django1/docs/intro/tutorial01.txt

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=====================================
Writing your first Django app, part 1
=====================================
Let's learn by example.
Throughout this tutorial, we'll walk you through the creation of a basic
poll application.
It'll consist of two parts:
* A public site that lets people view polls and vote in them.
* An admin site that lets you add, change, and delete polls.
We'll assume you have :doc:`Django installed </intro/install>` already. You can
tell Django is installed and which version by running the following command:
.. code-block:: console
$ python -c "import django; print(django.get_version())"
If Django is installed, you should see the version of your installation. If it
isn't, you'll get an error telling "No module named django".
2015-06-15 21:43:35 +08:00
This tutorial is written for Django |version| and Python 3.4 or later. If the
Django version doesn't match, you can refer to the tutorial for your version
of Django by using the version switcher at the bottom right corner of this
page, or update Django to the newest version. If you are still using Python
2.7, you will need to adjust the code samples slightly, as described in
comments.
See :doc:`How to install Django </topics/install>` for advice on how to remove
older versions of Django and install a newer one.
.. admonition:: Where to get help:
If you're having trouble going through this tutorial, please post a message
to |django-users| or drop by `#django on irc.freenode.net
<irc://irc.freenode.net/django>`_ to chat with other Django users who might
be able to help.
Creating a project
==================
If this is your first time using Django, you'll have to take care of some
initial setup. Namely, you'll need to auto-generate some code that establishes a
Django :term:`project` -- a collection of settings for an instance of Django,
including database configuration, Django-specific options and
application-specific settings.
From the command line, ``cd`` into a directory where you'd like to store your
code, then run the following command:
.. code-block:: console
$ django-admin startproject mysite
This will create a ``mysite`` directory in your current directory. If it didn't
work, see :ref:`troubleshooting-django-admin`.
.. note::
You'll need to avoid naming projects after built-in Python or Django
components. In particular, this means you should avoid using names like
``django`` (which will conflict with Django itself) or ``test`` (which
conflicts with a built-in Python package).
.. admonition:: Where should this code live?
2012-12-13 21:20:47 +08:00
If your background is in plain old PHP (with no use of modern frameworks),
you're probably used to putting code under the Web server's document root
(in a place such as ``/var/www``). With Django, you don't do that. It's
not a good idea to put any of this Python code within your Web server's
document root, because it risks the possibility that people may be able
to view your code over the Web. That's not good for security.
Put your code in some directory **outside** of the document root, such as
:file:`/home/mycode`.
Let's look at what :djadmin:`startproject` created::
mysite/
manage.py
mysite/
__init__.py
settings.py
urls.py
wsgi.py
These files are:
* The outer :file:`mysite/` root directory is just a container for your
project. Its name doesn't matter to Django; you can rename it to anything
you like.
* :file:`manage.py`: A command-line utility that lets you interact with this
Django project in various ways. You can read all the details about
:file:`manage.py` in :doc:`/ref/django-admin`.
* The inner :file:`mysite/` directory is the actual Python package for your
project. Its name is the Python package name you'll need to use to import
anything inside it (e.g. ``mysite.urls``).
* :file:`mysite/__init__.py`: An empty file that tells Python that this
directory should be considered a Python package. (Read `more about
packages`_ in the official Python docs if you're a Python beginner.)
* :file:`mysite/settings.py`: Settings/configuration for this Django
project. :doc:`/topics/settings` will tell you all about how settings
work.
* :file:`mysite/urls.py`: The URL declarations for this Django project; a
"table of contents" of your Django-powered site. You can read more about
URLs in :doc:`/topics/http/urls`.
* :file:`mysite/wsgi.py`: An entry-point for WSGI-compatible web servers to
serve your project. See :doc:`/howto/deployment/wsgi/index` for more details.
2014-12-19 23:25:57 +08:00
.. _more about packages: https://docs.python.org/tutorial/modules.html#packages
The development server
======================
Let's verify your Django project works. Change into the outer :file:`mysite` directory, if
you haven't already, and run the following commands:
.. code-block:: console
$ python manage.py runserver
You'll see the following output on the command line:
.. parsed-literal::
Performing system checks...
System check identified no issues (0 silenced).
You have unapplied migrations; your app may not work properly until they are applied.
Run 'python manage.py migrate' to apply them.
|today| - 15:50:53
Django version |version|, using settings 'mysite.settings'
Starting development server at http://127.0.0.1:8000/
Quit the server with CONTROL-C.
.. note::
Ignore the warning about unapplied database migrations for now; we'll deal
with the database shortly.
