web2py for dummies

[Andrea Bravi]

Hi everyone,

first of all, thank you for the really nice job done with web2py: as soon as I downloaded it, I really liked how easy it is to use the admin interface and play with it!

That being said, I would like to kindly ask you some advices regarding how to learn using web2py. I have a background in Python and database design/programming, however I don't know anything about web applications (I am a biomedical engineer). I was trying to read the official web2py book, however from Chapter 4 I realized that I could understand and reproduce the examples, but I was definitely not capable to abstract and learn how to use the entire API. It seems to me that the material is targeting an audience that already knows how to create web applications, and that only needs to learn a new "vocabulary". Now, is there some book/slides/course/anything that you would suggest me to start with? I could buy a book like Python 3 Web Development Beginner's Guide (assuming that's what I need) and start from there, however I would like something that targets directly web2py.

I hope the question is clear enough! Let me know if you need other details.

Thank you for your help,

Andrea

[Massimo Di Pierro]

You raise a good issue. We will start working on it as soon as the 4th
ed of the book is out.

[Phyo Arkar]

Python 3 web development will be a far shot. web2py wont be going
python 3 for long.

[Javier Quarite]

 It seems to me that the material is targeting an audience

>> that already knows how to create web applications, and that only needs to
>> learn a new "vocabulary". Now, is there some book/slides/course/anything
>> that you would suggest me to start with? I could buy a book like Python 3
>> Web Development Beginner's Guide (assuming that's what I need) and start
>> from there, however I would like something that targets directly web2py.
>>
>> I hope the question is clear enough! Let me know if you need other
>> details.
>>
>> Thank you for your help,
>>
>> Andrea
>

I've read that there's going to be a book something like "web2py recipes" but I'm not sure where I've seen it

As far as I remember it could be a PACKT release

[Anthony]

I've read that there's going to be a book something like "web2py recipes" but I'm not sure where I've seen it

As far as I remember it could be a PACKT release

http://www.packtpub.com/web2py-application-development-recipes-to-master-python-web-framework-cookbook/book

Though I don't think it's intended as a beginner's introduction to web development. 

[Anthony]

You might find these resources helpful: http://www.w3schools.com/, http://www.webmonkey.com/tutorials/.

Chapter 4 of the book is in more of a reference style than most of the rest of the book, so you might find things starting to click a bit more as you proceed through the later chapters. Start simple, and you'll gradually figure out how to do things. Feel free to ask questions here on the list.

Anthony

[Javier Quarite]

Oh well, I thought it could contain basic to expert example (or sort... :) ), I've seen a video on vimeo about web2py that shows how to use plugins and the book shows how to build a blog, I wonder if its possible to collect some apps and do some videos (like railscast.com) but it requires time and I'm not sure if someone can manage to do that.... but it could help more people to be interested in using web2py

PD: Thanks for the link, do you know when its going to be released?

[Anthony]

Oh well, I thought it could contain basic to expert example (or sort... :) )

I think there will be some stuff useful to beginners -- it's just not a general introduction to web programming.

 

 

PD: Thanks for the link, do you know when its going to be released?

According to the page linked, December 2011, so I assume very soon.

Anthony 

[lyn2py]

On Dec 4, 12:10 am, Javier Quarite <jquari...@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Sat, Dec 3, 2011 at 10:32 AM, Anthony <abasta...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > I've read that there's going to be a book something like "web2py recipes"
> >> but I'm not sure where I've seen it
> >> As far as I remember it could be a PACKT release
>

> >http://www.packtpub.com/web2py-application-development-recipes-to-mas...

>
> > Though I don't think it's intended as a beginner's introduction to web
> > development.
>
> Oh well, I thought it could contain basic to expert example (or sort... :)
> ), I've seen a video on vimeo about web2py that shows how to use plugins
> and the book shows how to build a blog, I wonder if its possible to collect
> some apps and do some videos (like railscast.com) but it requires time and
> I'm not sure if someone can manage to do that.... but it could help more
> people to be interested in using web2py

Here's a basic to expert examples: http://web2py.com/examples/default/examples

[chawk]

I started web building 2 years ago, i have a full time job in
Automobile Insurance, and limited time at home to learn. Your
question seems to indicate that you don't have any knowledge of HTML,
CSS or Javascript/jQuery? forgive me if I am wrong, but if that is the
case you definitely need to start there, especially CSS. It did not
take me very long to get very good at creating great looking static
webpages with dynamic javascript/jQuery. However I have struggled a
lot with the database and server side of things. With the recent help
of Anthony explaining how to properly create forms and query the
information I am looking for, I am flying along with the creation my
music website.

