Extra Resources

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The following is a set of online and printed resources that we believe can be useful in daily Django and Python development. Some of these links are also present in our chapter-by-chapter listings, but many of them have not been mentioned in the book and are simply extra resources we wanted to share.

Django

General

• Django home page: http://djangoproject.com/
  
• Downloading Django: http://www.djangoproject.com/download
  
• How to install Django: http://www.djangoproject.com/documentation/install
  
• Django Source Code: http://code.djangoproject.com/
  
• Django Trunk: http://code.djangoproject.com/svn/django/trunk
  

Editors and IDEs

• Editing Django templates with Emacs: http://code.djangoproject.com/wiki/Emacs
  
• Using TextMate with Django: http://code.djangoproject.com/wiki/TextMate
  
• Using Vim with Django: http://code.djangoproject.com/wiki/UsingVimWithDjango
  

Web server setups

• Django with FastCGI: http://www.djangoproject.com/documentation/fastcgi/
  
• DjangoCerise (Django with CherryPy): http://www.xhtml.net/scripts/Django-CherryPy-server-DjangoCerise
  
• django-cpserver (Django with CherryPy): http://lincolnloop.com/blog/2008/mar/25/serving-django-cherrypy/
  
• Web server options: http://code.djangoproject.com/wiki/ServerArrangements
  

Database setups

• SQL Server 2005+ Django backend DB support: http://code.google.com/p/django-mssql/
  
• Python (and SQLAlchemy) IBM DB2 and Informix IDS support: http://code.google.com/p/ibm-db/
  
• SQLite vacuum script: http://djangosnippets.org/snippets/234
  

Templating Engines

• Django template language: http://www.djangoproject.com/documentation/templates_python
  
• Integrating with Mako and Genshi: http://djangosnippets.org/snippets/97
  

Community

• Contributing to Django: http://www.djangoproject.com/documentation/contributing
  
• Django developers: http://djangopeople.net/
  
• Django help wanted: http://djangogigs.com/
  
• more Django developers: http://djangogigs.com/developers/
  
• Numerous unoffical resources: http://code.djangoproject.com/wiki/DjangoResources
  

Example Django applications

There is a lot of open source Django code available online. Reading the source of established Django projects can be a great way to learn more about the framework. Our recommended starting points include:

• http://djangosnippets.org/ Small pieces of Django code for doing specific tasks
• http://code.djangoproject.com/browser/djangoproject.com/django_website The source to the djangoproject.com itself
• http://www.djangosites.org/with-source/ Sites in the djangosites.org directory that offer downloadable source code
• http://djangoplugables.com/ A tracker for open source Django projects
• http://code.google.com/hosting/search?q=label:django Django projects hostd on Google Code
• http://github.com/search?q=django Django projects (including mirrors of projects whose official repositories are in Subversion) hosted on github.com, using the Git distributed version control system
• http://pinaxproject.com/ An open-source collection of integrated, but reusable, apps.

Google App Engine

• Home Page: http://code.google.com/appengine/
  
• SDK Project home page: http://code.google.com/p/googleappengine/
  
• Developer's Guide: http://code.google.com/appengine/docs/
  
• Tutorial: http://code.google.com/appengine/docs/gettingstarted/
  
• Articles: http://code.google.com/appengine/articles/
  
• Login page (provided you have a GAE account): http://appengine.google.com/
  
• Google Groups: http://code.google.com/appengine/groups.html
  
• Bug/Issue Tracker: http://code.google.com/p/googleappengine/issues/list
  
• Blog: http://googleappengine.blogspot.com/
  
• Featured Apps: http://appgallery.appspot.com/
  

Google App Engine Helper for Django

• Google App Engine Helper for Django home page: http://code.google.com/p/google-app-engine-django/
  
• Using the Helper for new/existing Django projects: http://code.google.com/p/google-app-engine-django/source/browse/trunk/README
  
• Using the Google App Engine Helper for Django (Matt Brown), May 2008: http://code.google.com/appengine/articles/appengine_helper_for_django.html
  
• Bug/Issue Tracker: http://code.google.com/p/google-app-engine-django/issues/list
  

Online Videos

• Google I/O Talks (most with presentation slides), 2008 May 28-29
  • Rapid Development with Python, Django, and Google App Engine (Guido van Rossum) http://sites.google.com/site/io/rapid-development-with-python-django-and-google-app-engine
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1gTI4BOPUw
    
  • Building Scalable Web Apps with App Engine (Brett Slatkin) http://sites.google.com/site/io/building-scalable-web-applications-with-google-app-engine
    
