On Web2py and Having Templates

I've been writing an app for some friends using Web2py.

I really like how the generic views let you try out your controllers without worrying about the details of what variables you will or won't pass to the view. Lots of diagnostics are given in the generic views, and you can see how your forms render. Paired with web2py's automatic database creation and modification, you can iterate really quickly with this framework.

I've worked with some ORMs and ran into limitations when you try and do things that would normally require a nested SELECT in SQL. Web2py's DAL (database abstraction layer) can do nested selects relatively easily. The DAL is much more relational than object oriented.

In any event, implementing new features in a web2py app is like eating potato chips! It's hard to stop.

I've toyed with Grails a bit and similarly enjoyed the way the scaffolding makes it easy to move fast. The generic views in web2py also help one avoid that "blank canvas" feel.

I've been itching to do some more work with Django, and I think I'm going to have to put together my own Django skeleton project like they did at the Washington Times (although I'm not sure if I need to go as deep as getting into virtualenv just yet, just some templates and config options I habitually set).