Refactor NewQuestionForm and optimize views for better performance (#80)

* Refactor NewQuestionForm and optimize views for better performance

- Refactored NewQuestionForm to dynamically populate category choices directly from the database, improving efficiency and user experience.
- Simplified the handling of minute and second values during form initialization to ensure proper preservation across submissions.
- Optimized the home and questions views by reducing unnecessary queries and improving pagination logic.
- Enhanced the rendering of questions by caching usernames to minimize database lookups.

* Enhance new-question template and form handling

- Updated the new-question template to conditionally render alert classes based on message tags, improving user feedback.
- Modified the NewQuestionForm to dynamically enable or disable minute and second range fields based on category selection, ensuring a better user experience.
- Ensured that minute and second values are preserved across form submissions, enhancing form usability.

---------

Co-authored-by: ankitamk14 <ankitamk@gmail.com>

Author: Kushagra1122

static/website/templates/new-question.html

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 {% if messages %}
   <ul class="messages">
     {% for message in messages %}
-      <li class="{{ message.tags }} alert alert-info">{{ message }}</li>
+      <li class="{{ message.tags }} alert {% if message.tags == 'error' %}alert-danger{% else %}alert-info{% endif %}">{{ message }}</li>
     {% endfor %}
   </ul>
 {% endif %}
@@ -33,10 +33,18 @@ <h4>
             {% endif %}
         </div>
         <div class="col-lg-2 col-md-2 col-sm-2">
-            {% render_field form.minute_range class+="form-control" disabled="disabled" %} 
+            {% if category %}
+                {% render_field form.minute_range class+="form-control" %} 
+            {% else %}
+                {% render_field form.minute_range class+="form-control" disabled="disabled" %} 
+            {% endif %}
         </div>
         <div class="col-lg-2 col-md-2 col-sm-2">
-            {% render_field form.second_range class+="form-control" disabled="disabled" %} 
+            {% if category %}
+                {% render_field form.second_range class+="form-control" %} 
+            {% else %}
+                {% render_field form.second_range class+="form-control" disabled="disabled" %} 
+            {% endif %}
         </div>
     </div>
     <hr>

website/forms.py

@@ -9,83 +9,38 @@
 seconds = ()
 
 
-def _get_category_choices():
-    """Distinct FOSS categories for new-question form, sorted alphabetically."""
-    categories = list(
-        TutorialResources.objects.filter(
-            Q(status=1) | Q(status=2),
-            language__name='English',
-            tutorial_detail__foss__show_on_homepage=1,
-        )
-        .values_list('tutorial_detail__foss__foss', flat=True)
-        .distinct()
-    )
-    # Remove empty/None and sort case-insensitively (A-Z)
-    categories = [c for c in categories if c]
-    categories = sorted(set(categories), key=lambda x: x.lower())
-    return [('', 'Select a Category')] + [(c, c) for c in categories]
-
-
 class NewQuestionForm(forms.Form):
-    category = forms.ChoiceField(
-        choices=[],
-        widget=forms.Select(attrs={}),
-        required=True,
-        error_messages={'required': 'State field is required.'},
-    )
+    category = forms.ChoiceField(choices=[('', 'Select a Category'), ] + list(TutorialResources.objects.filter(
+        Q(status=1) | Q(status=2), language__name='English',tutorial_detail__foss__show_on_homepage=1).values_list('tutorial_detail__foss__foss',
+                                                       'tutorial_detail__foss__foss').distinct()),
+        widget=forms.Select(attrs={}), required=True, error_messages={'required': 'State field is required.'})
     title = forms.CharField(max_length=200)
     body = forms.CharField(widget=forms.Textarea())
 
     def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
-        # Values that can be passed explicitly (e.g. from the spoken website)
         category = kwargs.pop('category', None)
         selecttutorial = kwargs.pop('tutorial', None)
+
         select_min = kwargs.pop('minute_range', None)
         select_sec = kwargs.pop('second_range', None)
-
         super(NewQuestionForm, self).__init__(*args, **kwargs)
-        self.fields['category'].choices = _get_category_choices()
         tutorial_choices = (
             ("Select a Tutorial", "Select a Tutorial"),
         )
-
-        # If no explicit minute/second values were provided (e.g. normal POST),
-        # preserve any values that came from submitted form data so that
-        # validation errors (like missing reCAPTCHA) do not wipe them out.
-        data = args[0] if args else {}
-        if select_min is None and data and 'minute_range' in data:
-            select_min = data.get('minute_range')
-        if select_sec is None and data and 'second_range' in data:
-            select_sec = data.get('second_range')
-
-        # When a minute/second value is available (from the spoken website or a
-        # previous form submission), show that value as the only selectable
-        # option; otherwise show the default placeholders.
-        if select_min:
-            minutes = (
-                (select_min, select_min),
-            )
-        else:
-            minutes = (
-                ("", "min"),
-            )
-
-        if select_sec:
-            seconds = (
-                (select_sec, select_sec),
-            )
+        # Minute/second: when coming from spoken website link we get pre-filled values;
+        # otherwise show full range so user can select.
+        if select_min is not None or select_sec is not None:
+            minutes = ([(select_min, select_min)] if select_min is not None else [("", "min")] + [(str(i), str(i)) for i in range(60)])
+            seconds = ([(select_sec, select_sec)] if select_sec is not None else [("", "sec")] + [(str(i), str(i)) for i in range(60)])
         else:
-            seconds = (
-                ("", "sec"),
-            )
+            minutes = [("", "min")] + [(str(i), str(i)) for i in range(60)]
+            seconds = [("", "sec")] + [(str(i), str(i)) for i in range(60)]
 
         if not category and args and 'category' in args[0] and args[0]['category']:
             category = args[0]['category']
         if FossCategory.objects.filter(foss=category).exists():
             self.fields['category'].initial = category
-            tutorials = TutorialDetails.objects.using('spoken').filter(
-                foss__foss=category
-            ).order_by('level', 'order')
+            tutorials = TutorialDetails.objects.using('spoken').filter(foss__foss=category)
             for tutorial in tutorials:
                 tutorial_choices += ((tutorial.tutorial, tutorial.tutorial),)
             self.fields['tutorial'] = forms.CharField(widget=forms.Select(choices=tutorial_choices))
@@ -94,13 +49,25 @@ def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
 
                 self.fields['minute_range'] = forms.CharField(widget=forms.Select(choices=minutes))
                 self.fields['second_range'] = forms.CharField(widget=forms.Select(choices=seconds))
+                if select_min is not None:
+                    self.fields['minute_range'].initial = select_min
+                if select_sec is not None:
+                    self.fields['second_range'].initial = select_sec
             else:
                 self.fields['minute_range'] = forms.CharField(widget=forms.Select(choices=minutes))
                 self.fields['second_range'] = forms.CharField(widget=forms.Select(choices=seconds))
+                if select_min is not None:
+                    self.fields['minute_range'].initial = select_min
+                if select_sec is not None:
+                    self.fields['second_range'].initial = select_sec
         else:
             self.fields['tutorial'] = forms.CharField(widget=forms.Select(choices=tutorial_choices))
             self.fields['minute_range'] = forms.CharField(widget=forms.Select(choices=minutes))
             self.fields['second_range'] = forms.CharField(widget=forms.Select(choices=seconds))
+            if select_min is not None:
+                self.fields['minute_range'].initial = select_min
+            if select_sec is not None:
+                self.fields['second_range'].initial = select_sec
 
 
 class AnswerQuesitionForm(forms.Form):