Wednesday 3:30 p.m.–5 p.m.
Building SMS Applications with Django (Caktus Group)
Mark Lavin, Caleb Smith, David Ray
Description
Learn the basics of SMS application development using Django and Django-based RapidSMS. We’ll walk you through building an app where you can create a group, join a group, and broadcast messages to the group. Gain insight into which tools and challenges to consider when working in first world vs. developing country contexts.
Abstract
Building SMS applications is a lot of fun and is relatively quick since it requires no front-end development. Our tools of choice are Django and Django-based RapidSMS. We’ll walk through the creation of an SMS application that will allow you to create groups, join groups, and broadcast messages to group members. Here are some highlights of what you’ll learn in our workshop:
- Basic anatomy of an SMS-based application
- How to get started with RapidSMS
- Building SMS workflows
- Testing SMS applications
- Common challenges and solutions for SMS applications
We’ve used SMS applications in different contexts, especially on behalf of international aid agencies. Fast, cheap information sharing within remote locations can be transformative for developing countries.
### Prerequisite Knowledge
Beginner level of Python.
### Prerequisite Knowledge
Just your ears, but a laptop allows you to explore the repo.
