DeveloperGuidelines – SahanaEden

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Version 57 (modified by Fran Boon, 16 years ago) ( diff )
+Libraries

Install a Development Environment

InstallationGuidelinesDeveloper

Python

Indentation matters (use 4 spaces instead of Tabs)

Web2Py

This is an MVC environment (like Rails & Django).

Web2Py can work at several different levels of abstraction.
The SahanaPy framework (S3) is mainly built on the simplified T2 level (Update: now being migrated to Web2Py's Auth/Crud classes), however sometimes we need more control therefore need to drop down a level or two.
Web2py also includes a T3 level of abstraction, but we're not using that directly (just borrowing ideas).

T2 level (Web2Py's Auth/Crud aren't yet documented):
- http://mdp.cti.depaul.edu/examples/static/t2.pdf
- http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/169957/t3_cheatsheet.pdf
Lower level:

Model

Defines databases in: /models/module.py

The Models are loaded 1st within Web2Py processing, before the controllers.
So you can import any global modules/set any global variables here.
The Models are imported in alphabetical order, so we load the files which other modules depend on 1st, hence naming them with an underscore:
_db.py, _gis.py

Controller

Python functions in /controllers/module.py
e.g.

   def list_records():
       list=t2.itemize(table)
       return dict (list=list)

View

HTML/Javascript templates in /views/module/function.html

these are normal HTML/JS files with the ability to add in Python code (e.g. variables) surrounded by brackets: {{ interpreted python here }}
there should be an .html file available for each function in the module (name normally being the same as the function)
these normally inherit from views/layout.html which also includes the JavaScript from views/*_ajax.html
if there is no view defined then a default view will be displayed, which will show the values of all the data it can see, but not be formatted nicely

Static CSS/Javascript files are stored in /static