python manage.py collectstatic --noinput error when deploying Django project to Heroku

Question

I've recently encountered a static files error when deploying my Django project again to Heroku. I've deployed the project to Heroku once already previously (without static files) and it worked. But recently, I altered the front-end and included some images and css files, and now I'm updating this project.

My Project files are as follows:

site1 - mynotes - settings.py
                - wsgi.py
      - mynotess - migrations
                 - static
                 - templates
      - users    - migrations
                 - templates
      - .gitignore.txt
      - manage.py 
      - db.sqlite3
      - Procfile
      - requirements.txt

Just to clarify, mynotes is the main project directory. 'users' and 'mynotess' (double s) are apps.

This is my settings.py:

import os

# Build paths inside the project like this: os.path.join(BASE_DIR, ...)
BASE_DIR = os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))


# Quick-start development settings - unsuitable for production
# See https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/1.10/howto/deployment/checklist/

# SECURITY WARNING: keep the secret key used in production secret!
SECRET_KEY = 'w2!3r+pgqz6yhwi_+aw_!-yra7#h69z-n3-ni$gs2v+!!k^2$b'

# SECURITY WARNING: don't run with debug turned on in production!
DEBUG = True

ALLOWED_HOSTS = []


# Application definition

INSTALLED_APPS = [
    'django.contrib.admin',
    'django.contrib.auth',
    'django.contrib.contenttypes',
    'django.contrib.sessions',
    'django.contrib.messages',
    'django.contrib.staticfiles',
    'bootstrap3',
    'mynotess',
    'users',
]

MIDDLEWARE = [
    'django.middleware.security.SecurityMiddleware',
    'django.contrib.sessions.middleware.SessionMiddleware',
    'django.middleware.common.CommonMiddleware',
    'django.middleware.csrf.CsrfViewMiddleware',
    'django.contrib.auth.middleware.AuthenticationMiddleware',
    'django.contrib.messages.middleware.MessageMiddleware',
    'django.middleware.clickjacking.XFrameOptionsMiddleware',
]

ROOT_URLCONF = 'mynotes.urls'

TEMPLATES = [
    {
        'BACKEND': 'django.template.backends.django.DjangoTemplates',
        'DIRS': [], #originally empty
        'APP_DIRS': True,
        'OPTIONS': {
            'context_processors': [
                'django.template.context_processors.debug',
                'django.template.context_processors.request',
                'django.contrib.auth.context_processors.auth',
                'django.contrib.messages.context_processors.messages',
            ],
        },
    },
]

WSGI_APPLICATION = 'mynotes.wsgi.application'

DATABASES = {
    'default': {
        'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.sqlite3',
        'NAME': os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'db.sqlite3'),
    }
}

AUTH_PASSWORD_VALIDATORS = [
    {
        'NAME': 'django.contrib.auth.password_validation.UserAttributeSimilarityValidator',
    },
    {
        'NAME': 'django.contrib.auth.password_validation.MinimumLengthValidator',
    },
    {
        'NAME': 'django.contrib.auth.password_validation.CommonPasswordValidator',
    },
    {
        'NAME': 'django.contrib.auth.password_validation.NumericPasswordValidator',
    },
]

LANGUAGE_CODE = 'en-us'

TIME_ZONE = 'UTC'

USE_I18N = True

USE_L10N = True

USE_TZ = True


STATIC_URL = '/static/'

LOGIN_URL = 'users/login'

BOOTSTRAP3 = {'include_jquery': True}

if os.getcwd() == '/app':
    import dj_database_url
    DATABASES = {
        'default': dj_database_url.config(default='postgres://localhost')
    }

    SECURE_PROXY_SSL_HEADER = ('HTTP_X_FORWARDED_PROTO', 'https')

    ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['*']

    BASE_DIR = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))
    STATIC_ROOT = 'staticfiles'
    STATICFILES_DIRS = (
        os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'static'),
    )

This is the error I got in Command Prompt:

