Introduction to Django Framework

10 Questions

What is the main advantage of using Django for web development?

It allows developers to focus on building web applications without worrying about the underlying complexity

What is the acronym DRY stand for in the context of Django?

Don't Repeat Yourself

What is the primary function of the Model in Django's MVT design pattern?

To deliver data from the database as an Object Relational Mapping (ORM)

What is the common problem with using SQL to extract data from a database?

It requires a good understanding of the database structure to work with it effectively

What is the typical location of the models in a Django project?

models.py

What is the primary function of a view in Django?

To handle HTTP requests and return a final result

What is the purpose of the urls.py file in Django?

To map URLs to views

What is the name of the folder where templates are typically located?

templates

What is the purpose of Django tags in templates?

To add logic to a web page

In what year was Django first released to the public?

2005

Study Notes

What is Django?

Django is a Python framework that makes it easier to create web sites using Python.
It takes care of the difficult stuff, allowing you to concentrate on building your web applications.
Django emphasizes reusability of components, also referred to as DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself).
It comes with ready-to-use features like login system, database connection, and CRUD operations (Create Read Update Delete).

Django's Design Pattern

Django follows the MVT (Model View Template) design pattern.
MVT pattern consists of:
- Model: The data you want to present, usually from a database.
- View: A request handler that returns the relevant template and content based on the request from the user.
- Template: A text file (like an HTML file) containing the layout of the web page, with logic on how to display the data.

Model

The model provides data from the database.
In Django, the data is delivered as an Object Relational Mapping (ORM), which is a technique designed to make it easier to work with databases.
ORM makes it easier to communicate with the database, without having to write complex SQL statements.
Models are usually located in a file called models.py.

View

A view is a function or method that takes HTTP requests as arguments, imports the relevant model(s), and finds out what data to send to the template, and returns the final result.
Views are usually located in a file called views.py.

Template

A template is a file where you describe how the result should be represented.
Templates are often .html files, with HTML code describing the layout of a web page, but can also be in other file formats to present other results.
Django uses standard HTML to describe the layout, but uses Django tags to add logic.

URLs

Django provides a way to navigate around the different pages in a website.
When a user requests a URL, Django decides which view it will send it to.
This is done in a file called urls.py.

How Django Works

When a browser requests a URL, Django receives the URL, checks the urls.py file, and calls the view that matches the URL.
The view checks for relevant models, imports them from the models.py file, and sends the data to a specified template in the template folder.
The template contains HTML and Django tags, and with the data, it returns finished HTML content back to the browser.

Django History

Django was invented by Lawrence Journal-World in 2003, to meet the short deadlines in the newspaper and at the same time meeting the demands of experienced web developers.
The initial release to the public was in July 2005.
The latest version of Django is 4.0.3 (March 2022).