Static files on OpenShift Django

Question

I'm having issues serving up static files - i.e. style sheets and images required from my html pages. I cannot seem to fathom why these static images are not being found. Here is what I have in my settings.py

    STATIC_URL = PROJECT_PATH + '/static/'

# Additional locations of static files
STATICFILES_DIRS = (PROJECT_PATH + "/static/",)

STATIC_ROOT = "/static/"


# List of finder classes that know how to find static files in
# various locations.
STATICFILES_FINDERS = (
    'django.contrib.staticfiles.finders.FileSystemFinder',
    'django.contrib.staticfiles.finders.AppDirectoriesFinder',
    'django.contrib.staticfiles.finders.DefaultStorageFinder',
)

I'm getting a 404 error, when I tail into the log. But I cannot figure out where or debug or figure out where OpenShift is looking for these images. I've tried using STATIC_URL = '/static/' but that doesn't work either.

score 8 · Accepted Answer · answered Jul 09 '14 at 14:16

1) You've mixed up STATIC_URL and STATIC_ROOT variables.

STATIC_ROOT: Needs to point to the directory where you want your static files to be collected. In this case, it seems it is PROJECT_PATH + '/static/'. Make sure this directory is correct.

STATIC_URL: The url your static files are accessed. /static/ is correct.

Remove the STATICFILES_DIRS variable. It can't be the same as STATIC_ROOT because first tells Django where to FIND static files and second tells Django where to STORE static files when they are collected.

2) If you are working with Openshift, as @timo.rieber points out, you will need an action_hook for deploy to tell it to collect your static files.

3) Your static_root folder can't be anywhere in your project because Openshift webserver won't find it. It should be under yourproject/wsgi/static <--- (Thus, this will be the STATIC_ROOT variable value).

As I already answered you in another question, starting a new project from scratch for Openshift is painful. I've wrote a post about creating a new project to make it work with Openshift and you can also visit the commit referenced there which will redirect you to a basic Openshift project which works. You can also download basic project from Openshift repo but it follows an old (but still working) project structure. You can now use a simpler project structure for python apps

Its painful indeed. I did try this, I removed the STATICFILES_DIRS and went to using the hooks also suggested. — disruptive, Jul 10 '14 at 09:53

OmarSSelim · Answer 2 · 2015-05-06T21:14:22.033

Hey I just had the same problem and I found a way to make it work.

Just go to your settings.py and make some changes

replace

DJ_PROJECT_DIR = os.path.dirname(__file__)
BASE_DIR = os.path.dirname(DJ_PROJECT_DIR)

WITH

BASE_DIR = os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(__file__))

down at the end of settings.py file add this

STATIC_URL = '/static/'

TEMPLATE_DIRS = [
os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'templates'),
]

STATIC_ROOT = os.path.join(BASE_DIR, '../static')

STATICFILES_DIRS = (
 os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'static', 'dirs'),
)

and in your html file just don't forget to load staticfiles like that

<html>
<head> {% load staticfiles %}
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="{% static 'css/style.css' %}">
</head><body> 
         <script src="{% static 'js/script.js' %}">
         </script>
         It works! </body>
</html>

now your directories should look like that

--wsgi
    --myproject
        --templates
            -- drop html files here ... 
        --static
            --dirs
                --img
                    -- drop images here ..
                --js
                    -- drop js here ..
                --css
                    -- drop css files here ..

This is exactly what i needed. This answer seems to fit Django's newer documentation as well. — patrick.ryan93, Feb 06 '16 at 03:10

score 1 · Answer 3 · edited Jun 20 '20 at 09:12

1

After every deployment into production (git push to your Openshift repository) you need to collect all static files to a single place, your STATIC_ROOT. This is a job for the django management command collectstatic, see Django docs here.

For Openshift environments a good practice to automate this after pushing upstream is the deploy action hook documented at the Openshift docs.

When you Push...

Building without Jenkins uses your application space as part of the build and test process. Because of this, the application is shut down so its memory can be used for building. The following steps take place:

You run a 'git push' on your computer - your changes are sent to your OpenShift application

The application is shut down

Your changes are copied on the server into the correct location

OpenShift invokes your build hooks - script files you've placed in your Git repository

Your application is started

The deploy script may look like this:

#!/bin/bash

source $VIRTUAL_ENV/bin/activate

# Executing collectstatic (organize static files)
python "$OPENSHIFT_REPO_DIR"wsgi/yourproject/manage.py collectstatic --noinput

For further details you may also read Django cannot find static files. Need a second pair of eyes, I'm going crazy.

edited Jun 20 '20 at 09:12

Community

1
1

answered Jul 08 '14 at 12:10

timo.rieber

3,727
3
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Thanks. I tried the deploy method but found this failed. In fact I don't see manage.py when I ssh into the project. I have tried the same methodology as above and tried calling the line "python "$OPENSHIFT_REPO_DIR"wsgi/yourproject/manage.py collectstatic --noinput" manually. – disruptive Jul 10 '14 at 09:48
Did you replace `yourproject` with your project path? What's the errormessage? – timo.rieber Jul 10 '14 at 10:53
Yes. I don't have the static dir under wsgi, but under projname/static. OS seem to have gotten rid of the wsgi folder as a default. The page loads but I still don't get the static files - images /stylesheets etc. My templates are defined as in /html/ and static files /static/ in the project. – disruptive Jul 10 '14 at 12:38
So you need to point your `STATIC_ROOT` as absolute path to `projname/static`. But with the new simplified Openshift directory structure, as mentioned in http://stackoverflow.com/questions/22660304/serving-django-static-files-in-openshift, it seems like using the old-fashioned `wsgi/static` is still a pragmatic way for serving static files. – timo.rieber Jul 10 '14 at 15:12
There's also a [blog comment on openshift](https://www.openshift.com/blogs/openshift-online-march-2014-release-blog#comment-39562) which tells the same problem. – timo.rieber Jul 10 '14 at 15:16

score 1 · Answer 4 · edited May 23 '17 at 12:26

I spent a long time trying to get static files working on Openshift. Following this blog post I set up my Django project using the standard project layout but static files would not work. I think the vhost config that they use is not setup to look for files in /static/. This question Serving Django static files in OpenShift seems to suggest if you use the old layout and use wsgi/static it will work. In the end I installed django-storages and served my static files from s3.

score 0 · Answer 5 · answered Jul 06 '14 at 15:03

0

Me also had the same problem with Heroku. Static files are not served correctly.

Then i figured out every time when i deploy the application to heroku background its performing collectstatic. But i didnt mention STATIC_ROOT in settings.py.

So i put static root like this

STATIC_ROOT = 'staticfiles'

Then i deployed that time its working. Try that out in openshift and let me know

answered Jul 06 '14 at 15:03

Raja Simon

10,126
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74

Thanks. I did try that. I edited my question above to include more details of what is in settings.py as sadly the suggestion doesn't seem to work. – disruptive Jul 06 '14 at 20:11

Static files on OpenShift Django

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