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diff --git a/parts/django/docs/releases/0.96.txt b/parts/django/docs/releases/0.96.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1224360 --- /dev/null +++ b/parts/django/docs/releases/0.96.txt @@ -0,0 +1,264 @@ +================================= +Django version 0.96 release notes +================================= + +Welcome to Django 0.96! + +The primary goal for 0.96 is a cleanup and stabilization of the features +introduced in 0.95. There have been a few small `backwards-incompatible +changes`_ since 0.95, but the upgrade process should be fairly simple +and should not require major changes to existing applications. + +However, we're also releasing 0.96 now because we have a set of +backwards-incompatible changes scheduled for the near future. Once +completed, they will involve some code changes for application +developers, so we recommend that you stick with Django 0.96 until the +next official release; then you'll be able to upgrade in one step +instead of needing to make incremental changes to keep up with the +development version of Django. + +Backwards-incompatible changes +============================== + +The following changes may require you to update your code when you switch from +0.95 to 0.96: + +``MySQLdb`` version requirement +------------------------------- + +Due to a bug in older versions of the ``MySQLdb`` Python module (which +Django uses to connect to MySQL databases), Django's MySQL backend now +requires version 1.2.1p2 or higher of ``MySQLdb``, and will raise +exceptions if you attempt to use an older version. + +If you're currently unable to upgrade your copy of ``MySQLdb`` to meet +this requirement, a separate, backwards-compatible backend, called +"mysql_old", has been added to Django. To use this backend, change +the :setting:`DATABASE_ENGINE` setting in your Django settings file from +this:: + + DATABASE_ENGINE = "mysql" + +to this:: + + DATABASE_ENGINE = "mysql_old" + +However, we strongly encourage MySQL users to upgrade to a more recent +version of ``MySQLdb`` as soon as possible, The "mysql_old" backend is +provided only to ease this transition, and is considered deprecated; +aside from any necessary security fixes, it will not be actively +maintained, and it will be removed in a future release of Django. + +Also, note that some features, like the new :setting:`DATABASE_OPTIONS` +setting (see the `databases documentation`_ for details), are only +available on the "mysql" backend, and will not be made available for +"mysql_old". + +.. _databases documentation: http://www.djangoproject.com/documentation/0.96/databases/ + +Database constraint names changed +--------------------------------- + +The format of the constraint names Django generates for foreign key +references have changed slightly. These names are generally only used +when it is not possible to put the reference directly on the affected +column, so they are not always visible. + +The effect of this change is that running ``manage.py reset`` and +similar commands against an existing database may generate SQL with +the new form of constraint name, while the database itself contains +constraints named in the old form; this will cause the database server +to raise an error message about modifying non-existent constraints. + +If you need to work around this, there are two methods available: + + 1. Redirect the output of ``manage.py`` to a file, and edit the + generated SQL to use the correct constraint names before + executing it. + + 2. Examine the output of ``manage.py sqlall`` to see the new-style + constraint names, and use that as a guide to rename existing + constraints in your database. + +Name changes in ``manage.py`` +----------------------------- + +A few of the options to ``manage.py`` have changed with the addition of fixture +support: + + * There are new ``dumpdata`` and ``loaddata`` commands which, as + you might expect, will dump and load data to/from the + database. These commands can operate against any of Django's + supported serialization formats. + + * The ``sqlinitialdata`` command has been renamed to ``sqlcustom`` to + emphasize that ``loaddata`` should be used for data (and ``sqlcustom`` for + other custom SQL -- views, stored procedures, etc.). + + * The vestigial ``install`` command has been removed. Use ``syncdb``. + +Backslash escaping changed +-------------------------- + +The Django database API now escapes backslashes given as query parameters. If +you have any database API code that matches backslashes, and it was working before +(despite the lack of escaping), you'll have to change your code to "unescape" the +slashes one level. + +For example, this used to work:: + + # Find text containing a single backslash + MyModel.objects.filter(text__contains='\\\\') + +The above is now incorrect, and should be rewritten as:: + + # Find text containing a single backslash + MyModel.objects.filter(text__contains='\\') + +Removed ENABLE_PSYCO setting +---------------------------- + +The ``ENABLE_PSYCO`` setting no longer exists. If your settings file includes +``ENABLE_PSYCO`` it will have no effect; to use Psyco_, we recommend +writing a middleware class to activate