Republic of Congo
  7. Eritrea
  8. Guinea-bissau
  9. Iran
  10. Lebanon
  11. Libiya Arab Jamahriya
  12. Somalia
  13. Sudan
  14. Russian Federation
  15. Syrian Arab Republic
  16. Ukraine
  17. Venezuela
What is custom duty/charge? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customs duty are charges levied on goods when they cross international borders. It is a tax that is imposed on imported goods. These duties are charged by special authorities and bodies created by local governments and are meant to protect local industries, economies, and businesses.

Do I have to pay customs charges for the print book order? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

The orders shipped to the countries that are listed under EU27 will not bear custom charges. They are paid by Packt as part of the order.

List of EU27 countries: www.gov.uk/eu-eea:

A custom duty or localized taxes may be applicable on the shipment and would be charged by the recipient country outside of the EU27 which should be paid by the customer and these duties are not included in the shipping charges been charged on the order.

How do I know my custom duty charges? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

The amount of duty payable varies greatly depending on the imported goods, the country of origin and several other factors like the total invoice amount or dimensions like weight, and other such criteria applicable in your country.

For example:

  • If you live in Mexico, and the declared value of your ordered items is over $ 50, for you to receive a package, you will have to pay additional import tax of 19% which will be $ 9.50 to the courier service.
  • Whereas if you live in Turkey, and the declared value of your ordered items is over € 22, for you to receive a package, you will have to pay additional import tax of 18% which will be € 3.96 to the courier service.
How can I cancel my order? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Cancellation Policy for Published Printed Books:

You can cancel any order within 1 hour of placing the order. Simply contact customercare@packt.com with your order details or payment transaction id. If your order has already started the shipment process, we will do our best to stop it. However, if it is already on the way to you then when you receive it, you can contact us at customercare@packt.com using the returns and refund process.

Please understand that Packt Publishing cannot provide refunds or cancel any order except for the cases described in our Return Policy (i.e. Packt Publishing agrees to replace your printed book because it arrives damaged or material defect in book), Packt Publishing will not accept returns.

What is your returns and refunds policy? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Return Policy:

We want you to be happy with your purchase from Packtpub.com. We will not hassle you with returning print books to us. If the print book you receive from us is incorrect, damaged, doesn't work or is unacceptably late, please contact Customer Relations Team on customercare@packt.com with the order number and issue details as explained below:

  1. If you ordered (eBook, Video or Print Book) incorrectly or accidentally, please contact Customer Relations Team on customercare@packt.com within one hour of placing the order and we will replace/refund you the item cost.
  2. Sadly, if your eBook or Video file is faulty or a fault occurs during the eBook or Video being made available to you, i.e. during download then you should contact Customer Relations Team within 14 days of purchase on customercare@packt.com who will be able to resolve this issue for you.
  3. You will have a choice of replacement or refund of the problem items.(damaged, defective or incorrect)
  4. Once Customer Care Team confirms that you will be refunded, you should receive the refund within 10 to 12 working days.
  5. If you are only requesting a refund of one book from a multiple order, then we will refund you the appropriate single item.
  6. Where the items were shipped under a free shipping offer, there will be no shipping costs to refund.

On the off chance your printed book arrives damaged, with book material defect, contact our Customer Relation Team on customercare@packt.com within 14 days of receipt of the book with appropriate evidence of damage and we will work with you to secure a replacement copy, if necessary. Please note that each printed book you order from us is individually made by Packt's professional book-printing partner which is on a print-on-demand basis.

What tax is charged? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Currently, no tax is charged on the purchase of any print book (subject to change based on the laws and regulations). A localized VAT fee is charged only to our European and UK customers on eBooks, Video and subscriptions that they buy. GST is charged to Indian customers for eBooks and video purchases.

What payment methods can I use? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

You can pay with the following card types:

  1. Visa Debit
  2. Visa Credit
  3. MasterCard
  4. PayPal
What is the delivery time and cost of print books? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Shipping Details

USA:

'

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the US within 10-15 business days

Premium: Trackable Delivery to most addresses in the US within 3-8 business days

UK:

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 7-9 business days.
Shipments are not trackable

Premium: Trackable delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 3-4 business days!
Add one extra business day for deliveries to Northern Ireland and Scottish Highlands and islands

EU:

Premium: Trackable delivery to most EU destinations within 4-9 business days.

Australia:

Economy: Can deliver to P. O. Boxes and private residences.
Trackable service with delivery to addresses in Australia only.
Delivery time ranges from 7-9 business days for VIC and 8-10 business days for Interstate metro
Delivery time is up to 15 business days for remote areas of WA, NT & QLD.

Premium: Delivery to addresses in Australia only
Trackable delivery to most P. O. Boxes and private residences in Australia within 4-5 days based on the distance to a destination following dispatch.

India:

Premium: Delivery to most Indian addresses within 5-6 business days

Rest of the World:

Premium: Countries in the American continent: Trackable delivery to most countries within 4-7 business days

Asia:

Premium: Delivery to most Asian addresses within 5-9 business days

Disclaimer:
All orders received before 5 PM U.K time would start printing from the next business day. So the estimated delivery times start from the next day as well. Orders received after 5 PM U.K time (in our internal systems) on a business day or anytime on the weekend will begin printing the second to next business day. For example, an order placed at 11 AM today will begin printing tomorrow, whereas an order placed at 9 PM tonight will begin printing the day after tomorrow.


Unfortunately, due to several restrictions, we are unable to ship to the following countries:

  1. Afghanistan
  2. American Samoa
  3. Belarus
  4. Brunei Darussalam
  5. Central African Republic
  6. The Democratic Republic of Congo
  7. Eritrea
  8. Guinea-bissau
  9. Iran
  10. Lebanon
  11. Libiya Arab Jamahriya
  12. Somalia
  13. Sudan
  14. Russian Federation
  15. Syrian Arab Republic
  16. Ukraine
  17. Venezuela