djangocon.us

September 7th–9th 2010
Portland, Oregon

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Django Forms: Tips, Tricks and Ways to Stay Out of Trouble

Novice / Talk
September 7th 2:20 p.m. – 3 p.m.
As a Django novice, one challenge is understanding the full depth and power of the core Django modules. At PBS we have found that leveraging the features of Django's Forms module helps us create better code that is easy to maintain and facilitates future enhancements to our sites. This presentation will discuss some often overlooked features of Forms, helpful tips, and potential pitfalls.

Abstract

Many novice Django developers are overwhelmed by just how much is included in the framework. Following the tutorials available on the official Django sites, it is easy to fall into a pattern of doing things in a way that is good, but perhaps not the best or most efficient. The Django Forms module is an excellent example of a core Django component that contains a lot of functionality and facilitates incredibly helpful design patterns if you know how to use them. Unfortunately, many Django novices are hesitant or unclear about how to unleash the full power of Django Forms.

This talk will provide a valuable introduction for beginning Django developers to the Forms module, and will likely teach even intermediate developers some new tricks. By using the power of automatic form generation and bulk form processing, developers can simplify and speed up many common coding tasks. When combined with common Python programming design patterns such as code factories, Django Forms becomes even more powerful. And by using forms to encapsulate logic used throughout your project, it can make future upgrades and enhancements much easier to deal with.

By the end of this presentation, even the most green Django developer will have an excellent idea of what is possible with Django Forms, some best practices for building and presenting forms, and potential pitfalls to avoid when working with forms.