it. + +.. _psyco: http://psyco.sourceforge.net/ + +What's new in 0.96? +=================== + +This revision represents over a thousand source commits and over four hundred +bug fixes, so we can't possibly catalog all the changes. Here, we describe the +most notable changes in this release. + +New forms library +----------------- + +``django.newforms`` is Django's new form-handling library. It's a +replacement for ``django.forms``, the old form/manipulator/validation +framework. Both APIs are available in 0.96, but over the next two +releases we plan to switch completely to the new forms system, and +deprecate and remove the old system. + +There are three elements to this transition: + + * We've copied the current ``django.forms`` to + ``django.oldforms``. This allows you to upgrade your code *now* + rather than waiting for the backwards-incompatible change and + rushing to fix your code after the fact. Just change your + import statements like this:: + + from django import forms # 0.95-style + from django import oldforms as forms # 0.96-style + + * The next official release of Django will move the current + ``django.newforms`` to ``django.forms``. This will be a + backwards-incompatible change, and anyone still using the old + version of ``django.forms`` at that time will need to change + their import statements as described above. + + * The next release after that will completely remove + ``django.oldforms``. + +Although the ``newforms`` library will continue to evolve, it's ready for use +for most common cases. We recommend that anyone new to form handling skip the +old forms system and start with the new. + +For more information about ``django.newforms``, read the `newforms +documentation`_. + +.. _newforms documentation: http://www.djangoproject.com/documentation/0.96/newforms/ + +URLconf improvements +-------------------- + +You can now use any callable as the callback in URLconfs (previously, only +strings that referred to callables were allowed). This allows a much more +natural use of URLconfs. For example, this URLconf:: + + from django.conf.urls.defaults import * + + urlpatterns = patterns('', + ('^myview/$', 'mysite.myapp.views.myview') + ) + +can now be rewritten as:: + + from django.conf.urls.defaults import * + from mysite.myapp.views import myview + + urlpatterns = patterns('', + ('^myview/$', myview) + ) + +One useful application of this can be seen when using decorators; this +change allows you to apply decorators to views *in your +URLconf*. Thus, you can make a generic view require login very +easily:: + + from django.conf.urls.defaults import * + from django.contrib.auth.decorators import login_required + from django.views.generic.list_detail import object_list + from mysite.myapp.models import MyModel + + info = { + "queryset" : MyModel.objects.all(), + } + + urlpatterns = patterns('', + ('^myview/$', login_required(object_list), info) + ) + +Note that both syntaxes (strings and callables) are valid, and will continue to +be valid for the foreseeable future. + +The test framework +------------------ + +Django now includes a test framework so you can start transmuting fear into +boredom (with apologies to Kent Beck). You can write tests based on doctest_ +or unittest_ and test your views with a simple test client. + +There is also new support for "fixtures" -- initial data, stored in any of the +supported `serialization formats`_, that will be loaded into your database at the +start of your tests. This makes testing with real data much easier. + +See `the testing documentation`_ for the full details. + +.. _doctest: http://docs.python.org/library/doctest.html +.. _unittest: http://docs.python.org/library/unittest.html +.. _the testing documentation: http://www.djangoproject.com/documentation/0.96/testing/ +.. _serialization formats: http://www.djangoproject.com/documentation/0.96/serialization/ + +Improvements to the admin interface +----------------------------------- + +A small change, but a very nice one: dedicated views for adding and +updating users have been added to the admin interface, so you no +longer need to worry about working with hashed passwords in the admin. + +Thanks +====== + +Since 0.95, a number of people have stepped forward and taken a major +new role in Django's development. We'd like to thank these people for +all their hard work: + + * Russell Keith-Magee and Malcolm Tredinnick for their major code + contributions. This release wouldn't have been possible without them. + + * Our new release manager, James Bennett, for his work in getting out + 0.95.1, 0.96, and (hopefully) future release. + + * Our ticket managers Chris Beaven (aka SmileyChris), Simon Greenhill, + Michael Radziej, and Gary Wilson. They agreed to take on the monumental + task of wrangling our tickets into nicely cataloged submission. Figuring + out what to work on is now about a million times easier; thanks again, + guys. + + * Everyone who submitted a bug report, patch or ticket comment. We can't + possibly thank everyone by name -- over 200 developers submitted patches + that went into 0.96 -- but everyone who's contributed to Django is listed + in AUTHORS_. + +.. _AUTHORS: http://code.djangoproject.com/browser/django/trunk/AUTHORS |