Project Setup and Layout

[joshm]

Hello all,

Fairly new to satchmo, decent understanding of django...
I have installed satchmo to its own test project and got the demo
store working and everything works great. My next step is to try to
integrate a satchmo store to my exsiting django project. I have my
existing layout like so:

mywebsite
|
settings.py
manage.py
urls.py
------------->apps
|
application1
application2
...

I have read this on merging to an existing project:

http://www.llaisdy.com/blog/2008/03/21/installing-satchmo/

and it seems that perhaps some of this is already been done to handle
this (that url might be dated)? (SITE_NAME, DJANGO_PROJECT in the
local_settings.py file)

So...

1) I was confused about why there exists a DATABASE_NAME,
DATABASE_PASSWORD in the local_settings file? Is this so that satchmo
can have it's own DB? Do you recommend satchmo get its own db or can/
should it live within my existing application database?

2) I currently serve my static media out of /media/ is there any
downside to doing this? I assume I can manipulate the settings
(MEDIA_ROOT etc) and copy satchmo's static files to the right location
and this will work?

3) The SECRET_KEY, should there be one in my original settings and one
in my local_settings or only the original one?

I suppose in conclusion I'm looking for what others have done, any
"best practices" and any general project setup and layout help I can
get...

Thanks....

[Günter Walser]

My thoughts, ..

1) I was confused about why there exists a DATABASE_NAME, DATABASE_PASSWORD
in the local_settings file? Is this so that satchmo can have it's own DB?
Do you recommend satchmo get its own db or can/ should it live within my
existing application database?

Ad 1) Idea is, in my understanding, that local_settings.py holds your
installation specific data to be adapted, the normal settings hold the
general settings. Means, if you have already a database then you use that
one with that settings and I see no reason speaking against using that one
also for Satchmos tables.

2) I currently serve my static media out of /media/ is there any downside
to doing this? I assume I can manipulate the settings (MEDIA_ROOT etc) and
copy satchmo's static files to the right location and this will work?

Ad 2) I don't think so.

3) The SECRET_KEY, should there be one in my original settings and one in my
local_settings or only the original one?

Ad 3)One is enough, and as you are suppossed anyway to have it secret, you
shouldn't use the one inside the satchmo code, as this one is known and
therefore not secret.