Activity #22: Research: Python Flask

Walter John SalibayWalter John Salibay
3 min read

Flask is a lightweight, yet powerful web framework written in Python. It is designed to be easy to use and extend, making it a popular choice for web developers who want to build web applications quickly and efficiently. Flask provides the basic tools needed to get a web app running but gives developers the flexibility to add only the tools they need as their project grows.

Flask is ideal for small to medium-sized applications and provides useful features like routing, request handling, and template rendering. Its simplicity and modularity allow developers complete control over their applications while providing enough functionality to support complex web services.

This tutorial will teach you how to set up a Flask environment and run a basic Flask application.

Step 1: Create Folder

Step 3: Check Python Version

Step 4: Check Pip Version

Step 5: Create a Virtual Environment

A virtual environment in Python is a self-contained directory that contains a specific version of Python along with a set of installed packages. It helps developers manage dependencies for different projects, ensuring that the libraries and Python versions used in one project do not interfere with others.

The command python -m venv venv creates a new virtual environment in a folder named "venv" inside your project directory. This environment will have its own Python interpreter and libraries.

Verify the venv folder to your project folder

Step 6: Activate Virtual Environment

venv\Scripts\activate

Once activated, the terminal prompt changes to show the name of the environment (in this case, (venv)), indicating that you are now working within the virtual environment.

Step 7: Install Flask

pip install Flask

Step 8: add venv on gitignore

Adding the venv directory to .gitignore is essential to prevent the virtual environment files from being tracked by version control tools like Git. Since the venv directory contains environment-specific files that are not necessary for the application’s source code, it is a good practice to exclude it from version control to keep the repository clean and reduce clutter.

Steps to add venv to .gitignore:

Open the .gitignore file with a text editor.

  1. Add the following line:

    Copy

    Copy

      venv/

  2. Save the file.

By adding venv/ to the .gitignore file, you ensure that the virtual environment folder is not included in the repository, keeping your Git history clean and only containing necessary code and dependencies.

Step 9: Open your Project in Pycharm

I recommend using PyCharm as your IDE (Integrated Development Environment) for Python projects. PyCharm is a powerful tool developed by JetBrains, designed specifically for Python development

Step 10: Create app.py

Step 11: Create Directory “templates”

Step 12: add index.html in the templates folder

Step 13: In your app.py, import Flask and render_template

from flask import Flask, render_template

app = Flask(__name__)

@app.route('/')
def hello_world():
    return render_template('index.html', message="Hello, World!")

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run(debug=True)

Step 14: In your index.html file, use the passed variable:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <title>Hello Page</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>{{ message }}</h1>
</body>
</html>

In this example, the string "Hello, World!" is passed as a variable (message) from the Python script to the HTML template. The template renders the variable inside the HTML content.

Step 14: Run app.py in cmd

Copy

Copy

python app.py

make sure the venv is activated

Access the Web Application:

0
Subscribe to my newsletter

Read articles from Walter John Salibay directly inside your inbox. Subscribe to the newsletter, and don't miss out.

Flask

Written by

Walter John Salibay
Walter John Salibay