The best web books that have helped me in my 2 year process are:

Web2py book (just started web2py 5 months ago)
CSS 3.0 the missing manual
jQuery in action 2nd edition
(i would mention python books, but you already know Python which is
huge)

I also want to mention that having Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator are
huge, when it comes to getting the website to look really nice. In
fact it is nearly a must have when it comes to creating 100%
professional sites, if not them something that does something similar
to what they do. Although they are the best when it comes to
Photoshop.

By the way, long live Python & Web2py, i love the this framework more
than any other. I have spent time with Django, Zend, CodeIgniter, Yii
and Catalyst, Web2py is the best, period.

I hope that i can build a game changing application that puts Web2py
at the top of the list for web frameworks. alright.. back to work
now.

chawk

[Andrea Bravi]

First of all, thank all of you for your valuable (and quick!) answers.

@Massimo DP: Just for curiosity, any expected date for the release of
the new editions?

@Anthony: great suggestions! I spent all the day with http://www.w3schools.com/,
http://www.webmonkey.com/tutorials/, and that was exactly what I
needed! Obviously it is still a long way to go, but that material is
great!

@chawk: yes, you centered the point! thank you for the detailed
answer. I started with the material suggested by Antony and will now
explore the books you suggested. Hopefully I'll get there, and I wish
you the best for your application! :)

Thanks everyone again!

[Massimo Di Pierro]

I hope sometime this week. It is basically done.

Massimo

On Dec 3, 9:00 pm, Andrea Bravi <andrea.br...@gmail.com> wrote:
> First of all, thank all of you for your valuable (and quick!) answers.
>
> @Massimo DP: Just for curiosity, any expected date for the release of
> the new editions?
>

> @Anthony: great suggestions! I spent all the day withhttp://www.w3schools.com/,http://www.webmonkey.com/tutorials/, and that was exactly what I

[mikech]

I've been thinking along these same lines.  I would like to see a workbook to go along with the web2py book in which the concepts in the book are illustrated in a sample in the workbook.  Perhaps it could be a progressive sample that builds on one of the samples begun in the earlier chapters.

Mike

[Cliff]

mikech,

Have you looked here:
http://web2py.com/examples/default/examples

[mikech]

Thanks Cliff, I will take a look.  I

Mike

[rock...@googlemail.com]

Hi Andrea,

I am working on a book about learning web development with web2py. The conzept is a mixture of railsturial.org and Headfirst Html.

I will post the first 3 chapters before christmas.

Marco

[Massimo Di Pierro]

Look forward to this.

On Dec 5, 3:12 pm, "ma...@rockiger.com" <rocki...@googlemail.com>
wrote:

[Phil Graham]

Andrea,

First post on web2py, but your circumstances are close enough to mine
to jump in here.

Background: Father was a COBOL developer, learned Tandy TRS basic in
elementary school and pascal in high school, no code through grad
school except some matlab fiddling. Taught myself enough Wordpress to
set up sites for business and personal. Found a partner in crime to
start developing saas for a specific niche of the professional audio
market. He's a much more savvy coder than I, but stuff like OWASP
turns my crank and together we are navigating this water.

The present: We started off looking at Google app engine, and then
they made it really expensive for what we want to do. Now we are
picking a python framework and will start on vps and move to Heroku/
AES/dotcloud/etc when traffic justifies We don't want to be amazing
coders, we see programming as a means to solve problems for other
people in specific niches we know well, all while making money for our
enterprise. That leans us strongly towards web2py with postgres.

Helpful resources: Learn using Wordpress, it has beyond extensive
documentation, and its how I became aware of sql injection, xss, css,
html, vps administration, cdn's memcached, etc. It taught me the
moving pieces of a dynamic website. Even its flaws are useful. It
taught me to stay far away from php as a novice. It also lead me to
see the need for structure like mvc.

Also, I recommend: http://books.google.com/books/about/Using_Google_App_Engine.html?id=_...

Which, while targeted at gae, is a good intro to all web basics, and
it was written for MBAs, not cs students. I have found it useful
cliffs notes.

-Phil

PS Marco, ill be first in line to buy your book, and/or be one of your
beta readers.