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Project Management

Rhamaa CLI provides powerful commands for creating and managing Wagtail projects. This section covers all project-related commands and their usage.

Creating New Projects

rhamaa start

Create a new Wagtail project using the RhamaaCMS template.

rhamaa start <ProjectName>

Example: 

rhamaa start MyBlog

What it does:

  1. Downloads Template: Fetches the latest RhamaaCMS template from GitHub
  2. Creates Project: Uses Wagtail's start command with the template
  3. Sets Up Structure: Configures the project with RhamaaCMS best practices
  4. Provides Feedback: Shows progress and success confirmation

Template Features:

The RhamaaCMS template includes:

  • Modern Django/Wagtail Setup: Latest versions and best practices
  • Organized Structure: Logical app organization and settings management
  • Development Tools: Pre-configured development dependencies
  • Production Ready: Settings for deployment and scaling
  • Documentation: README and setup instructions

Project Structure

When you create a project with rhamaa start, you get:

MyProject/
├── MyProject/
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── settings/
│   │   ├── __init__.py
│   │   ├── base.py
│   │   ├── dev.py
│   │   └── production.py
│   ├── urls.py
│   └── wsgi.py
├── apps/                    # Directory for custom apps
├── static/                  # Static files
├── media/                   # Media files
├── templates/               # Template files
├── requirements.txt         # Python dependencies
├── manage.py               # Django management script
└── README.md               # Project documentation

Creating Django Apps

rhamaa startapp

Create a new Django app with RhamaaCMS structure within your project.

rhamaa startapp <AppName>

Example: 

rhamaa startapp blog

Features:

  • Structured Layout: Creates apps in the apps/ directory
  • RhamaaCMS Standards: Follows RhamaaCMS app conventions
  • Ready to Use: Includes basic model, view, and admin setup
  • Template Types: --type wagtail (default) or --type minimal
  • Prebuilt Apps: Install with --prebuild <key> and view availability with --list

Project Validation

Rhamaa CLI automatically validates your project environment:

Wagtail Project Detection

Before allowing certain operations, Rhamaa CLI checks if you're in a valid Wagtail project by looking for:

  • manage.py file
  • Django settings files
  • Common project indicators

Error Handling

If you're not in a Wagtail project, you'll see:

Error: This doesn't appear to be a Wagtail project.
Please run this command from the root of your Wagtail project.

Best Practices

Project Naming

  • Use PascalCase for project names: MyBlog, CompanyWebsite
  • Avoid spaces and special characters
  • Keep names descriptive but concise

Directory Structure

  • Keep custom apps in the apps/ directory
  • Use the static/ directory for static files
  • Store templates in the templates/ directory
  • Keep media files in media/ (for development)

Settings Management

The RhamaaCMS template uses environment-based settings:

  • base.py - Common settings
  • dev.py - Development settings
  • production.py - Production settings

Advanced Usage

Custom Templates

While Rhamaa CLI uses the RhamaaCMS template by default, you can still use Wagtail's native template system:

wagtail start --template=https://github.com/your-org/your-template.git MyProject

Environment Variables

Set up environment variables for your project:

# .env file
DEBUG=True
SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key
DATABASE_URL=sqlite:///db.sqlite3

Troubleshooting

Template Download Issues

If template download fails:

  1. Check Internet Connection: Ensure you have a stable connection
  2. GitHub Access: Verify you can access GitHub
  3. Wagtail Installation: Make sure Wagtail is installed

Permission Errors

On some systems, you might need elevated permissions:

sudo rhamaa start MyProject

Or use a virtual environment:

python -m venv myenv
source myenv/bin/activate  # Linux/Mac
pip install rhamaa wagtail
rhamaa start MyProject

Project Already Exists

If a directory with the same name exists:

Error: Directory 'MyProject' already exists

Choose a different name or remove the existing directory.

Integration with Other Tools

Version Control

Initialize Git repository after project creation:

rhamaa start MyProject
cd MyProject
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"

IDE Setup

The RhamaaCMS template works well with:

  • VS Code: Includes recommended extensions
  • PyCharm: Django project detection
  • Sublime Text: Python syntax highlighting

Deployment

The template is ready for deployment to:

  • Heroku: Includes Procfile and requirements
  • Docker: Dockerfile included
  • Traditional Hosting: WSGI configuration ready

Next Steps

After creating your project:

  1. Set Up Environment: Create virtual environment and install dependencies
  2. Add Applications: Use rhamaa startapp <AppName> --prebuild <key> to install prebuilt apps (see rhamaa startapp --list)
  3. Configure Settings: Customize settings for your needs
  4. Run Migrations: Set up the database
  5. Create Superuser: Access the admin interface

See the App Management section for adding prebuilt applications to your project.