I currently have an admin panel that manages my database records. Now I want to create a public-facing website where users can search through this data and view results on separate pages.
I’m working with a Django model that looks like this:
from django.db import models
class Doctor(models.Model):
website_url = models.CharField('Website', max_length=200)
practice_name = models.CharField('Practice', max_length=100)
first_name = models.CharField('First Name', max_length=50)
last_name = models.CharField('Last Name', max_length=50)
graduation_year = models.IntegerField('Graduation year')
university = models.CharField(max_length=300)
class Meta:
ordering = ('last_name',)
def __str__(self):
return self.first_name
What steps should I take to build the frontend search functionality and display pages? Any guidance would be helpful.
interesting project! are you using django’s built-in views or going with react for the frontend? what search filters are you planning - location, specialty, graduation year?
django makes it pretty simple! just set up views for both search results and detail pages, then create your templates. don’t forget to update urls.py for all your routes. if you want a smoother experience, look into using AJAX for that search functionality!
To transform your backend system into a user-facing interface, start by defining URL patterns and corresponding views for the search functionality. Your view should handle GET requests by accepting query parameters to filter results. Create a template to display the filtered Doctor objects.
Utilize Django’s forms framework for the search form, incorporating fields that align with your model attributes, such as practice name and graduation year. For more complex queries, consider using Django’s Q objects.
It’s also important to implement pagination early, especially when managing larger datasets. Additionally, create a distinct view for individual doctor detail pages that utilize their ID in the URL. Remember to address edge cases, such as handling empty search results and invalid queries, and make use of CSS frameworks like Bootstrap to enhance the interface’s appearance.