Install Django on a development Mac

Notes on installing a Django development environment on a Mac.

Install Python

• Install Python 3 from www.python.org.
• Run Install Cerltificates.command.
• Install pip and virtualenv

pip3 install --upgrade pip
pip3 install virtualenvwrapper

Put virtualenvwrapper in .bash_profile:

# Virtualenvwrapper
export VIRTUALENVWRAPPER_PYTHON=/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.6/bin/python3
source /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.6/bin/virtualenvwrapper_lazy.sh

Create a Python virtual environment

mkvirtualenv -p /usr/bin/python2 my_proj
cd ~/Documents/my_proj
setvirtualenvproject

-p is optional

Install Visual Studio Code

• Install shell command: Cmd-Shift-p > shell command
• Install Python extension.

Install Postgres

Install Django

pip install Django

Create directory

cd to the parent directory of the directory you wish to place the source files.
Create directory for source files with the Django startapp command.

django-admin startproject my_proj
cd my_proj
setvirtualenvproject

Create app

mkdir my_proj/my_form
./manage.py startapp my_form my_proj/my_form

Configure for VSCode

code . 

Create a new Django project in VSCode

Initialize git

git init
git add .

If .pyc files were uninentionally added:

git rm --cached '**.pyc'

Create .gitignore

touch .gitignore
code .gitignore

Input:

*.pyc

Static files

STATIC_URL: URL (relative to domain root) to trigger searching for static files.
STATICFILES_DIRS: List of directories in which to look for static files when collectstatic is run.
STATIC_ROOT: Django serves files from this directory when run under development mode. Also, collectstatic collects static files here. Upload this to server.

In development: project/static, sibling to project/manage.py
On production: /home/user/domain.com/public/static

settings.py:

STATIC_URL = '/static/'
STATICFILES_DIRS = [
    os.path.join(BASE_DIR, "static"),
]
STATIC_ROOT = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(BASE_DIR), 'public/static/')