# Askbot Project Documentation

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# Askbot as reusable django application

Askbot can be used both as as dedicated site and as an application within a larger site. There are still issues to resolve to make askbot a truly reusable app, but some are already solved.

This page is a guide for using askbot as an independent app and it is somewhat technical.

## Adding askbot to a pre-existing site

If you already have a django site with users, after adding askbot to your project, run a management command just once:

    python manage.py add_missing_subscriptions

Note

This only applies to users registered before the installation of Askbot. Newer users will have default subscription records created automatically, by the Django’s `post_save` signal.

The email subscription settings are also created automatically when certain pages are visited and when `send_email_alerts` command is run, so it is not mandatory to run `add_missing_subscriptions`.

## Using alternative login system

Askbot has a bundled application for user login and registration, but it can be replaced with any other. Just remove `'askbot.deps.django_authopenid'` from the `INSTALLED_APPS`, remove `'askbot.deps.django_authopenid.backends.AuthBackend'` from the `AUTHENTICATION_BACKENDS`, install another registration app and modify `LOGIN_URL` and `LOGOUT_URL` accordingly.

If you are adding Askbot to a django site that already has registered users, please see this section.

There are two caveats.

Firstly, if you are using some other login/registration app, please disable feature “settings”->”data entry and display”->”allow posting before logging in”.

This may be fixed in the future by adding a snippet of code to run right after the user logs in - please ask at askbot forum if you are interested.

Secondly, disable setting “settings”->”user settings”->”allow add and remove login methods”. This one is specific to the builtin login application which allows more than one login method per user account.