  • Engaging User Experiences with App Engine (John Skidgel and Lindsey Simon) http://sites.google.com/site/io/engaging-user-experiences-with-google-app-engine
    
  • Google App Engine Datastore Under the Covers (Ryan Barrett) http://sites.google.com/site/io/under-the-covers-of-the-google-app-engine-datastore
    
  • Building a Production Quality Apps on Google App Engine (Ken Ashcraft) http://sites.google.com/site/io/best-practices---building-a-production-quality-application-on-google-app-engine
    
  • Working with Google App Engine Models (Rafe Kaplan) http://sites.google.com/site/io/working-with-google-app-engine-models
    
  • App Engine in Action (Kevin Gibbs) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUkj3tNVH44
    
• Introducing GAE at Google Campfire, 2008 Apr 7 http://innovationstartups.wordpress.com/2008/04/10/google-app-engine-youtubes/ all 6 parts
  • Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ztr-HhWX1c
    
  • Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcbpTQXNwac
    
  • Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG6Ac7d-Nx8
    
  • Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTFL7FPLnXY
    
  • Part 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcM2Ejk1tis
    
  • Part 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7usoKm5zwE
    
• Developing and Deploying an Application on Google App Engine, 2008 Apr 7 (Brett Slatkin) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfgO-LXGpTM
  
• Addressbook, 2008 Jun 17 (Dion Almaer, Ben Galbraith) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwn3YY6cyEQ
  
• TechCrunch's Sample App Engine App http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/04/08/techcrunch-labs-our-experience-building-and-launching-app-on-google-app-engine/
  

Python

General Documentation

• Home Page: http://python.org
  
• Python Documentation: http://docs.python.org
  
• Docs for exceptions module: http://docs.python.org/lib/module-exceptions.html
  
• Recent changes to importing: http://docs.python.org/whatsnew/pep-328.html
  
• Using emacs with Python: http://python.org/emacs
  

PEPs

• Python Style Guide: http://python.org/dev/peps/pep-0008
  
• New bytes type: http://python.org/dev/peps/pep-3137
  
• Changes to importing: http://python.org/dev/peps/pep-0328
  
• Python 3.0/3000/3k: http://python.org/dev/peps/pep-3000
  
• Python 3.0 Plans: http://python.org/dev/peps/pep-3100
  

Reference

• Python FAQ: http://python.org/doc/FAQ.html
  
• Python Quick Reference Guide: http://rgruet.free.fr/#QuickRef
  

Tutorials

• Python Tutorials List: http://www.awaretek.com/tutorials.html
  
• Instant Hacking: http://hetland.org/writing/instant-hacking.html
  
• Instant Python: http://hetland.org/writing/instant-python.html
  
• How to Think Like a Computer Scientist, 2nd ed.: http://openbookproject.net/thinkCSpy/
  
• Learning to Program: http://www.freenetpages.co.uk/hp/alan.gauld/
  

Testing and Documentation Tools

• Epydoc: http://epydoc.sf.net
  

Software

General

• FreeBSD: http://freebsd.org
• Debian: http://debian.org
• Ubuntu: http://ubuntu.com
• Cygwin: http://www.cygwin.com/
• MySQL: http://mysql.com
  
• Oracle: http://oracle.com
  
• PostgreSQL: http://postgresql.org
  
• SQLite: http://sqlite.org
  
• Mailman: http://www.gnu.org/software/mailman
  

Web Servers and Modules

• Apache: http://httpd.apache.org
  
• mod_python: http://modpython.org
  
• mod_wsgi: http://modwsgi.org/
  
• ligHTTPD: http://www.lighttpd.net/
  
• CherryPy: http://cherrypy.org/
  
• Twisted.Web2: http://twistedmatrix.com/trac/wiki/TwistedWeb2
  

Tools

Utilities

• 7-Zip: http://7zip.org
  
• Apache Bench: http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/programs/ab.html
  

Text Formatting

• Markdown: http://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown
  
• Python Markdown: http://www.freewisdom.org/projects/python-markdown/
  
• Python Markdown wtables (Wrapped Tables) Extension: http://brian-jaress.livejournal.com/5978.html
  
• Python Markdown2: http://code.google.com/p/python-markdown2/
  

IDEs

• IPython: http://ipython.scipy.org
  
• Eclipse: http://eclipse.org
  
• PyDev: Python Eclipse plug-in: http://pydev.sourceforge.net
  
• SPE (Stani's Python Editor): http://pythonide.blogspot.com/
  

Web browsers

• FireFox: http://mozilla.com/firefox
  
• Opera: http://opera.com
  

Revision control

• Git: http://git.or.cz
• Git resources: http://git-scm.com
• Mercurial: http://www.selenic.com/mercurial
  
