Stephen, Thanks! What you've said here is very encouraging. I'll start with the crash course like you've suggested.
Cheers, Geoff On Wednesday, October 29, 2014 4:03:14 PM UTC-7, Stephen McDonald wrote: > > Hi Geoff, > > Great email - you've really articulated your position perfectly, which > makes replying a pleasure. > > It sounds like you've done everything right so far in learning how do to > everything possible with Mezzanine using your existing skill set. You've > now hit the point where you want to achieve things that will require > learning Python, some database basics, and the core Django concepts beyond > templating. > > I'd recommend first doing some type of crash course on Python. > http://learnpythonthehardway.org/book/ comes highly recommended for those > without solid programming experience. > > After that I would suggest doing the tutorial in the Django documentation > - it covers core Django concepts like models and views. > > Through these first two phases, don't progress until you confidently > understand what you've just absorbed. Try all examples - typing manually, > no copy and pasting. Modify them in different ways you expect them to > behave. Sometimes they won't. Work out why. > > After that, read the Django and Mezzanine documentation back to front. The > Mezzanine documentation overall is quite useless without understanding > Django, so the sequence is important. > > This path requires the most time and effort, but will yield the greatest > reward and least amount of confusion. Of course you could alternatively > take the reverse approach and start from the terribly presumptuous > Mezzanine documentation, and randomly try to piece things together. You > might get something working, you might not. You'll probably need help, and > frustration will be certain. > > Good luck! > > > > > > > > On Thu, Oct 30, 2014 at 9:42 AM, Geoff P <[email protected] > <javascript:>> wrote: > >> Hi everyone. I'm new to Mezzanine / Django. My background is in design >> and I don't have any programming experience. I know HTML, CSS and a little >> jQuery and I've used snippets of PHP before. My job wants me to start >> making themes for Mezzanine. I've been working at it for a few days, >> reading and following tutorials. >> >> I'll try to refrain from posting stupid, generic, desperate, or obvious >> questions on here but I'll admit it, I'm pretty lost. >> >> So far I've installed Python, Django and Mezzanine on Windows 7. I've >> figured out how to create a Mezzanine project, created a 'theme' app inside >> it, copied over core templates, downloaded and inspected the free themes, >> edited HTML and CSS of those themes, played around with the default theme >> and looked at the code in the template files. I've read over the Django >> documentation - specifically 'Django template language', 'Built-in tag >> reference' and 'The Django templating system'. I've read over the links >> from the Mezzanine default homepage. >> >> In learning how to do all this, confusion is hitting from all angles. I >> want to know how this stuff is working so I can not only edit and create >> css styles but add different page types and learn how to write template >> code and change the default url names. What do you suggest focusing on >> first? >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Mezzanine Users" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected] <javascript:>. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> > > > > -- > Stephen McDonald > http://jupo.org > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Mezzanine Users" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
