Installation

This guide will help you install and configure AccessibleDjango in your Django project.

Requirements

Python 3.10 or higher
Django 4.2 or higher

Installation Methods

Using pip

The simplest way to install AccessibleDjango is via pip:

pip install accessible-django

Using uv (Recommended for Development)

If you’re using uv for package management:

uv add accessible-django

From Source

To install the latest development version from GitHub:

pip install git+https://github.com/JohananOppongAmoateng/AccessibleDjango.git

Configuration

1. Add to Installed Apps

After installation, add accessible_django to your INSTALLED_APPS in settings.py:

INSTALLED_APPS = [
    # Django apps
    'django.contrib.admin',
    'django.contrib.auth',
    'django.contrib.contenttypes',
    'django.contrib.sessions',
    'django.contrib.messages',
    'django.contrib.staticfiles',
    
    # Your apps
    'myapp',
    
    # Third-party apps
    'accessible_django',  # Add this line
]

[!IMPORTANT] Make sure to add accessible_django to INSTALLED_APPS. The package registers its checks automatically when Django starts.

2. Verify Installation

To verify that AccessibleDjango is installed correctly, run:

python manage.py check

If there are any accessibility issues in your templates, you’ll see warnings like:

System check identified some issues:

WARNINGS:
accessible_django.W001: Missing alt attribute in <img> tag at line 15 in /path/to/template.html
    HINT: Add a descriptive 'alt' attribute to all <img> tags.

Optional Configuration

Template Directories

AccessibleDjango automatically scans all template directories configured in your TEMPLATES setting:

TEMPLATES = [
    {
        'BACKEND': 'django.template.backends.django.DjangoTemplates',
        'DIRS': [
            BASE_DIR / 'templates',  # These will be scanned
        ],
        'APP_DIRS': True,  # App templates will also be scanned
        'OPTIONS': {
            'context_processors': [
                'django.template.context_processors.debug',
                'django.template.context_processors.request',
                'django.contrib.auth.context_processors.auth',
                'django.contrib.messages.context_processors.messages',
            ],
        },
    },
]

Development vs Production

You may want to run accessibility checks only in development:

# settings.py
if DEBUG:
    INSTALLED_APPS += ['accessible_django']

However, we recommend keeping it enabled in all environments to catch issues early.

Upgrading

To upgrade to the latest version:

pip install --upgrade accessible-django

Or with uv:

uv add --upgrade accessible-django

Troubleshooting

Check Not Running

If the accessibility checks aren’t running:

Verify accessible_django is in INSTALLED_APPS
Make sure you’re running python manage.py check or starting the development server
Check that your templates are in directories configured in TEMPLATES

Import Errors

If you encounter import errors:

Ensure Django 4.2+ is installed: pip install "Django>=4.2"
Verify Python version: python --version (should be 3.10+)
Try reinstalling: pip uninstall accessible-django && pip install accessible-django

Next Steps

Now that you have AccessibleDjango installed, check out the Quick Start Guide to learn how to use it effectively.