Django Reactify is an app that allows developers to add and use React components in their Django app without using the legacy create-react-app.

1. Install the package via the following command:

   pip install django-reactify

2. Add "reactify" to your INSTALLED_APPS setting like this:

   INSTALLED_APPS = [
       ...
       'reactify',
   ]
   

3. Run the following command:

   python manage.py reactify <app_name>

   Ensure that the templates directory exists in the specified app name.

   • Replace the app name with the existing Django app you want to reactify.

   • This command does the following:

     • Creates barbel and webpack configuration files in the app's root directory.
     • Creates package.json file with the scripts to run React development server.
     • Creates a react folder directory with the necessary files and subdirectories where you can add your react component files and redux actions and reducers.
     • Creates a react folder directory with the necessary files and subdirectories where you can add your react component files and redux actions and reducers.
     • Installs the basic npm development packages.
     • starts the react development server that listens on the changes made to the react components and compile a minimal js file that is rendered to the view.

4. cd to the django app directory and run the following command:

   npm run dev

5. Add the new view function to the views file to render the compiled version of the react app.

   def index(request):

   template_name = '<app_name>/index.html'

   return render(request, template_name)

6. Add more React components to the react app's component folder.

If you don't configure Django urls to accept the Routes declared in the react, you will encouter 404 error.

To fix this, lets say you have react routes as follows:

<Switch>

<Route exact path="/" component={Main} />

<Route exact path="/login" component={LoginPage} />

<Route exact path="/services" component={ServicesPage} />

<Route exact path="/about" component={AboutPage} />

In the app urls file use re_path,

from django.urls import re_path

from .views import index

urlpatterns = [

re_path(r'', index, name="home"), ]