• Mercurial book: http://hgbook.red-bean.com
  
• Subversion: http://subversion.tigris.org
  
• Subversion book: http://svnbook.red-bean.com

Issue Tracking

• Trac: http://trac.edgewall.org
  
• Trac Hacks: http://trac-hacks.org
  

Text editors

• Vim: http://www.vim.org
  
• TextMate: http://macromates.com/
  
• Emacs: http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/
  

JavaScript Libraries

• jQuery: http://jquery.com
  
• Prototype: http://prototypejs.org/
  
• MooTools: http://mootools.net/
  
• Dojo: http://dojotoolkit.org/
  
• Yahoo UI (YUI): http://developer.yahoo.com/yui/
  

JavaScript Object Notation (JSON)

• JSON home page: http://json.org
  
• Comparing JSON modules for Python: http://deron.meranda.us/python/comparing_json_modules
  
• Choosing a Python JSON Translator: http://blog.hill-street.net/?p=7
  

Source Code Syntax Highlighters

• JavaScript code syntax highlighter: http://code.google.com/p/syntaxhighlighter/
  
• Pygments Python syntax highlighter: http://pygments.org/
  

Test tools

• Twill: http://twill.idyll.org/
  
• Selenium: http://selenium.openqa.org/
  

Memcached

• Memcached: http://danga.com/memcached
  
• Linux Journal Memcached article: http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/7451
  
• Memcached for Windows: http://splinedancer.com/memcached-win32
  
• Pure Python Memcached client: http://tummy.com/Community/software/python-memcached
  
• Python/C-based Memcached client: http://gijsbert.org/cmemcache/
  

Miscellaneous

• http://feedparser.org
• http://gnuwin32.sf.net/packages/libarchive.htm
• http://vobject.skyhouseconsulting.com
• http://www.lorenzogil.com/projects/pycha
• http://www.macports.org

Python Books

Beginners

• Python For Dummies
  • S. Maruch and A. Maruch, For Dummies, 2006
  • http://pythonfood.com/
    
• Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner, 2nd ed.
  • Michael Dawson, Course Technology, 2005

• Introduction to Computing and Programming in Python: A Multimedia Approach

  • Mark Guzdial, Prentice Hall, 2005

• Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science

  • John Zelle, Franklin Beedle, 2003
  • http://mcsp.wartburg.edu/zelle/python/
    

• How To Think Like a Computer Scientist: Learning with Python, 1st ed. (2nd ed. online [see above])

  • A. Downey, J. Elkner, C. Meyers, 2002
  • http://www.greenteapress.com/thinkpython/thinkCSpy/html/
    

• Python: Visual QuickStart Guide

  • Chris Fehily, PeachPit Press, 2001
  • http://www.fehily.com/books/python1/desc.htm
    

• Learn to Program Using Python

  • Alan Gauld, Addison Wesley, 2000
  • http://www.freenetpages.co.uk/hp/alan.gauld/

General

• Python Fundamentals (LiveLessons DVD Video Training)
  • Wesley J. Chun, Prentice Hall, 2008
  • http://mylivelessons.com
    
• Learning Python, 3rd ed.
  • Mark Lutz, David Ascher, O'Reilly, 2007
  • http://www.rmi.net/~lutz/about-lp3e.html
    
• Core Python Programming, 2nd ed.
  • Wesley J. Chun, Prentice Hall, 2006
  • http://corepython.com
    
• Programming Python, 3rd ed.
  • Mark Lutz, O'Reilly, 2006
  • http://www.rmi.net/~lutz/about-pp3e.html
    
• Beginning Python: From Novice to Professional
  • Magnus L. Hetland, Apress, 2005
  • http://hetland.org/writing/beginning-python/
    
• Beginning Python: Programmer to Programmer
  • P. Norton, A. Samuel, D. Aitel, E. Foster-Johnson, Wrox, 2005
• Dive into Python
  • Mark Pilgrim, Apress, 2004
  • http://diveintopython.org
    

Reference

• Python Phrasebook
  • Brad Dayley, Sams, 2006
• Python in a Nutshell, 2nd ed.
  • Alex Martelli, O'Reilly, 2006
• Python Essential Reference, 3rd ed.
  • David M. Beazley, Sams, 2006
• Python Cookbook, 2nd ed.
  • (ed.) A. Martelli, A. Ravenscroft, D. Ascher, O'Reilly, 2005
• Python Pocket Reference, 3rd ed.
  • Mark Lutz, O'Reilly, 2005

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