Instructions for using an App that is not a contrib app in RapidSMS¶

These tutorials are for the current active development branch RapidSMS of the core: http://github.com/rapidsms/rapidsms-core-dev

If you have additional apps (other than those already added by the default configuration in settings.py):

1 – clone or copy each of your apps’ directories in your project directory alongside manage.py, settings.py, etc. For example:

cd myproject
git clone git://github.com/myuser/my-rapidsms-app.git myapp
git clone git://github.com/myfriend/herapp.git

2 – edit settings.py and add your apps to the installed apps and add tabs for your apps, if applicable:

INSTALLED_APPS = [
    # the essentials.
    "django_nose",
    "djtables",
    "rapidsms",
    # common dependencies (which don't clutter up the ui).
    "rapidsms.contrib.handlers",
    "rapidsms.contrib.ajax",
    # enable the django admin using a little shim app (which includes
    # the required urlpatterns), and a bunch of undocumented apps that
    # the AdminSite seems to explode without.
    "django.contrib.sites",
    "django.contrib.auth",
    "django.contrib.admin",
    "django.contrib.sessions",
    "django.contrib.contenttypes",
    "rapidsms.contrib.djangoadmin",
    # the rapidsms contrib apps.
    "rapidsms.contrib.default",
    "rapidsms.contrib.export",
    "rapidsms.contrib.httptester",
    "rapidsms.contrib.locations",
    "rapidsms.contrib.messagelog",
    "rapidsms.contrib.messaging",
    "rapidsms.contrib.registration",
    "rapidsms.contrib.scheduler",
    "rapidsms.contrib.search",
    "rapidsms.contrib.echo",
    "myapp",
    "herapp",
]

2.1 – I also needed to do the following (which may or may not be ‘correct’):

touch __init__.py

3 – Then, in the root of your project directory, sync the database. You’ll need to sync your database each time you add an app:

./manage.py syncdb

(Note: Windows users might not see manage.py. You can use ./rapidsms instead.)

Alternate instructions for using Apps that are not contrib apps in RapidSMS¶

1a – create an ‘apps’ directory in your project directory alongside manage.py, settings.py, etc. Clone individual app repositories into your apps directory:

cd myproject
mkdir apps
cd apps
git clone git://github.com/myuser/my-rapidsms-app.git myapp
git clone git://github.com/myfriend/herapp.git

1b – clone http://github.com/rapidsms/rapidsms-community-apps-dev alongside manage.py, settings.py, etc as a directory called apps:

cd myproject
git clone git://github.com/rapidsms/rapidsms-community-apps-dev.git apps

2 – patch your manage.py script to add your apps directory to your pythonpath, for example (http://gist.github.com/516020):

#!/usr/bin/env python
# vim: ai ts=4 sts=4 et sw=4
import sys, os
from django.core.management import execute_manager
import settings
if __name__ == "__main__":
    project_root = os.path.abspath(
        os.path.dirname(__file__))
    for dir in ["apps"]:
        path = os.path.join(project_root, dir)
        sys.path.insert(0, path)
    sys.path.insert(0, project_root)
    execute_manager(settings)

3 – edit settings.py and add desired apps to INSTALLED_APPS and add tabs, if desired, in RAPIDSMS_TABS

4 – Then, in the root of your project directory, sync the database. You’ll need to sync your database each time you add an app:

./manage.py syncdb

(Note: Windows users might not see manage.py. You can use ./rapidsms instead.)