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diff --git a/pydis_site/apps/api/README.md b/pydis_site/apps/api/README.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..1c6358b3 --- /dev/null +++ b/pydis_site/apps/api/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,71 @@ +# The "api" app + +This application takes care of most of the heavy lifting in the site, that is, +allowing our bot to manipulate and query information stored in the site's +database. + +We make heavy use of [Django REST +Framework](https://www.django-rest-framework.org) here, which builds on top of +Django to allow us to easily build out the +[REST](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representational_state_transfer) API +consumed by our bot. Working with the API app requires basic knowledge of DRF - +the [quickstart +guide](https://www.django-rest-framework.org/tutorial/quickstart/) is a great +resource to get started. + +## Directory structure + +Let's look over each of the subdirectories here: + +- `migrations` is the standard Django migrations folder. You usually won't need + to edit this manually, as `python manage.py makemigrations` handles this for + you in case you change our models. (Note that when generating migrations and + Django doesn't generate a human-readable name for you, please supply one + manually using `-n add_this_field`.) + +- `models` contains our Django model definitions. We put models into subfolders + relevant as to where they are used - in our case, the `bot` folder contains + models used by our bot when working with the API. Each model is contained + within its own module, such as `api/models/bot/message_deletion_context.py`, + which contains the `MessageDeletionContext` model. + +- `tests` contains tests for our API. If you're unfamilar with Django testing, + the [Django tutorial introducing automated + testing](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/dev/intro/tutorial05/) is a great + resource, and you can also check out code in there to see how we test it. + +- `viewsets` contains our [DRF + viewsets](https://www.django-rest-framework.org/api-guide/viewsets/), and is + structured similarly to the `models` folder: The `bot` subfolder contains + viewsets relevant to the Python Bot, and each viewset is contained within its + own module. + +The remaining modules mostly do what their name suggests: + +- `admin.py`, which hooks up our models to the [Django admin + site](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/dev/ref/contrib/admin/). + +- `apps.py` contains the Django [application + config](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/dev/ref/applications/) for the `api` + app, and is used to run any code that should run when the app is loaded. + +- `pagination.py` contains custom + [paginators](https://www.django-rest-framework.org/api-guide/pagination/) used + within our DRF viewsets. + +- `serializers.py` contains [DRF + serializers](https://www.django-rest-framework.org/api-guide/serializers/) for + our models, and also includes validation logic for the models. + +- `signals.py` contains [Django + Signals](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/dev/topics/signals/) for running + custom functionality in response to events such as deletion of a model + instance. + +- `urls.py` configures Django's [URL + dispatcher](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/dev/topics/http/urls/) for our + API endpoints. + +- `views.py` is for any standard Django views that don't make sense to be put + into DRF viewsets as they provide static data or other functionality that + doesn't interact with our models. |