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Static Site Generation

Convert your Django application to a static website that can be hosted anywhere without requiring Python or Django.

Quick Start

1. Install Required Packages

pip install requests beautifulsoup4

2. Start Django Server

python manage.py runserver

3. Generate Static Site

In a new terminal window:

# Basic version (predefined pages only)
python generate_static.py

# Advanced version (discovers all pages automatically)
python generate_static_advanced.py

Output

The static site will be generated in the static_site/ directory:

Features

Basic Generator (generate_static.py)

  • ✅ Crawls predefined important pages
  • ✅ Downloads all media files
  • ✅ Simple and fast
  • ✅ Good for testing

Advanced Generator (generate_static_advanced.py)

  • ✅ Automatically discovers all pages from CSV data
  • ✅ Crawls every individual sculpture and jewelry item
  • ✅ Generates comprehensive site index
  • ✅ Better error handling and progress reporting
  • ✅ Complete static site with all content

Hosting

Once generated, you can host the static site GitHub Pages.

GitHub Pages Hosting

# After generating static site
cd static_site
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Static site"
git branch -M gh-pages
git remote add origin YOUR_REPO_URL
git push -u origin gh-pages

Contact Form Solutions

For static sites, you can use:

  • Formspree: External form service
  • EmailJS: Client-side email sending
  • Google Forms: Embed Google Forms

Updating the Static Site

When you make changes:

  1. Update CSV data or templates
  2. Start Django server: python manage.py runserver
  3. Regenerate: python generate_static_advanced.py
  4. Upload new static_site/ contents to your host

Troubleshooting

"Cannot connect to server"

  • Make sure Django server is running on http://localhost:8000
  • Check that all required packages are installed

"404 errors during generation"

  • Some URLs might not exist - this is normal
  • Check CSV data for invalid key_name values

"Missing media files"

  • Ensure media/ directory exists with images
  • Check file permissions

"Broken links in static site"

  • Static site uses relative paths
  • Test locally by opening static_site/index.html

Performance Tips

  • The advanced generator can create 100+ pages
  • Large CSV files will generate more pages
  • Generation takes 1-2 minutes for full site
  • Use basic generator for quick testing