Why does Django throw a warning when loading my URLconf? - django

Question

I have a Django app running on a production server. It is handled with gunicorn 0.14.2 behind nginx. When I reload the app (by reloading the gunicorn workers), I get this error:
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/opt/nybooks/venv/myapp/lib/python2.6/site-packages/django/core/handlers/base.py", line 101, in get_response
request.path_info)
File "/opt/nybooks/venv/myapp/lib/python2.6/site-packages/django/core/urlresolvers.py", line 250, in resolve
for pattern in self.url_patterns:
File "/opt/nybooks/venv/myapp/lib/python2.6/site-packages/django/core/urlresolvers.py", line 283, in _get_url_patterns
raise ImproperlyConfigured("The included urlconf %s doesn't have any patterns in it" % self.urlconf_name)
ImproperlyConfigured: The included urlconf myapp.urls doesn't have any patterns in it
Others with this problem have commonly noted that it occurs while using reverse in a URLconf, but I am not using reverse in any URLconfs (nor are they used in any third-party apps). Also, this error only occurs in production -- never in development (using the Django dev server) or on my staging server (using gunicorn 0.14.2 behind nginx). It also doesn't seem to cause trouble with the site at any other time then during reloads.
Any ideas what's causing the problem?
Here's the main URLconf (and the one referenced in the stack trace):
from django.conf.urls.defaults import *
from django.contrib import admin
from django.conf import settings
from django.http import HttpResponse, Http404
from django.views.generic.simple import direct_to_template, redirect_to
from myapp.apps.magazine.views import *
from myapp.apps.books.views import *
from myapp.apps.forms.views import *
from myapp.apps.blogext.views import *
from myapp.apps.sharing.views import expand_url, email_link_send
from myapp.apps.magazine.feeds import *
from satchmo_utils import urlhelper
from satchmo_store.urls import urlpatterns
from myapp.apps.myapp_shop.views import *
admin.autodiscover()
if settings.SHOP_BASE == '':
shopregex = '^'
else:
shopregex = '^' + settings.SHOP_BASE[1:] + '/'
myapp_patterns = patterns('',
# calendar
(r'^calendar/', include('events.urls')),
# for multimedia SWF access
#(r'^crossdomain.xml$', direct_to_template, {'template': 'crossdomain.xml'}),
# intercept checkout
# TODO: need to use a config value
(r'^catalog/checkout/$', 'myapp.apps.cart.views.myapp_checkout', {'SSL': not settings.LOCAL_DEV}, 'myapp_checkout'),
(r'^catalog/add/$', 'myapp.apps.cart.views.smart_add_wrapper', {}, 'myapp_smart_add'),
# URLs for NYRB apps
(r'^$', direct_to_template, {'template': 'newhomepage.html'}),
(r'^newhomepage/$', direct_to_template, {'template': 'newhomepage.html'}),
(r'^mobile/$', redirect_to, {'url': '/', 'permanent': True}),
(r'^books/authors/', include('myapp.apps.books.urls.authors')),
(r'^books/', include('myapp.apps.books.urls.books')),
(r'^articles/', include('myapp.apps.magazine.urls.articles')),
(
r'^mobile/articles/archives/(?P<year>\d{4})/(?P<month>[a-z]{3})/(?P<day>\d{2})/(?P<slug>[-\w]+)/$',
redirect_to,
{'url': '/articles/archives/%(year)s/%(month)s/%(day)s/%(slug)s/', 'permanent': True},
),
# for national poetry month (april)
url(
regex = r'^national-poetry-month/',
view = poetry_month,
name = 'poetry_month',
),
(r'^issues/', include('myapp.apps.magazine.urls.issues')),
(r'^contributors/', include('myapp.apps.magazine.urls.contributors')),
(r'^galleries/', include('myapp.apps.magazine.urls.illustrations')),
(r'^multimedia/', include('myapp.apps.multimedia.urls.multimedia')),
(r'^online/$', direct_to_template, {'template': 'online.html'}),
#(r'^search/', include('myapp.apps.search.urls')),
(r'^search/', include('solango.urls')),
(r'^textareas/', include('myapp.apps.textareas.urls')),
(r'', include('myapp.apps.forms.urls')),
(r'^utils/', include('myapp.apps.utils.urls')),
#(r'^rss/$', 'myapp.apps.magazine.views.rss_list'),
(r'^rss/huffpo/$', redirect_to, {'url': '/articles/feeds/huffpo/', 'permanent': False}),
(r'^rss/googlenews/$', redirect_to, {'url': '/articles/feeds/googlenews/', 'permanent': False}),
(r'^newsletter/', include('myapp.apps.newsletter.urls')),
(r'^subscriptions/', include('myapp.apps.newsubscriptions.urls')),
(r'^shared/', include('myapp.apps.sharing.urls')),
(r'^counter/', include('myapp.apps.counter.urls')),
# Redirects for legacy NYRB system
(r'^nyrev/(\w+)', uber_legacy_article_redirect),
(r'^nyrev/', redirect_to, {'url': '/'}),
(r'contents/(?P<legacy_date>\d+)/', legacy_issue_detail_redirect),
(r'^archives/browse/?$', legacy_browse_archives),
(r'^gallery/gallery-browse/?$', legacy_gallery_browse),
(r'^gallery/', legacy_illustration),
(r'authors/(?P<legacy_author_id>\d+)/', legacy_author_detail_redirect),
#(r'shop/product', legacy_book_detail_redirect),
(r'^shop/product/?$', legacy_product),
(r'^myapp/browse/?$', legacy_book_browse),
(r'blogs/myapplog/post/(\d+)/(?P<slug>[-\w]+)/$', solango_blogsearch_redirect),
# URL shortening
(r'^u/(?P<short_url>[a-zA-Z0-9]+)/$', expand_url),
# NYRB shop
(r'^shop/', include('myapp.apps.myapp_shop.urls')),
(r'^admin/shop/order/csv/?', csv_order_export_day),
(r'^admin/shop/order/(?P<order_id>\d+)/csv/?', csv_order_export),
# URLs for Savoy apps
(r'^tags/', include('savoy.contrib.sections.tag_urls')),
(r'^podcasts/', include('savoy.contrib.podcasts.urls')),
(r'^blogs/$', redirect_to, {'url': "/blogs/myapplog/", 'permanent': False}),
(r'^blogs/', include('savoy.contrib.blogs.urls')),
(r'^media/', include('savoy.core.media.urls')),
# this is to use our own edit profile view
(r'^users/(?P<username>.+)/edit/$', edit_profile),
(r'^users/', include('savoy.core.profiles.urls')),
# django-authopenid
(r'^account/getusername/', get_lost_username),
#(r'account/signin/?', 'myapp.apps.forms.views.dual_login'),
(r'account/signin/?', 'django.contrib.auth.views.login', {'template_name': 'authopenid/signin.html'}),
(r'account/signout/?', 'django.contrib.auth.views.logout', {'next_page': '/'}),
(r'account/sendpw/?', 'myapp.apps.forms.views.dual_sendpw'),
(r'account/resetpw/?', 'myapp.apps.forms.views.reset_pw'),
(r'account/signup/?', 'myapp.apps.forms.views.link_and_signup'),
#(r'^account/', include('django_authopenid.urls')),
# django-mailfriend
(r'^mail_friend/send/?', email_link_send),
(r'^mail_friend/', include('mailfriend.urls')),
# django.contrib.comments
# Django admin (Satchmo additions):
(r'^admin/print/(?P<doc>[-\w]+)/(?P<id>\d+)', 'shipping.views.displayDoc'),
(r'^admin/product/configurableproduct/(?P<id>\d+)/getoptions/', 'product.views.get_configurable_product_options'),
# Orders
(r'^admin/open-orders/$', 'myapp.apps.myapp_shop.views.open_orders'),
# Institutional subscription CSV
(r'^admin/subscriptions/institutionalsubscription\.csv', 'myapp.apps.subscriptions.views.institutional_sub_csv'),
# COUNTER admin for institutional reports
#(r'^admin/institution-counts/multiple-report/csv/$', 'myapp.apps.subscriptions.views.institution_multiple_csv'),
#(r'^admin/institution-counts/multiple-report/$', 'myapp.apps.subscriptions.views.institution_multiple_report'),
(r'^admin/institution-counts/institutions/(?P<id>\d+)/csv/', redirect_to, {'url': '/counter/%(id)s.csv'}),
(r'^admin/institution-counts/institutions/(?P<id>\d+)/$', redirect_to, {'url': '/counter/%(id)s/'}),
#(r'^admin/institution-counts/process_file/?$', 'myapp.apps.subscriptions.views.institution_process_file'),
(r'^admin/institution-counts/$', redirect_to, {'url': '/counter/'}),
# Django admin (standard)
(r'^admin/doc/', include('django.contrib.admindocs.urls')),
(r'^admin/', include(admin.site.urls)),
# custom feeds
(r'^feed/author/(?P<slug>[-\w]+)/$', AuthorFeed()),
)
# attach satchmo patterns after our patterns so we can override if needed
from satchmo_store.urls import urlpatterns
urlpatterns = myapp_patterns + urlpatterns
if settings.DEBUG:
urlpatterns += patterns('django.views.static',
(r'media/(?P<path>.*)', 'serve', {'document_root': settings.MEDIA_ROOT}),
)

