Python INTERMEDIATEDjango
Comprehensive Django web framework guide with models, views, templates, and deployment
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Table of Contents
Setup & Project Structure
Initialize Django projects and understand the structure
Project Setup
Create and configure a Django project
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💡 Always use virtual environments for Django projects
⚡ django-admin for project, manage.py for apps
📌 Keep sensitive settings in .env file
🟢 Run migrations after creating models
Models & ORM
Define database models and work with Django ORM
Model Definition
Create Django models with fields and relationships
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💡 Use related_name for clear reverse relationships
📌 Always define __str__ for readable admin
⚡ Add db_index=True for frequently queried fields
🟢 Use Meta class for ordering and indexes
QuerySet Operations
Database queries with Django ORM
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💡 Use select_related for ForeignKeys
⚡ F expressions avoid race conditions
📌 bulk_create is faster for many records
🔍 Q objects enable complex queries
Views & URLs
Handle requests with views and URL routing
Views
Function and class-based views
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💡 Use CBV for standard CRUD operations
📌 LoginRequiredMixin for auth protection
⚡ Override get_queryset() for filtering
🟢 Function views are simpler for custom logic
URL Configuration
URL patterns and routing
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💡 Use app_name for URL namespacing
📌 Path converters: str, int, slug, uuid
⚡ Include trailing slashes consistently
🟢 Use reverse() for maintainable URLs
Templates
Django template system
Template Syntax
Django template language basics
html
💡 Use |default filter for None values
📌 {% empty %} handles empty loops
⚡ Template inheritance with extends
🟢 Always {% load static %} for static files
Forms
Handle user input with Django forms
Forms and ModelForms
Create and validate forms
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💡 clean_<field>() for field validation
📌 clean() for cross-field validation
⚡ Use widgets to customize HTML
🟢 commit=False to modify before saving
Admin Interface
Customize Django admin
Admin Configuration
Register and customize admin
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💡 Use list_editable for inline editing
📌 prepopulated_fields for slug generation
⚡ Custom actions for bulk operations
🟢 format_html for safe HTML in admin
Authentication
User authentication and permissions
User Authentication
Login, logout, and permissions
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💡 Use Django's built-in auth views
🔐 Always hash passwords automatically
📌 LoginRequiredMixin for CBV protection
⚡ @login_required decorator for FBV
Testing
Write tests for Django apps
Django Testing
Unit and integration tests
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💡 Use setUp() for test data
📌 Test both success and failure cases
⚡ Use --parallel for faster tests
🟢 Client() simulates requests
Deployment
Deploy Django to production
Production Deployment
Deploy with gunicorn and nginx
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💡 Use environment variables for secrets
📌 Always collectstatic before deploy
⚡ Use CDN for static files
🟢 Enable caching with Redis