Develop Reference

How can I specify a default time for a ndb.TimeProperty()?

I find myself stuck on this problem, and repeated Googling, checking SO, and reading numerous docs has not helped me get the right answer, so I hope this isn't a bad question.
One entity I want to create is an event taking place during a convention. I'm giving it the property start_time = ndb.TimeProperty(). I also have a property date = messages.DateProperty(), and I'd like to keep the two discrete (in other words, not using DateTimeProperty).
When a user enters information to create an event, I want to specify defaults for any fields they do not enter at creation and I'd like to set the default time as midnight, but I can't seem to format it correctly so the service accepts it (constant 503 Service Unavailable response when I try it using the API explorer).
Right now I've set things up like this (some unnecessary details removed):
event_defaults = {...
...
"start_time": 0000,
...
}
and then I try looping over my default values to enter them into a dictionary which I'll use to .put() the info on the server.
data = {field.name: getattr(request, field.name) for field in request.all_fields()
for default in event_defaults:
if data[default] in (None, []):
data[default] = event_defaults[default]
setattr(request, default, event_defaults[default])
In the logs, I see the error Encountered unexpected error from ProtoRPC method implementation: BadValueError (Expected time, got 0). I have also tried using the time and datetime modules, but I must be using them incorrectly, because I still receive errors.
I suppose I could work around this problem by using ndb.StringProperty() instead, and just deal with strings, but then I'd feel like I would be missing out on a chance to learn more about how GAE and NDB work (all of this is for a project on udacity.com, so learning is certainly the point).
So, how can I structure my default time properly for midnight? Sorry for the wall of text.
Link to code on github. The conference.py file contains the code I'm having the trouble with, and models.py contains my definitions for the entities I'm working with.
Update: I'm a dummy. I had my model class using a TimeProperty() and the corresponding message class using a StringField(), but I was never making the proper conversion between expected types. That's why I could never seem to give it the right thing, but it expected two different things at different points in the code. Issue resolved.

TimeProperty expects a datetime.time value
import datetime
event_defaults = {...
...
"start_time": datetime.time(),
...
}
More in the docs: https://cloud.google.com/appengine/docs/python/ndb/entity-property-reference#Date_and_Time

Use the datetime() library to convert it into a valid ndb time property value
if data['time']:
data['time'] = datetime.strptime(data['time'][:10], "%H:%M").time()
else:
data['time'] = datetime.datetime.now().time()
ps: Don't forget to change data['time'] with your field name

Is it OK to send the whole POST as a JSON object?

I am using GAE with python, and I am using many forms. Usually, my code looks something like this:
class Handler(BaseHandler):
#...
def post(self):
name = self.request.get("name")
last_name = self.request.get("last_name")
# More variables...
n = self.request.get("n")
#Do something with the variables, validations, etc.
#Add them to a dictionary
data = dict(name=name, last_name=last_name, n=n)
info = testdb.Test(**data)
info.put()
I have noticed lately that it gets too long when there are many inputs in the form (variables), so I thought maybe I could send a stringified JSON object (which can be treated as a python dictionary using json.loads). Right now it looks like this:
class Handler(BaseHandler):
#...
def post(self):
data = validate_dict(json.loads(self.request.body))
#Use a variable like this: data['last_name']
test = testdb.Test(**data)
test.put()
Which is a lot shorter. I am inclined to do things this way (and stop using self.request.get("something")), but I am worried I may be missing some disadvantage of doing this apart from the client needing javascript for it to even work. Is it OK to do this or is there something I should consider before rearranging my code?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with your short JSON-focused code variant (few web apps today bother supporting clients w/o Javascript anyway:-).
You'll just need to adapt the client-side code preparing that POST, from being just a traditional HTML form, to a JS-richer approach, of course. But, I'm pretty sure you're aware of that -- just spelling it out!-)
BTW, there is nothing here that's App Engine - specific: the same considerations would apply no matter how you chose to deploy your server.

Best option for alternate/suggested search in Django

I have a Django app that searches for data from a model Classified and displays them using simple querysets based on the input term. This works perfectly and I've got no complains with this method.
However, if someone enters a term that returns no data, I would like to provide an option with alternate/suggested search.
Eg: Someone searches 'Ambulance Services' which doesn't return data. I'd like to suggest 'Ambulance' or 'Services' as alternate search options which may return data from the model depending on the data present in the model.
I Googled suggested search in django and it gave me options of Haystack/elastic search, etc which I'm not sure are really required since the search is across just one model.
Note: SO tells me that my question may be closed as it is subjective. If thats the case, please suggest where I can move it to. Thank you!