C:\Users\Steven\site1>git push heroku master
Counting objects: 7, done.
Delta compression using up to 4 threads.
Compressing objects: 100% (7/7), done.
Writing objects: 100% (7/7), 590 bytes | 0 bytes/s, done.
Total 7 (delta 5), reused 0 (delta 0)
remote: Compressing source files... done.
remote: Building source:
remote:
remote: -----> Python app detected
remote:      $ pip install -r requirements.txt
remote:
remote:      $ python manage.py collectstatic --noinput
remote:        Traceback (most recent call last):
remote:          File "manage.py", line 22, in <module>
remote:            execute_from_command_line(sys.argv)
remote:          File "/app/.heroku/python/lib/python2.7/site-packages/django/core/management/__init__.py", line 367, in execute_from_command_line
remote:            utility.execute()
remote:          File "/app/.heroku/python/lib/python2.7/site-packages/django/core/management/__init__.py", line 359, in execute
remote:            self.fetch_command(subcommand).run_from_argv(self.argv)
remote:          File "/app/.heroku/python/lib/python2.7/site-packages/django/core/management/base.py", line 294, in run_from_argv
remote:            self.execute(*args, **cmd_options)
remote:          File "/app/.heroku/python/lib/python2.7/site-packages/django/core/management/base.py", line 345, in execute
remote:            output = self.handle(*args, **options)
remote:          File "/app/.heroku/python/lib/python2.7/site-packages/django/contrib/staticfiles/management/commands/collectstatic.py", line 193, in handle
remote:            collected = self.collect()
remote:          File "/app/.heroku/python/lib/python2.7/site-packages/django/contrib/staticfiles/management/commands/collectstatic.py", line 124, in collect
remote:            handler(path, prefixed_path, storage)
remote:          File "/app/.heroku/python/lib/python2.7/site-packages/django/contrib/staticfiles/management/commands/collectstatic.py", line 337, in copy_file
remote:            if not self.delete_file(path, prefixed_path, source_storage):
remote:          File "/app/.heroku/python/lib/python2.7/site-packages/django/contrib/staticfiles/management/commands/collectstatic.py", line 255, in delete_file
remote:            if self.storage.exists(prefixed_path):
remote:          File "/app/.heroku/python/lib/python2.7/site-packages/django/core/files/storage.py", line 394, in exists
remote:            return os.path.exists(self.path(name))
remote:          File "/app/.heroku/python/lib/python2.7/site-packages/django/contrib/staticfiles/storage.py", line 49, in path
remote:            raise ImproperlyConfigured("You're using the staticfiles app "
remote:        django.core.exceptions.ImproperlyConfigured: You're using the staticfiles app without having set the STATIC_ROOT setting to a filesystem path.
remote:
remote:  !     Error while running '$ python manage.py collectstatic --noinput'.
remote:        See traceback above for details.
remote:
remote:        You may need to update application code to resolve this error.
remote:        Or, you can disable collectstatic for this application:
remote:
remote:           $ heroku config:set DISABLE_COLLECTSTATIC=1
remote:
remote:        https://devcenter.heroku.com/articles/django-assets
remote:  !     Push rejected, failed to compile Python app.
remote:
remote:  !     Push failed
remote: Verifying deploy...
remote:
remote: !       Push rejected to my-compository.
remote:
To https://git.heroku.com/my-compository.git
 ! [remote rejected] master -> master (pre-receive hook declined)
error: failed to push some refs to 'https://git.heroku.com/my-compository.git'

I feel like it has something to do with how my static files are configured in settings.py. Any kind of help/suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Solution 1

The error message specifies the root of the problem, you don't have STATIC_ROOT setup properly—you have to use an absolute path:

STATIC_ROOT

Default: None

The absolute path to the directory where collectstatic will collect static files for deployment.

Something like this should work:

BASE_DIR = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))

STATIC_ROOT = os.path.normpath(os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'staticfiles'))
STATICFILES_DIRS = (
    os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'static'),
)

Of course, it may also be the case that the if block in your settings isn't being run.

Solution 2

well I fixed by changing the settings.py like this:

STATIC_URL = '/static/'
if DEBUG:
   STATICFILES_DIRS = [
   os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'static'),
   ]
else:
   STATIC_ROOT = os.path.join(BASE_DIR,'static')

MEDIA_URL = '/media/'
MEDIA_ROOT = os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'media')

Solution 3

Maybe a bit late to the party, but i found a proper solution for this problem today:

• include the django-heroku library in your project
• add the given line of code to your settings.py

works like a charm :)

https://github.com/heroku/django-heroku

Comments

[sjaustirni]

An explanation of how and/or why it works is always welcome. Please avoid pure code/terminal command answers.