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Integrate Django Debug Toolbar

Learn how to integrate Django Toolbar, a popular DEBUG library

Including third-party applications in your Django project, such as django-debug-toolbar, can be a powerful way to extend the functionality of your application without reinventing the wheel.

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to include and use third-party applications like django-debug-toolbar in your project:

✅ Installation​

To include a third-party application, you first need to install it. You can do this using pip, which is the package manager for Python. Open your terminal and run:

pip install django-debug-toolbar

Replace django-debug-toolbar with the name of the third-party package you want to install.

✅ Update INSTALLED_APPS Section​

In your Django project's settings (usually found in settings.py), you need to add the third-party application to the INSTALLED_APPS list. For example, to include django-debug-toolbar, add the following line to your settings:

INSTALLED_APPS = [
    # ...
    'debug_toolbar',
    # ...
]

✅ Configure the Application​

Some third-party applications may require additional configuration. Refer to the documentation of the specific package you're installing to see if any configuration settings are necessary.

For django-debug-toolbar, you typically need to configure it to work only in development mode. Here's how to do that:

if DEBUG:
    MIDDLEWARE += [
        'debug_toolbar.middleware.DebugToolbarMiddleware',
    ]
    DEBUG_TOOLBAR_CONFIG = {
        'SHOW_TOOLBAR_CALLBACK': lambda request: True,
    }

Ensure that DEBUG is set to True in your development settings and not in production.

✅ Include URLs​

Some applications may provide their URLs. If so, you need to include them in your project's urls.py file.

For example, django-debug-toolbar provides its URLs, so you can include them as follows:

if settings.DEBUG:
    import debug_toolbar
    urlpatterns = [
        path('__debug__/', include(debug_toolbar.urls)),
        # ...
    ]

✅ Run Migrations​

Some third-party applications, especially those that store data in the database, might require you to run migrations to create their database tables. Run the following command to apply migrations:

python manage.py makemigrations
python manage.py migrate

✅ Use the new Features​

Now that you've installed and configured the third-party application, you can use its functionality in your Django project. Refer to the documentation of the specific application to learn how to use it effectively.

✅ Test in Development​

It's essential to thoroughly test the third-party application in your development environment before deploying it to a production server. Ensure it behaves as expected and doesn't introduce any issues.

✅ In Summary​

Remember that different third-party applications may have unique installation and configuration instructions, so always refer to their official documentation for the most accurate and up-to-date information.

Including third-party applications can save you a lot of development time and add powerful features to your Django project.

✅ Resources​