Pinax Project Settings
A settings.py file contains the high-level settings for a Django project. Pinax uses some default Django settings, as well as some settings specific to Pinax. The following are settings that all Pinax projects have in common.
Django Version
The Django version that you specify when you create your project will be inserted throughout your Pinax starter project using the {{ django_version }} variable, to avoid hard coding.
Project Name Variable
The project name that you specify when you create your project will be inserted throughout your Pinax starter project using the {{ project_name }} variable, to avoid hard coding.
Overriding Global Settings with Project Settings
Pinax apps often include custom settings that can be used to override global settings.
Set custom setting in settings.py
CUSTOM_SETTING = <setting>
Import settings
from django.conf import settings
Reference custom setting
settings.CUSTOM_SETTING
Development Environment
os Module
The Python os module provides a platform-independent interface between Django and the computer's operating system.
import os
DATABASES
The DATABASES setting provides a default SQLite database configuration. Because SQLite is included with Python, no additional configuration is needed to use it. However, SQLite is not recommended for use in production. The NAME setting corresponds to the name of the database file on your computer.
DATABASES = {
"default": {
"ENGINE": "django.db.backends.sqlite3",
"NAME": "dev.db",
}
}
ALLOWED_HOSTS
The ALLOWED_HOSTS setting provides the host/domain name(s) that are allowed to be served. This is a security measure to prevent HTTP Host header attacks.
ALLOWED_HOSTS = [
"localhost",
]
SECRET_KEY
SECRET_KEY is a cryptographic signing variable used for Django instance installation. SECRET_KEY should be set to a unique, unpredictable value and kept secret.
SECRET_KEY = "{{ secret_key }}"
DEBUG
With DEBUG as TRUE, Django will provide a detailed traceback when exceptions occur. DEBUG should be set to FALSE in production, as a security measure.
DEBUG = True
Web Server Gateway Interface (WSGI)
The Web Server Gateway Interface (WSGI) enables communication between the web server and Django.
WSGI_APPLICATION = "{{ project_name }}.wsgi.application"
Installed Apps
Django maintains a registry of all apps installed in a project.
Apps listed in INSTALLED_APPS are ordered by built-in Django apps, templates, then external apps, including Pinax apps. Pinax includes all of the standard Django built-in apps, plus sites.
If you are using a Pinax starter project, the names of the Pinax apps included in the project will likely already be listed in the INSTALLED_APPS section of the settings.py file. However, it's not uncommon in Django development to need to add an app name, for instance, if you add an additional app to the project yourself.
INSTALLED_APPS = [
"django.contrib.admin",
"django.contrib.auth",
"django.contrib.contenttypes",
"django.contrib.messages",
"django.contrib.sessions",
"django.contrib.sites",
"django.contrib.staticfiles",
# templates
"bootstrapform",
"pinax.templates",
# external
"account",
"pinax.<app>",
# project
"{{ project_name }}",
]
Middleware
Middleware hooks into Django's request and response processing.
MIDDLEWARE = [
"django.contrib.sessions.middleware.SessionMiddleware",
"django.middleware.common.CommonMiddleware",
"django.middleware.csrf.CsrfViewMiddleware",
"django.contrib.auth.middleware.AuthenticationMiddleware",
"django.contrib.messages.middleware.MessageMiddleware",
"django.middleware.clickjacking.XFrameOptionsMiddleware",
]
Path
PROJECT_ROOT = os.path.abspath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), os.pardir))
PACKAGE_ROOT = os.path.abspath(os.path.dirname(__file__))
BASE_DIR = PACKAGE_ROOT
Static Files
Static files are the CSS, JavaScript, and image files that have been added to the site by a web developer, not user.
The STATIC_ROOT is the absolute path to the directory where static files will be collected for deployment after the collectstatic command has been run. The STATIC_ROOT path is PACKAGE_ROOT/site_media/static.
STATIC_ROOT = os.path.join(PACKAGE_ROOT, "site_media", "static")
The URL to use when referring to static files located in STATIC_ROOT.
STATIC_URL = "/site_media/static/"
Alternatively, the staticfiles could be found by traversing the path PROJECT_ROOT/static/dist.
STATICFILES_DIRS = [
os.path.join(PROJECT_ROOT, "static", "dist"),
]
The file storage engine to use when collecting static files with the collectstatic management command.
STATICFILES_STORAGE = "django.contrib.staticfiles.storage.ManifestStaticFilesStorage"
The finder backends that know how to find static files in various locations.
STATICFILES_FINDERS = [
"django.contrib.staticfiles.finders.FileSystemFinder",
"django.contrib.staticfiles.finders.AppDirectoriesFinder",
]
Media Files
Media files are files uploaded by the user.
The MEDIA_ROOT path is PACKAGE_ROOT/site_media/media.
MEDIA_ROOT = os.path.join(PACKAGE_ROOT, "site_media", "media")
The URL that handles the media served from MEDIA_ROOT.
MEDIA_URL = "/site_media/media/"
Templates
The TEMPLATES path is PACKAGE_ROOT/templates.
context_processors
context_processors return dicts of items as context to be rendered within templates.
TEMPLATES = [
{
"BACKEND": "django.template.backends.django.DjangoTemplates",
"DIRS": [
os.path.join(PACKAGE_ROOT, "templates"),
],
"APP_DIRS": True,
"OPTIONS": {
"debug": DEBUG,
"context_processors": [
"django.contrib.auth.context_processors.auth",
"django.template.context_processors.debug",
"django.template.context_processors.i18n",
"django.template.context_processors.media",
"django.template.context_processors.static",
"django.template.context_processors.tz",
"django.template.context_processors.request",
"django.contrib.messages.context_processors.messages",
"{{ project_name }}.context_processors.settings"
],
},
},
]
ROOT_URLCONF
The ROOT_URLCONF provides a mapping between your project URLs and view functions.
ROOT_URLCONF = "{{ project_name }}.urls"
Site and Fixtures
A fixtures file contains data that Django can load directly into the database at the start of the project, rather than later, for example, when a user inputs information into a website form. The FIXTURE_DIRS path is PROJECT_ROOT/fixtures. The fixtures file sites.json is specified in the command line when the fixtures are loaded.
FIXTURE_DIRS = [
os.path.join(PROJECT_ROOT, "fixtures"),
]
SITE_ID = int(os.environ.get("SITE_ID", 1))
Localization
Pinax uses the default Django localization settings.
Pinax will base timezones on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
TIME_ZONE = "UTC"
Pinax will use English as the standard language.
LANGUAGE_CODE = "en-us"
Pinax will optimize for internationalization.
USE_I18N = True
Pinax will format dates, numbers, and calendars according to the current locale.
USE_L10N = True
Pinax will use timezone-aware datetimes.
USE_TZ = True
Admin and Email
ADMIN_URL = "admin:index"
CONTACT_EMAIL = "[email protected]"
Pinax comes with an email backend that can be used to write emails to stdout (standard output) during development, instead of sending real emails. This should not be used in production.
EMAIL_BACKEND = "django.core.mail.backends.console.EmailBackend"
Logging
Pinax includes a sample logging configuration.
LOGGING = {
"version": 1,
"disable_existing_loggers": False,
"filters": {
"require_debug_false": {
"()": "django.utils.log.RequireDebugFalse"
}
},
"handlers": {
"mail_admins": {
"level": "ERROR",
"filters": ["require_debug_false"],
"class": "django.utils.log.AdminEmailHandler"
}
},
"loggers": {
"django.request": {
"handlers": ["mail_admins"],
"level": "ERROR",
"propagate": True,
},
}
}