### Transitioning to Wagtail 6.0: Fully Embracing Django 5.0 and Python 3.12 The upgrade to Wagtail 6.0 is a significant leap forward, aligning your project with the latest developments in web technology. With this update, we officially move to Django 5.0 and, optionally, Python 3.12. ### Preparing for Upgrade Before diving into the upgrade process, it's crucial to understand what Wagtail 6.0 entails by checking the [release notes](https://docs.wagtail.org/en/stable/releases/6.0.html). Notably, Django 5.0 is now supported, which also requires a Python update to ensure compatibility. ### Updating Your Docker Environment With the transition to Python 3.12, your Dockerfile will need an update: ```Dockerfile FROM python:3.12 ``` For those utilizing `psycopg2-binary` in conjunction with Python 3.12, make sure to upgrade to `psycopg2-binary==2.9.9` to avoid build issues during installation. ### Postgres upgrade If you're using `postgres` for your database and you're using `< 14`, you'll need to update. This is one reason I _love_ Docker. If you're using Docker and Docker compose, open `docker-compose.yml` and update the database service to at least postgres 16 (but I prefer 17 at the time of this writing). ```yml # docker-compose.yml services: ... postgres: image: postgres:17 ... ``` ### Setting Up Requirements.txt Update your `requirements.txt` to include the latest versions of Django and Wagtail available at the time of writing: ``` Django==5.0.4 wagtail==6.0.2 ``` ### Transitioning from `django-adminactions` If you're using `django-adminactions`, consider upgrading to `django-adminactions==2.3.0`. Alternatively, it's advisable to switch to Wagtail’s new ModelViewSets, which offer built-in export options, making third-party packages unnecessary for this functionality. ### Key Changes in Wagtail 6.0 Wagtail 6.0 has removed the ModelAdmin app. It's now preferred that developers use `ModelViewSet`. If you haven’t yet transitioned from ModelAdmin (covered in the upgrade to Wagtail 5.x), now is the time. The functionality previously provided by Wagtail's contrib package, ModelAdmin, is now available via a third-party package, `wagtail-modeladmin`. ### Handling Recaptcha Updates For those utilizing reCAPTCHA: ```python # Update your imports for ReCaptchaField from django_recaptcha.fields import ReCaptchaField # And update your INSTALLED_APPS INSTALLED_APPS = [ ... 'django_recaptcha', ... ] ``` ### Updating Wagtail’s Built-in Search If your site uses Wagtail's built-in search functionality, update your code to reflect the new location of the `Query` model: 1. Add `wagtail.contrib.search_promotions` to your `INSTALLED_APPS` in `base.py`. 2. Change import statements in `search/views.py`: ```python from wagtail.contrib.search_promotions.models import Query ``` ### StreamField Update With Wagtail 6.0, `use_json_field=True` in StreamFields is no longer required. If you have specified this in your StreamFields, you can safely remove it. ### Package versions that work Here are some common Python packages that work with Django 5.2 and Wagtail 6.4: ``` django-adminactions==2.3.0 django-extensions==3.2.3 django-widget-tweaks==1.5.0 django-el-pagination==4.1.2 django-allauth==65.7.0 wagtail-generic-chooser==0.6.1 django-countries==7.6.1 django-phone-field==1.8.1 ``` ### Applying Migrations and Final Steps To complete your upgrade, apply the necessary Wagtail migrations and update your search index: ``` python manage.py migrate python manage.py update_index ``` After migration, running your project should show the updated Wagtail in action, with fewer legacy features and a cleaner, more streamlined setup. And running the `python manage.py update_index` command will make sure your Wagtail admin-based search works as expected.