Document why/when of class-based views

[Steven Cummings]

The documentation for class-based views is getting better, but it's missing an introductory discussion of why and when you use them. Specifically, the goals of such a narrative should be:

• Practical context for choosing CBVs vs. FBVs
  • Usage patterns appropriate to class-based views
  • List of helpful, concrete decision points from the above discussion

Hopefully this can be something that people point to for diffusing absolutist arguments for CBVs or FBVs, and the community can start to agree when each is right (a bit of a grandiose goal, yes, but it should be possible).

New documentation that may arise out of the above needs:

• How to test class-based views (and comparison with testing FBVs)

Ticket #19227 aims to provide visualizations code flows in class-based views and so may interact with some of the changes made on this ticket.

[Tim Graham]

#16807 contains a bunch of text that may be useful to build on for this.

[Steven Cummings]

Thanks, I'll take a look at this.

[Steven Cummings]

Going to be working over here: ​https://github.com/estebistec/django/tree/cbvs-choice-usage

Humble beginnings with an introductory blurb: ​https://github.com/estebistec/django/commit/34e29c62e5c3c072ab49fb089ecb3d34a8d48ae7

[Steven Cummings]

From the intro text on the topic index page, there will likely be two new pages:

• usage-patterns
• testing

/plan

[Steven Cummings]

Welp, I should have figured working on CBV docs might not be easily wrapped up in a weekend. So I'm already assuming that this is only the start for this effort and I'll plan to continue and see it through. The biggest thing with a larger doc effort like this is that I need to do the due diligence of having others check perspective and voice of the narrative, in addition to commenting on the clarity of the details.

I think I've got some decent content, but I'd like more compelling examples for usage patterns, as I don't think I'm yet succeeding in differentiating class and function based views in a way people haven't already discussed, save for maybe my testing discussion.

So, core devs, if you have a moment I wouldn't mind some comments on my current direction before I continue.

My current efforts live in a pull request here: ​https://github.com/django/django/pull/840

[Steven Cummings]

Also, I'd like to do a survey of all the examples in existing CBV docs and make sure they are complete and independent (meaning views are wired to URLs, all necessary imports are present, etc.) That'll come after I get this new usage-pattern page worked out better.