title: What is the absolute path of BASE DIR?
body: <p>Django newbie here. I have trouble understanding the meaning of:</p>
  
  <pre><code>BASE_DIR = os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(__file__))
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>and</p>
  
  <pre><code>STATIC_ROOT = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(BASE_DIR), 'static')
  STATICFILES_DIRS = (
      os.path.join(os.path.dirname(BASE_DIR), "static", "static"),
  )
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>What's happening here?</p>
  
  <p>I take it the "<strong>file</strong>" is the settings.py file we are in (?), so the BASE_Dir is two folders up from that...? i.e. the one with manage.py in it? </p>
  
  <p>So the STATIC_ROOT, will be one? or two? directories up from the BASE_DIR. Will the STATIC_ROOT FOLDER be made for me? Or do I have to make one called "static"? </p>
  
  <pre><code>└── MY_PROJECT
      ├── BASE_DIR
      │   ├── MY_APP
      │   │   └── settings.py
      │   └── manage.py
      └── static
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Is the above right for this example? Then what the heck / where the heck will the STATIC_FILES_DIRS be?  </p>