Why not using AppConfig's name attribute instead of app_name in urls.py?

[john-bonachon]

In Django 1.9 you can namespace your urls by adding app_name in urls.py

If the name will (generally) be the same as the containing module app, why not just call it like that, or at least reusing the AppConfig name attribute from apps.py?

Am I missing something? That's confusing when you are reading the tutorial for the first time.

[Tim Graham]

I seems to remember discussing this during the development of this feature (#21927) but I'm not certain. Marten, do you recall?

[Tim Graham]

We might end up changing the ticket to a documentation issue to explain the design.

[john-bonachon]

Replying to timgraham:

We might end up changing the ticket to a documentation issue to explain the design.

Oh.. no interest in reusing the app name?

[Tim Graham]

I said "might" because I cannot recall the original design discussion and say for certain whether or not the idea is a good one or is feasible to implement.

[Carlton Gibson]

Closed #33774 as a duplicate: Where/how is the application namespace defined?.

We might end up changing the ticket to a documentation issue to explain the design.

Folks do get confused over namespaces, so a documentation review would likely help.

[Michael]

I would just like to add its really confusing to call the url namespace attribute app_name, which is associated with the AppConfig.name. It immediately creates a false assumption to one trying to learn how this machinery works. It tripped me up for years.

I recommend a different name, something like url_namespace, that would be explicit, and self evident.