Using Wing with Django
Wing Pro is a Python IDE that can be used to develop, test, and debug Python code written for the Django web development framework. The debugger works with Django's auto-reload feature and can step through and debug Python code and Django templates. Wing Pro also automates some aspects of the creation and management of Django projects and applications.
If you do not already have Wing Pro installed, download it now.
This document describes how to configure Wing for Django. To get started using Wing as your Python IDE, please refer to the tutorial in Wing's Help menu or read the Quickstart Guide.
Creating a Project
You can configure a new Wing project to use an existing Django project, or you can create a new Django project at the same time.
Existing Django Project
To set up a Wing Pro project for an existing Django project, use New Project in the Project menu. First select the host you with to work on, then choose your existing source directory, and set Project Type to Django. If Wing auto-detects a Python environment in your selected source directory, you can immediately create the project. Otherwise, press Next to select your Python environment as described below.
When creating a Wing project for an existing Django directory, Wing scans for Django settings and manage.py during project creation and tries to determine which should be used for development. If multiple settings are found, you will be prompted to select which one you want to configure for development with Wing.
New Django Project
If you are starting a new Django project at the same time as you are setting up your Wing project, use New Project in the Project menu. First select the host you wish to work on, then choose a new project directory, and set Project Type to Django. Then press Next to configure your Python environment as described in the previous section.
Selecting the Python Environment
The Python Environment that you use with Django can be any existing Python installation or environment, or you can create a new virtualenv, Poetry env, uv env, pipenv, conda env, or Docker container along with your project. See Creating Python Environments for details.
If you select an existing Python environment, be sure that it has Django installed into it before creating your project. If you don't know where your Python is located, run it outside of Wing and type the following:
import sys
print(sys.executable)
The resulting full path can be used with Command Line under the Existing Python Executable option in the New Project dialog.
Once the project is created, this will display a dialog that confirms the configuration, with a detailed list of the settings that were made.
Now you should be able to start Django in Wing's debugger, set breakpoints in Python code and Django templates, and reach those breakpoints in response to a browser page load.
Usage Tips
Automated Django Tasks
The Django menu, shown in Wing when the current project is configured for Django, contains items for common tasks such as creating a new app, generating SQL for a selected app, migrating an app or database, running validation checks or unit tests, and restarting the integrated Python Shell with the Django environment.
Wing's Django extensions are open source and can be found in scripts/django.py in the install directory listed in Wing's About box. For detailed information on writing extensions for Wing, see