Consistently use dashes instead of underscores in URL names

[Thomas Güttler]

Please use one form to refer to the update-view of
a model.

Here are two: 'author-detail' vs 'author_update'

    def get_absolute_url(self):
        return reverse('author-detail', kwargs={'pk': self.pk})

from ​https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/1.8/topics/class-based-views/generic-editing/#model-forms

some lines below the above link:

    url(r'author/(?P<pk>[0-9]+)/$', AuthorUpdate.as_view(), name='author_update'),

But first: The django core developers should decide which pattern should be used in the docs:

foo-detail or foo_update.

When the decision was made, then all examples in the docs should use this pattern.

[Claude Paroz]

Can you please clarify what is the precise object of this ticket? Is this the hyphen vs underscore in the view name? Because detail and update views are different views...

[Tim Graham]

It looks to me like the complaint is that sometimes dashes are used in url() names, sometimes underscores. If I had to cast a vote, I guess I'd choose dashes based on Google's advice "We recommend that you use hyphens (-) instead of underscores (_) in your URLs." and the fact that you might want your URL names to roughly match the URLs themselves.

[Thomas Güttler]

Yes, this ticket is not about technical details, it is about the Zen of Python:

"There should be one-- and preferably only one --obvious way to do it."

It least the django docs should be consistently use hyphens xor underscore for url names.

[Tim Graham]

Note that we cannot change some examples like url(r'^reset/done/$', auth_views.password_reset_complete, name='password_reset_complete') in docs/ref/contrib/admin/index.txt as Django templates use those names in templates.

[Alvin Mites]

or perhaps the scope of this ticket could be expanded to include updating the bundled templates

perhaps add a DEPRECATED / duplicate of urlpatterns that include all the old underscore naming?

[Wim Feijen]

Hi guys,

My preference would be to use underscores in stead of dashes, because we are coupling urls to views, and in function based views, view names always use underscores instead of dashes.

My personal preference is to have url names, view names and template names the same, all using underscores.

My url patterns tend to differ anyway, containing dashes, slug regexes and such.

[Aymeric Augustin]

The counter-argument is that using a different convention for different types of objects makes it easier to search or replace one type and not the others.

[Thomas Güttler]

What kind of types do you have? Can you please list some. I could guess what you mean, but I don't like guessing.

[Aymeric Augustin]

Here are the three conventions and the types they're commonly used for:

• dash-separated: URL names
• underscore_separated: FBV function names
• CamelCase: CBV class names and other classes: models, forms, etc.

[Thomas Güttler]

You wrote "The counter-argument is that using a different convention for different types of objects makes it easier to search or replace one type and not the others."

I understood that there are different types of url-names. But that was my mistake.

I guess I understood you now: You want dash-seperated of the url names, since .. it makes it easier to search or replace one type and not the others. Correct?

[Aymeric Augustin]

Exactly. Sorry for not expressing that clearly.

[thijsvandien]

Pull request at ​https://github.com/django/django/pull/5593

[Tim Graham <timograham@…>]

In 16794721:

Fixed #25473 -- Changed underscores in url() names to dashes in docs.

To improve consistency, sample URL names that had underscores
in them now use dashes instead. That excludes URL names that
have some relation to the code, such as those generated by
the admin.

Thanks guettli for reporting this.

[Tim Graham <timograham@…>]

In f5e1d72:

[1.9.x] Fixed #25473 -- Changed underscores in url() names to dashes in docs.

To improve consistency, sample URL names that had underscores
in them now use dashes instead. That excludes URL names that
have some relation to the code, such as those generated by
the admin.

Thanks guettli for reporting this.

Backport of 1679472165e840aef4c8c9ece2fbf4620b87beab from master

[Tim Graham <timograham@…>]

In 78a28cca:

[1.8.x] Fixed #25473 -- Changed underscores in url() names to dashes in docs.

To improve consistency, sample URL names that had underscores
in them now use dashes instead. That excludes URL names that
have some relation to the code, such as those generated by
the admin.

Thanks guettli for reporting this.

Backport of 1679472165e840aef4c8c9ece2fbf4620b87beab from master