Real Python: Build a Flashcards App With Django

Flashcards are a great tool when you want to memorize a new topic or learn a new language. You write a question on the front of the card and the answer on the back of the card. Then you can test your memory by going through the flashcards. The more often you show a card to yourself, the better your chances of memorizing its content. With Django, you can build your own flashcards app.

By following this tutorial, you’ll build a Django flashcards app that replicates a spaced repetition system, which can boost your learning potential.

In this step-by-step project, you’ll learn how to:

• Set up a Django project
• Work with a SQLite database and the Django shell
• Create models and class-based views
• Structure and nest templates
• Create custom template tags

Along the way, you’ll get step-by-step guidance to create your final flashcards app. That means you’ll get all the code you need in separate, bite-size pieces. You can also find the full source code of the application by clicking on the link below:

If you want to learn about a new topic while sharpening your Django and Python skills, then this project is the perfect match for you!

Demo: Your Django Flashcards App

In this tutorial, you’ll build a flashcards app. On the front page of your web app, you’ll see all your existing cards and be able to create new ones. On each flashcard, you can add a question and an answer, which you can later edit. When you want to test your knowledge, you can navigate to a box to review the cards that the box contains:

Once you’ve learned the answer to the card’s question, the card moves to the next box. If a flashcard moves to the next box, that doesn’t mean you’re done with it. You’ll still review it periodically to refresh your memory, and it’ll continue progressing through the boxes. Basically, the higher the box number, the more likely that you’ve mastered those concepts. If you don’t know the answer to a card’s question, then the card moves back to the first box.

Project Overview

Your work in this tutorial is divided into multiple steps. That way, you can take breaks and continue at your own pace. You’ll build a full-stack web app with a database connection that replicates the Leitner system:

In [the Leitner system], flashcards are sorted into groups according to how well the learner knows each one in Leitner’s learning box. The learners try to recall the solution written on a flashcard. If they succeed, they send the card to the next group. If they fail, they send it back to the first group. (Source)

By using spaced repetition, you’ll test your knowledge of the new or challenging topics in the first box more frequently, while you’ll check the cards from the other boxes in larger time intervals:

• You have five boxes that can contain flashcards.
• When you create a flashcard, you put it into the first box.
• To test your knowledge, you choose a box, pick a random flashcard, and check if you know the answer to the card’s question.
• If you know the answer, then you move the card to the next higher box.
• If you don’t know the answer, then you move the card back to the first box.

The higher the box number, the less frequently you check the flashcards in that box to test your knowledge.

This project is a great starting point, and then you can enhance your Django project with more features. At the end of this tutorial, you’ll find ideas about what to build next.

Prerequisites

You don’t need any previous knowledge of Django or databases to complete this project. If you want to learn more about the topics that you encounter in this tutorial, you’ll find links to resources along the way.

However, you should be comfortable using the command line and have a basic knowledge of Python and classes. Although it helps to know about virtual environments and pip, you’ll learn how to set everything up as you work through the tutorial.

Step 1: Prepare Your Django Project

In this step, you’ll prepare the development environment for your Django flashcards project. First, you’ll create a virtual environment and install all dependencies that you need for your project. At the end of this step, you’ll create the Django project and verify that your project is set up correctly in the browser.

Create a Virtual Environment