You've started the Django development server, a lightweight Web server written
purely in Python. We've included this with Django so you can develop things
rapidly, without having to deal with configuring a production server -- such as
Apache -- until you're ready for production.
Now's a good time to note: **don't** use this server in anything resembling a
production environment. It's intended only for use while developing. (We're in
the business of making Web frameworks, not Web servers.)
Now that the server's running, visit http://127.0.0.1:8000/ with your Web
browser. You'll see a "Welcome to Django" page, in pleasant, light-blue pastel.
It worked!
.. admonition:: Changing the port
By default, the :djadmin:`runserver` command starts the development server
on the internal IP at port 8000.
If you want to change the server's port, pass
it as a command-line argument. For instance, this command starts the server
on port 8080:
.. code-block:: console
$ python manage.py runserver 8080
If you want to change the server's IP, pass it along with the port. So to
listen on all public IPs (useful if you want to show off your work on other
computers on your network), use:
.. code-block:: console
$ python manage.py runserver 0.0.0.0:8000
Full docs for the development server can be found in the
:djadmin:`runserver` reference.
.. admonition:: Automatic reloading of :djadmin:`runserver`
The development server automatically reloads Python code for each request
as needed. You don't need to restart the server for code changes to take
effect. However, some actions like adding files don't trigger a restart,
so you'll have to restart the server in these cases.
Creating the Polls app
======================
Now that your environment -- a "project" -- is set up, you're set to start
doing work.
Simplified default project template. Squashed commit of: commit 508ec9144b35c50794708225b496bde1eb5e60aa Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Tue Jan 29 22:50:55 2013 +0100 Tweaked default settings file. * Explained why BASE_DIR exists. * Added a link to the database configuration options, and put it in its own section. * Moved sensitive settings that must be changed for production at the top. commit 6515fd2f1aa73a86dc8dbd2ccf512ddb6b140d57 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Tue Jan 29 14:35:21 2013 +0100 Documented the simplified app & project templates in the changelog. commit 2c5b576c2ea91d84273a019b3d0b3b8b4da72f23 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Tue Jan 29 13:59:27 2013 +0100 Minor fixes in tutorials 5 and 6. commit 55a51531be8104f21b3cca3f6bf70b0a7139a041 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Tue Jan 29 13:51:11 2013 +0100 Updated tutorial 2 for the new project template. commit 29ddae87bdaecff12dd31b16b000c01efbde9e20 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Tue Jan 29 11:58:54 2013 +0100 Updated tutorial 1 for the new project template. commit 0ecb9f6e2514cfd26a678a280d471433375101a3 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Tue Jan 29 11:29:13 2013 +0100 Adjusted the default URLconf detection to account for the admin. It's now enabled by default. commit 5fb4da0d3d09dac28dd94e3fde92b9d4335c0565 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Tue Jan 29 10:36:55 2013 +0100 Added security warnings for the most sensitive settings. commit 718d84bd8ac4a42fb4b28ec93965de32680f091e Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 23:24:06 2013 +0100 Used an absolute path for the SQLite database. This ensures the settings file works regardless of which directory django-admin.py / manage.py is invoked from. BASE_DIR got a +1 from a BDFL and another core dev. It doesn't involve the concept of a "Django project"; it's just a convenient way to express relative paths within the source code repository for non-Python files. Thanks Jacob Kaplan-Moss for the suggestion. commit 1b559b4bcda622e10909b68fe5cab90db6727dd9 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 23:22:40 2013 +0100 Removed STATIC_ROOT from the default settings template. It isn't necessary in development, and it confuses beginners to no end. Thanks Carl Meyer for the suggestion. commit a55f141a500bb7c9a1bc259bbe1954c13b199671 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 23:21:43 2013 +0100 Removed MEDIA_ROOT/URL from default settings template. Many sites will never deal with user-uploaded files, and MEDIA_ROOT is complicated to explain. Thanks Carl Meyer for the suggestion. commit 44bf2f2441420fd9429ee9fe1f7207f92dd87e70 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 