This is just an idea, but might work for you:
The user enters the search data: "Ambulance Services"
If the query inside the view returns nothing, redirect to the same view using your selected alternative search data, lets say "Ambulance", and a flag value thats saids the view you're preforming a suggested search.
You must have two things in consideration:
What if the alternate search don't returns anything either? You have to set a recursion limit here.
How I'm going to select the data of the alternate search? Well, thats another question about a completly different topic.
This is this idea in code:
def search(request, data, alternate=False, recursion_level=3):
result = Classified.objects.filter(some_filed=data)
if 0 == result.count() and 0 != recursion_level: # Conditions needed for perform alternate search.
new_data = select_new_data(data) # The logic inside this function is up to you.
r_level = recursion_level - 1 # Decreas recursion level.
return redirect('search', alternate=True, recursion_level=r_level) # Redirecting using view name, you can use others
# forms of redirection see link below for visit
# the Djando redirect API doc.
else:
return_data = {}
if alternate:
# You can use this flag in order to reflect
# to the user you have performed an alternate search.
# Example:
return_data["alternate"] = True
# Build your return data.
# and render.
#return render_to_template()
Django redirect doc: redirect

Haystack is, indeed, a great option, here you will find how to give 'spelling suggestions', you can see an example in this OS question/answer
No matter you have only one model, this tool is really great, simple to install /set up/use, and very flexible.
Perhaps this helps as well.

Why would Django get request with long url lock python?

I have a strange error using the built in webserver in Django (haven't tested against Apache as I'm in active development). I have a url pattern that works for short url parameters (e.g. Chalk%20Hill), but locks up python on this one
http://localhost:8000/chargeback/checkDuplicateProject/Bexar%20Street%20Phase%20IV%20Brigham%20Ln%20to%20Myrtle%20St
The get request just says pending, and never returns, and I have to force quit python to get the server to function again. What am I doing wrong?
EDIT:
In continuing testing, it's strange, if I just enter the url, it returns the correct json response. Then it locks python. While I'm in the website, though, it never returns, and locks python.
urls:
url(r'^chargeback/checkDuplicateProject/(?P<aProjectName>(\w+)((\s)?(-)?(\w+)?)*)/$', 'chargeback.views.isProjectDuplicate'),
views:
def isProjectDuplicate(request, aProjectName):
#count the number of matching project names
p = Project.objects.filter(projectName__exact = aProjectName).count()
#if > 0, the project is a duplicate
if p > 0:
return HttpResponse('{"results":["Duplicate"]}', mimetype='application/json')
else:
return HttpResponse('{"results":["Not Duplicate"]}', mimetype='application/json')
Model:
class Project(models.Model):
projectName = models.TextField('project name')
department = models.ForeignKey('Department')
def __unicode__(self):
return self.projectName

The accepted answer is spot on about the regex, but since we're discussing optimization, I thought I should note that the code for checking whether a project exists could be modified to generate a much quicker query, especially in other contexts where you could be counting millions of rows needlessly. Call this 'best practices' advice, if you will.
p = Project.objects.filter(projectName__exact = aProjectName).count()
if p > 0:
could instead be
if Project.objects.filter(project_name__iexact=aProjectName).exists():
for two reasons.
First, you're not using p for anything so there's no need to store it as a variable as it increases readability and p is an obscure variable name and the best code is no code at all.
Secondly, this way we only ask for a single row instead of saving the results to the queryset cache. Please see the official Queryset API docs, a related question on Stack Overflow and the discussion about the latter on the django-developers group.
Additionally, it is customary in python (and Django, naturally) to name your fields lower_cased_separated_by_underscores. Please see more about this on the Python Style Guide (PEP 8).

Since you are going to check whether aProjectName already exists in the database, there's no need for you to make the regex so complicated.
I suggest you simplify the regex to
url(r'^chargeback/checkDuplicateProject/(?P<aProjectName>[\w+\s-]*)/$', 'chargeback.views.isProjectDuplicate'),
For a further explanation, see the question url regex keeps django busy/crashing on the django-users group.

SQLAlchemy - loading user by username

Just diving into pylons here, and am trying to get my head around the basics of SQLALchemy. I have figured out how to load a record by id:
user_q = session.query(model.User)
user = user_q.get(user_id)
But how do I query by a specific field (i.e. username)? I assume there is a quick way to do it with the model rather than hand-building the query. I think it has something with the add_column() function on the query object, but I can't quite figure out how to use it. I've been trying stuff like this, but obviously it doesn't work:
user_q = meta.Session.query(model.User).add_column('username'=user_name)
user = user_q.get()

I believe you want something like this:
user = meta.Session.query(model.User).filter_by(name=user_name).first()
Which is short for this:
user = meta.Session.query(model.User).filter(model.User.name=user_name).first()
Here's more documentation
If you change first() into one() it will raise an exception if there isn't a user (if you want to assert one exists).
I highly suggest reading through both Object Relational Tutorial as well as the and the SQL Expression Language Tutorial.