Welcome to the world of web development with Flask! In this comprehensive tutorial, we’ll guide you through the process of creating web applications using the Flask framework in Python. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to expand your skills, let’s dive into the essentials of routing, templates, and database integration.
Setting Up Your Flask Environment 🛠️
Before we start building, let’s ensure your environment is set up for Flask development.
Step 1: Install Flask
Open your terminal and run:
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pip install FlaskStep 2: Project Structure
Create a project folder and structure it like this:
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/my_flask_app /templates index.html app.py
Your First Flask App: Hello, World! 👋🌍
Open app.py and add the following code:
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from flask import Flask, render_template app = Flask(__name__) @app.route('/') def home(): return render_template('index.html') if __name__ == '__main__': app.run(debug=True)Run Your App
In the terminal, navigate to your project folder and run:
python app.py
Visit http://localhost:5000/ in your browser to see your first Flask app in action!Routing in Flask: Navigating Your Web Pages 🗺️
Flask uses routes to map URLs to functions in your code. Let’s create additional pages for your app.
Adding Routes
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@app.route('/about') def about(): return render_template('about.html') @app.route('/contact') def contact(): return render_template('contact.html')Extend your templates folder with corresponding HTML files.
Templating with Jinja2: Dynamic Content 🧑🎨🔄
Jinja2 is a powerful templating engine integrated into Flask. It allows you to inject dynamic content into your HTML.
Using Variables
In your index.html:
<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8"> <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"> <title>My Flask App</title> </head> <body> <h1>Hello, {{ name }}!</h1> </body> </html>And in your app.py:
@app.route('/greet/<name>') def greet(name): return render_template('index.html', name=name)Database Integration with Flask: SQLAlchemy 🗃️🔗
Let’s integrate a database into your Flask app using SQLAlchemy.
Installing SQLAlchemy
pip install Flask-SQLAlchemySetting Up SQLAlchemy
from flask_sqlalchemy import SQLAlchemy app.config['SQLALCHEMY_DATABASE_URI'] = 'sqlite:///site.db' db = SQLAlchemy(app)Create a models.py file:
from datetime import datetime class User(db.Model): id = db.Column(db.Integer, primary_key=True) username = db.Column(db.String(20), unique=True, nullable=False) email = db.Column(db.String(120), unique=True, nullable=False) posts = db.relationship('Post', backref='author', lazy=True) class Post(db.Model): id = db.Column(db.Integer, primary_key=True) title = db.Column(db.String(100), nullable=False) content = db.Column(db.Text, nullable=False) date_posted = db.Column(db.DateTime, nullable=False, default=datetime.utcnow) user_id = db.Column(db.Integer, db.ForeignKey('user.id'), nullable=False)Creating and Querying the Database
# In app.py from models import User, Post # Creating a User new_user = User(username='john_doe', email='john@example.com') db.session.add(new_user) db.session.commit() # Querying Users all_users = User.query.all()Conclusion: Your Flask Journey Continues 🚀🌐
Congratulations! You’ve created a Flask web application, added routes, implemented dynamic templates, and integrated a database using SQLAlchemy. This tutorial is just the beginning of your Flask journey. Explore Flask’s extensive documentation and dive into more advanced topics like user authentication, blueprints, and deployment.
Happy coding! 🐍✨