Getting Started with Django-Appointment¶

Django-Appointment is a flexible Django app for managing appointment scheduling. This guide will walk you through the basic setup process.

Installation¶

Install Django-Appointment using pip:

pip install django-appointment

Add "appointment" to your INSTALLED_APPS in settings.py:

INSTALLED_APPS = [
    # other apps
    'appointment',
    'django_q',  # Optional: for email reminders
]

Include the appointment URLconf in your project's urls.py:

from django.urls import path, include

urlpatterns = [
    # other urls
    path('appointment/', include('appointment.urls')),
]

Configuration¶

In your settings.py, configure the user model (if using a custom one):

AUTH_USER_MODEL = 'your_app.YourUserModel'  # Optional if using Django's default user model

Set the website name:

APPOINTMENT_WEBSITE_NAME = 'Your Website Name'

For email reminders (optional), configure Django Q:

Q_CLUSTER = {
   'name': 'DjangORM',
   'workers': 4,
   'timeout': 90,
   'retry': 120,
   'queue_limit': 50,
   'bulk': 10,
   'orm': 'default',
}

# Optional: also send every other email through the cluster, not just the reminders.
USE_DJANGO_Q_FOR_EMAILS = True

Reminders only need django_q installed and a running cluster. USE_DJANGO_Q_FOR_EMAILS is separate: it moves the confirmation, verification and reschedule emails off the request cycle too.

For more configuration options, refer to the configuration reference.

Database Setup¶

Create and apply migrations:

python manage.py makemigrations appointment
python manage.py migrate

Start the Django Q cluster (if using email reminders):

python manage.py qcluster

Initial Setup¶

Start your Django development server:

python manage.py runserver

Access the admin panel at http://127.0.0.1:8000/admin/ to create services, manage configurations, and handle appointments.
Create at least one service before using the application.
Access the appointment booking page at http://127.0.0.1:8000/appointment/request/<service_id>/.

Template Configuration¶

Tell the package which base template its pages render in (your site's base, with its navbar and footer):

APPOINTMENT_BASE_TEMPLATE = 'base.html'  # booking pages
APPOINTMENT_ADMIN_BASE_TEMPLATE = 'base.html'  # (optional) staff pages

Every package page extends appointment/layout.html, which extends that base. Ensure your base template includes the following blocks:

{% block customMetaTag %}{% endblock %}
{% block customCSS %}{% endblock %}
{% block title %}{% endblock %}
{% block description %}{% endblock %}
{% block body %}{% endblock %}
{% block customJS %}{% endblock %}

Note: At minimum, the customMetaTag (inside <head>), customCSS, body, and customJS blocks are required. jQuery and Bootstrap 5 (CSS and JS) are also necessary for proper functionality.

The pages render inside a <div class="djappt"> wrapper in your body block, and the package CSS only styles what's inside it: your navbar, footer and own CSS are left alone.

Customization¶

You can override default settings in your settings.py.

Next Steps¶

Explore the admin interface to manage services, staff, and appointments.
Customize the appearance and behavior by overriding templates and extending views.
Implement additional features like payment integration or custom notifications.