22:22:09 2013 +0100 Removed logging config. This configuration is applied regardless of the value of LOGGING; duplicating it in LOGGING is confusing. commit eac747e848eaed65fd5f6f254f0a7559d856f88f Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 22:05:31 2013 +0100 Enabled the locale middleware by default. USE_I18N is True by default, and doesn't work well without LocaleMiddleware. commit d806c62b2d00826dc2688c84b092627b8d571cab Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 22:03:16 2013 +0100 Enabled clickjacking protection by default. commit 99152c30e6a15003f0b6737dc78e87adf462aacb Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 22:01:48 2013 +0100 Reorganized settings in logical sections, and trimmed comments. commit d37ffdfcb24b7e0ec7cc113d07190f65fb12fb8a Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 16:54:11 2013 +0100 Avoided misleading TEMPLATE_DEBUG = DEBUG. According to the docs TEMPLATE_DEBUG works only when DEBUG = True. commit 15d9478d3a9850e85841e7cf09cf83050371c6bf Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 16:46:25 2013 +0100 Removed STATICFILES_FINDERS/TEMPLATE_LOADERS from default settings file. Only developers with special needs ever need to change these settings. commit 574da0eb5bfb4570883756914b4dbd7e20e1f61e Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 16:45:01 2013 +0100 Removed STATICFILES/TEMPLATES_DIRS from default settings file. The current best practice is to put static files and templates in applications, for easier testing and deployment. commit 8cb18dbe56629aa1be74718a07e7cc66b4f9c9f0 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 16:24:16 2013 +0100 Removed settings related to email reporting from default settings file. While handy for small scale projects, it isn't exactly a best practice. commit 8ecbfcb3638058f0c49922540f874a7d802d864f Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Tue Jan 29 18:54:43 2013 +0100 Documented how to enable the sites framework. commit 23fc91a6fa67d91ddd9d71b1c3e0dc26bdad9841 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 16:28:59 2013 +0100 Disabled the sites framework by default. RequestSite does the job for single-domain websites. commit c4d82eb8afc0eb8568bf9c4d12644272415e3960 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Tue Jan 29 00:08:33 2013 +0100 Added a default admin.py to the application template. Thanks Ryan D Hiebert for the suggestion. commit 4071dc771e5c44b1c5ebb9beecefb164ae465e22 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 10:59:49 2013 +0100 Enabled the admin by default. Everyone uses the admin. commit c807a31f8d89e7e7fd97380e3023f7983a8b6fcb Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 10:57:05 2013 +0100 Removed admindocs from default project template. commit 09e4ce0e652a97da1a9e285046a91c8ad7a9189c Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 16:32:52 2013 +0100 Added links to the settings documentation. commit 5b8f5eaef364eb790fcde6f9e86f7d266074cca8 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 11:06:54 2013 +0100 Used a significant example for URLconf includes. commit 908e91d6fcee2a3cb51ca26ecdf12a6a24e69ef8 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 16:22:31 2013 +0100 Moved code comments about WSGI to docs, and rewrote said docs. commit 50417e51996146f891d08ca8b74dcc736a581932 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 15:51:50 2013 +0100 Normalized the default application template. Removed the default test that 1 + 1 = 2, because it's been committed way too many times, in too many projects. Added an import of `render` for views, because the first view will often be: def home(request): return render(request, "mysite/home.html")
2013-01-28 22:51:50 +08:00
Each application you write in Django consists of a Python package that follows
a certain convention. Django comes with a utility that automatically generates
the basic directory structure of an app, so you can focus on writing code
rather than creating directories.
.. admonition:: Projects vs. apps
What's the difference between a project and an app? An app is a Web
application that does something -- e.g., a Weblog system, a database of
public records or a simple poll app. A project is a collection of
configuration and apps for a particular Web site. A project can contain
multiple apps. An app can be in multiple projects.
Your apps can live anywhere on your `Python path`_. In this tutorial, we'll
create our poll app right next to your :file:`manage.py` file so that it can be
imported as its own top-level module, rather than a submodule of ``mysite``.
