This task involves refactoring a fully functional Django project, initially contained within a single folder, by restructuring it into a modular, multi-app architecture. This approach organizes the project into distinct folders, promoting scalability, maintainability, and logical separation of functionalities.

1. 1. Create Project and Application Folders

      • First, split the existing monolithic Django project by creating a new project folder and three distinct application folders: lettings, profiles, and core.
        • The project folder will serve as the main container for overall project configurations and settings.
        • The application folders will contain the separate functionalities:
          • lettings: Manages all features and data specific to property lettings.
          • profiles: Manages user profiles and related data.
          • core: Acts as a central application for shared resources, such as common pages or utilities, or can hold the home page, contact info, or other miscellaneous features not specific to lettings or profiles.

   2. Migrate Views, Models, URLs, and Admin Configurations

      • Move the respective views, models, URL configurations, and admin configurations from the original single folder into their corresponding application folders. This involves:
        • Views: Moving each view function or class to a views.py file in the relevant application folder, ensuring that each view aligns with the logic and data of its corresponding app.
        • Models: Relocating each model class into a models.py file within the appropriate application, organizing database tables based on the app-specific data they handle.
        • URLs: Creating a urls.py file in each application folder and transferring URL patterns to reflect a modular routing structure. This often involves setting up URL namespaces for each app, enhancing URL management.
        • Admin Configurations: Moving any custom admin site registrations into each application’s admin.py file, allowing admin settings to be managed independently per application.

   3. Update Project-level Settings

      • Open the main settings.py file within the project folder to reflect the new project structure:
        • INSTALLED_APPS: Update the list of installed apps to include lettings, profiles, and core. This change registers each new app within Django’s settings, enabling them to be recognized as separate modules in the project.
        • TEMPLATES and STATICFILES_DIRS: Adjust paths in the TEMPLATES and STATICFILES_DIRS settings if necessary, to reflect any changes in template or static file structure, ensuring Django can locate all resources correctly.
        • DATABASES (optional): If any app-specific database configurations are needed, add these settings here.
        • Logging and Error Handling (optional): For larger applications, consider updating logging and error handling to reflect the new app-specific structure, making debugging more targeted and straightforward.

   4. Refactor Code and Imports

      • Update import statements throughout the project to align with the new structure. This often involves adjusting relative or absolute imports to point to the new application-specific folders. This ensures that models, views, and other components are imported correctly after the reorganization.

   5. Test the Project

      • Run the Django development server and execute all tests to verify that the reorganization has not broken any functionality. This includes checking each app's views, models, URL routing, and admin configurations to confirm they work as expected in their new locations.

   6. Documentation and Git Commits

      • Update project documentation to reflect the new structure, describing the role and contents of each folder. Add comments in the settings file or project README to outline the purpose of each app and where future functionalities should be implemented.
      • Make a series of well-documented Git commits for each major step, including "Created new app folders," "Moved models and views," "Updated project settings," etc., to maintain a clear history of changes.

By completing this reorganization, the Django project now follows a modular structure that aligns with Django’s best practices, making it easier to maintain, test, and expand as the application grows. Each application folder (lettings, profiles, and core) now operates as a standalone module, with its own views, models, and URL configurations, providing a solid foundation for future development.