title: python manage.py collectstatic --noinput error when deploying Django project to Heroku
body: <p>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. </p>
  
  <p>My Project files are as follows:</p>
  
  <pre><code>site1 - mynotes - settings.py
                  - wsgi.py
        - mynotess - migrations
                   - static
                   - templates
        - users    - migrations
                   - templates
        - .gitignore.txt
        - manage.py 
        - db.sqlite3
        - Procfile
        - requirements.txt
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Just to clarify, mynotes is the <strong>main project directory</strong>. 'users' and 'mynotess' (double s) are <strong>apps</strong>. </p>
  
  <p>This is my <strong>settings.py</strong>:</p>
  
  <pre><code>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'),
      )
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>This is the error I got in Command Prompt:</p>
  
  <pre><code>C:\Users\Steven\site1&gt;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: -----&gt; 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 &lt;module&gt;
  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 -&gt; master (pre-receive hook declined)
  error: failed to push some refs to 'https://git.heroku.com/my-compository.git'
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>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! </p>