.. _quickstart:

Quickstart
============

Get it running
---------------

Put the following code at the end of your **settings.py** file::

    import smartsettings
    smartsettings.config(globals())

Create incremental settings files for your environments::

    cd <directory where your settings.py file resides>
    touch devsettings.py
    touch productionsettings.py

Example files
"""""""""""""""
*devsettings.py*::

    DEBUG = True

*productionsettings.py*::

    DATABASE_URL = "postgres://user:pass@localhost/project"
    DEBUG = False

You're ready to go!

If you define *DATABASE_URL* instead of *DATABASES* SmartSettings will automatically do::
    DATABASES = {'default': dj_database_url.config(default=DATABASE_URL)}

What does it all do
---------------------------

SmartSettings will always load your **settings.py** file and then load the environment's own incremental settings file.

If you don't declare DATABASES setting anywhere, SmartSettings will check the DATABASE_URL variable and, if found, use it through djdatabaseurl.

By default you are always using the DEV settings. 

Local developer settings
---------------------------
If you create a local (ignored by DVCS) file called **localsettings.py**, it will automatically be used in the DEV environment.

Developers should keep their local database credentials, cache settings, etc. in this file.

Example *localsettings.py*::

    DATABASE_URL = "postgres://devuser:devpass@localhost/projectdev"

Switching environments
----------------------------
Switching environments is as simple as setting the ENV_FLAVOUR env. variable to your desired environment name.

Example::

    export ENV_FLAVOUR=PRODUCTION

Or::

    export ENV_FLAVOUR=STAGING

If you want to temporarily switch to production settings from your local dev. machine to e.g. run a command, do::

    export ENV_FLAVOUR=PRODUCTION

    <run a command, e.g. ./manage.py migrate>

    unset ENV_FLAVOUR

Telling production machine it's a production machine
-----------------------------------------------------
On your production machine add a following line to your **/etc/environment** file::

    ENV_FLAVOUR=PRODUCTION