Answer 1

My guess is it has to do with your satchmo patterns and overloading on the name "urlpatterns" which django specifically looks for.
Try
from satchmo_store.urls import urlpatterns as satchmo_patterns
urlpatterns = myapp_patterns + satchmo_patterns
#etc.

Answer 2

The strange behavior may be bacause before if settings.DEBUG, urlpatterns is empty for some reason.
When running the dev server, it gets populated with the urlpatterns from the static app. When running in production, it remains empty.
You can check this easily with a clause like
if urlpatterns:
# something is in urlpatterns
# What's its type, contents, ...?
else:
# urlpatterns is empty
Once you figured this out, you can dig deeper. You can also add the check in a unit test or do it directly in the python shell, by importing the urls module if you want to make it more robust.

Answer 3

I think, and this is just a hunch, your urls maybe fine, (since no issues arise in your staged dev machine, only reloading on prod) the problem maybe with the way gunicorn re-loads the modules, and the way python compiled code behaves between different versions of the interpreter and how iterators behave, but again this are all hunches.
I recommend that you use the same version of python that you have on production in your staged machine and see if you can recreate the error if there already same version, then it must be something else, the reason I ask is that most production machines tend to use older versions of python, though I could be wrong.
good luck.

Answer 4

Instead of the urlpatterns = myapp_patterns + urlpatterns stuff, surely we could instead call myapp_patterns urlpatterns off the bat, and have inside the end of it, something along the lines of:
(r'^', include('satchmo_store.urls')),
As this is the "Django" way to include URL patterns?
This might solve your issue, I'm not sure. Worth a shot, I guess.