To create your app, make sure you're in the same directory as :file:`manage.py`
and type this command:
.. code-block:: console
$ python manage.py startapp polls
That'll create a directory :file:`polls`, which is laid out like this::
polls/
__init__.py
Simplified default project template. Squashed commit of: commit 508ec9144b35c50794708225b496bde1eb5e60aa Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Tue Jan 29 22:50:55 2013 +0100 Tweaked default settings file. * Explained why BASE_DIR exists. * Added a link to the database configuration options, and put it in its own section. * Moved sensitive settings that must be changed for production at the top. commit 6515fd2f1aa73a86dc8dbd2ccf512ddb6b140d57 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Tue Jan 29 14:35:21 2013 +0100 Documented the simplified app & project templates in the changelog. commit 2c5b576c2ea91d84273a019b3d0b3b8b4da72f23 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Tue Jan 29 13:59:27 2013 +0100 Minor fixes in tutorials 5 and 6. commit 55a51531be8104f21b3cca3f6bf70b0a7139a041 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Tue Jan 29 13:51:11 2013 +0100 Updated tutorial 2 for the new project template. commit 29ddae87bdaecff12dd31b16b000c01efbde9e20 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Tue Jan 29 11:58:54 2013 +0100 Updated tutorial 1 for the new project template. commit 0ecb9f6e2514cfd26a678a280d471433375101a3 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Tue Jan 29 11:29:13 2013 +0100 Adjusted the default URLconf detection to account for the admin. It's now enabled by default. commit 5fb4da0d3d09dac28dd94e3fde92b9d4335c0565 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Tue Jan 29 10:36:55 2013 +0100 Added security warnings for the most sensitive settings. commit 718d84bd8ac4a42fb4b28ec93965de32680f091e Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 23:24:06 2013 +0100 Used an absolute path for the SQLite database. This ensures the settings file works regardless of which directory django-admin.py / manage.py is invoked from. BASE_DIR got a +1 from a BDFL and another core dev. It doesn't involve the concept of a "Django project"; it's just a convenient way to express relative paths within the source code repository for non-Python files. Thanks Jacob Kaplan-Moss for the suggestion. commit 1b559b4bcda622e10909b68fe5cab90db6727dd9 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 23:22:40 2013 +0100 Removed STATIC_ROOT from the default settings template. It isn't necessary in development, and it confuses beginners to no end. Thanks Carl Meyer for the suggestion. commit a55f141a500bb7c9a1bc259bbe1954c13b199671 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 23:21:43 2013 +0100 Removed MEDIA_ROOT/URL from default settings template. Many sites will never deal with user-uploaded files, and MEDIA_ROOT is complicated to explain. Thanks Carl Meyer for the suggestion. commit 44bf2f2441420fd9429ee9fe1f7207f92dd87e70 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 22:22:09 2013 +0100 Removed logging config. This configuration is applied regardless of the value of LOGGING; duplicating it in LOGGING is confusing. commit eac747e848eaed65fd5f6f254f0a7559d856f88f Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 22:05:31 2013 +0100 Enabled the locale middleware by default. USE_I18N is True by default, and doesn't work well without LocaleMiddleware. commit d806c62b2d00826dc2688c84b092627b8d571cab Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 22:03:16 2013 +0100 Enabled clickjacking protection by default. commit 99152c30e6a15003f0b6737dc78e87adf462aacb Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 22:01:48 2013 +0100 Reorganized settings in logical sections, and trimmed comments. commit d37ffdfcb24b7e0ec7cc113d07190f65fb12fb8a Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 16:54:11 2013 +0100 Avoided misleading TEMPLATE_DEBUG = DEBUG. According to the docs TEMPLATE_DEBUG works only when DEBUG = True. commit 15d9478d3a9850e85841e7cf09cf83050371c6bf Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 16:46:25 2013 +0100 Removed STATICFILES_FINDERS/TEMPLATE_LOADERS from default settings file. Only developers with special needs ever need to change these settings. commit 574da0eb5bfb4570883756914b4dbd7e20e1f61e Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 16:45:01 2013 +0100 Removed STATICFILES/TEMPLATES_DIRS from default settings file. The current best practice is to put static files and templates in applications, for easier testing and deployment. commit 8cb18dbe56629aa1be74718a07e7cc66b4f9c9f0 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 16:24:16 2013 +0100 Removed settings related to email reporting from default settings file. While handy for small scale projects, it isn't exactly a best practice. commit 8ecbfcb3638058f0c49922540f874a7d802d864f Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Tue Jan 29 18:54:43 2013 +0100 Documented how to enable the sites framework. commit 23fc91a6fa67d91ddd9d71b1c3e0dc26bdad9841 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 16:28:59 2013 +0100 Disabled the sites framework by default. RequestSite does the job for single-domain websites. commit c4d82eb8afc0eb8568bf9c4d12644272415e3960 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Tue Jan 29 00:08:33 2013 +0100 Added a default admin.py to the application template. Thanks Ryan D Hiebert for the suggestion. commit 4071dc771e5c44b1c5ebb9beecefb164ae465e22 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 10:59:49 2013 +0100 Enabled the admin by default. Everyone uses the admin. commit c807a31f8d89e7e7fd97380e3023f7983a8b6fcb Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 10:57:05 2013 +0100 Removed admindocs from default project template. commit 09e4ce0e652a97da1a9e285046a91c8ad7a9189c Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 16:32:52 2013 +0100 Added links to the settings documentation. commit 5b8f5eaef364eb790fcde6f9e86f7d266074cca8 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 11:06:54 2013 +0100 Used a significant example for URLconf includes. commit 908e91d6fcee2a3cb51ca26ecdf12a6a24e69ef8 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 16:22:31 2013 +0100 Moved code comments about WSGI to docs, and rewrote said docs. commit 50417e51996146f891d08ca8b74dcc736a581932 Author: Aymeric Augustin <aymeric.augustin@m4x.org> Date: Mon Jan 28 15:51:50 2013 +0100 Normalized the default application template. Removed the default test that 1 + 1 = 2, because it's been committed way too many times, in too many projects. Added an import of `render` for views, because the first view will often be: def home(request): return render(request, "mysite/home.html")
2013-01-28 22:51:50 +08:00
admin.py
migrations/
__init__.py
models.py
tests.py
views.py
This directory structure will house the poll application.
