Being explicit with django local settings

commands

// Being explicit with which settings file is used, allows two important properties. settings.py is ALWAYS in a production ready state, even if 'settingslocal' is accidentally checked into source control. The other nice side effect, is that every developers settings files are stored in source control - allowing each developer to share components of their settings files with their peers.

// runserver

python manage.py runserver --settings settingsjosh

// syncdb

python manage.py syncdb --settings settingsjosh

// syncdb production

python manage.py syncdb

settings.py

from os import path

SITE_ROOT = path.dirname(path.realpath(__file__))
DEBUG = False
TEMPLATE_DEBUG = False

ADMINS = (
     ('Josh Smeaton', 'josh@example.com'),
)

MANAGERS = ADMINS

DATABASES = {
    'default': {
        'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.postgresql_psycopg2',     
        'NAME': '*******',                                      
        'USER': '********',                                     
        'PASSWORD': '*******',                                 
        'HOST': '**********',                                  
        'PORT': '****',                                        
    },
}

# all other global settings

settingsjosh.py

from settings import *

DEBUG = True
TEMPLATE_DEBUG = True

SQLITE_DB_PATH = path.join(SITE_ROOT, 'db/josh.db')

DATABASES = {
    'default': {
        'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.sqlite3', # Add 'postgresql_psycopg2', 'postgresql', 'mysql', 'sqlite3' or 'oracle'.
        'NAME': SQLITE_DB_PATH,                 # Or path to database file if using sqlite3.
        'USER': '',                             # Not used with sqlite3.
        'PASSWORD': '',                         # Not used with sqlite3.
        'HOST': '',                             # Set to empty string for localhost. Not used with sqlite3.
        'PORT': '',                             # Set to empty string for default. Not used with sqlite3.
    }
}

CACHES = {
    'default': {
        'BACKEND': 'django.core.cache.backends.dummy.DummyCache',
    }
}

INSTALLED_APPS += ('debug_toolbar',)

INTERNAL_IPS = ('127.0.0.1',)

DEBUG_TOOLBAR_PANELS = (
    'debug_toolbar.panels.version.VersionDebugPanel',
    'debug_toolbar.panels.timer.TimerDebugPanel',
    'debug_toolbar.panels.settings_vars.SettingsVarsDebugPanel',
    'debug_toolbar.panels.headers.HeaderDebugPanel',
    'debug_toolbar.panels.request_vars.RequestVarsDebugPanel',
    'debug_toolbar.panels.template.TemplateDebugPanel',
    'debug_toolbar.panels.sql.SQLDebugPanel',
    'debug_toolbar.panels.signals.SignalDebugPanel',
    'debug_toolbar.panels.logger.LoggingPanel',
)

EMAIL_BACKEND = 'django.core.mail.backends.filebased.EmailBackend'
EMAIL_FILE_PATH = path.join(SITE_ROOT, 'emails/')