.. _`Python path`: https://docs.python.org/tutorial/modules.html#the-module-search-path
Write your first view
=====================
Let's write the first view. Open the file ``polls/views.py``
and put the following Python code in it:
.. snippet::
:filename: polls/views.py
from django.http import HttpResponse
def index(request):
return HttpResponse("Hello, world. You're at the polls index.")
This is the simplest view possible in Django. To call the view, we need to map
it to a URL - and for this we need a URLconf.
To create a URLconf in the polls directory, create a file called ``urls.py``.
Your app directory should now look like::
polls/
__init__.py
admin.py
migrations/
__init__.py
models.py
tests.py
urls.py
views.py
In the ``polls/urls.py`` file include the following code:
.. snippet::
:filename: polls/urls.py
from django.conf.urls import url
from . import views
urlpatterns = [
url(r'^$', views.index, name='index'),
]
The next step is to point the root URLconf at the ``polls.urls`` module. In
``mysite/urls.py`` insert an :func:`~django.conf.urls.include`, leaving you
with:
.. snippet::
:filename: mysite/urls.py
from django.conf.urls import include, url
from django.contrib import admin
urlpatterns = [
url(r'^polls/', include('polls.urls')),
url(r'^admin/', admin.site.urls),
]
.. admonition:: Doesn't match what you see?
If you're seeing ``include(admin.site.urls)`` instead of just
``admin.site.urls``, you're probably using a version of Django that
doesn't match this tutorial version. You'll want to either switch to the
older tutorial or the newer Django version.
You have now wired an ``index`` view into the URLconf. Lets verify it's
working, run the following command:
.. code-block:: console
$ python manage.py runserver
Go to http://localhost:8000/polls/ in your browser, and you should see the
text "*Hello, world. You're at the polls index.*", which you defined in the
``index`` view.
The :func:`~django.conf.urls.url` function is passed four arguments, two
required: ``regex`` and ``view``, and two optional: ``kwargs``, and ``name``.
At this point, it's worth reviewing what these arguments are for.
:func:`~django.conf.urls.url` argument: regex
---------------------------------------------
The term "regex" is a commonly used short form meaning "regular expression",
which is a syntax for matching patterns in strings, or in this case, url
patterns. Django starts at the first regular expression and makes its way down
the list, comparing the requested URL against each regular expression until it
finds one that matches.
Note that these regular expressions do not search GET and POST parameters, or
the domain name. For example, in a request to
``http://www.example.com/myapp/``, the URLconf will look for ``myapp/``. In a
request to ``http://www.example.com/myapp/?page=3``, the URLconf will also
look for ``myapp/``.
If you need help with regular expressions, see `Wikipedia's entry`_ and the
documentation of the :mod:`re` module. Also, the O'Reilly book "Mastering
Regular Expressions" by Jeffrey Friedl is fantastic. In practice, however,
you don't need to be an expert on regular expressions, as you really only need
to know how to capture simple patterns. In fact, complex regexes can have poor
lookup performance, so you probably shouldn't rely on the full power of regexes.
Finally, a performance note: these regular expressions are compiled the first
time the URLconf module is loaded. They're super fast (as long as the lookups
aren't too complex as noted above).
.. _Wikipedia's entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regular_expression
:func:`~django.conf.urls.url` argument: view
--------------------------------------------
When Django finds a regular expression match, Django calls the specified view
function, with an :class:`~django.http.HttpRequest` object as the first
argument and any “captured” values from the regular expression as other
arguments. If the regex uses simple captures, values are passed as positional
arguments; if it uses named captures, values are passed as keyword arguments.
We'll give an example of this in a bit.
:func:`~django.conf.urls.url` argument: kwargs
----------------------------------------------
Arbitrary keyword arguments can be passed in a dictionary to the target view. We
aren't going to use this feature of Django in the tutorial.
:func:`~django.conf.urls.url` argument: name
---------------------------------------------
Naming your URL lets you refer to it unambiguously from elsewhere in Django
especially templates. This powerful feature allows you to make global changes
to the url patterns of your project while only touching a single file.
When you're comfortable with the basic request and response flow, read
:doc:`part 2 of this tutorial </intro/tutorial02>` to start working with the
database.