Merge pull request #6072 from stsewd/docs-automation-rules

Add docs for automatin rules

Author: ericholscher

docs/automation-rules.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,129 @@
+Automation Rules
+================
+
+Automation rules allow project maintainers to automate actions on new branches and tags on repositories.
+
+Creating an automation rule
+---------------------------
+
+#. Go to your project dashboard
+#. Click :guilabel:`Admin` > :guilabel:`Automation Rules`
+#. Click on :guilabel:`Add Rule`
+#. Fill in the fields
+#. Click :guilabel:`Save`
+
+How do they work?
+-----------------
+
+When a new tag or branch is pushed to your repository,
+Read the Docs creates a new version.
+
+All rules are evaluated for this version, in the order they are listed.
+If the version matches the version type and the pattern in the rule,
+the specified action is performed on that version.
+
+.. note::
+   
+   Versions can match multiple rules,
+   and all matching actions will be performed on the version.
+
+Predefined matches
+------------------
+
+Automation rules support several predefined version matches:
+
+- **Any version**: All new versions will match the rule.
+- **SemVer versions**: All new versions that follow `semantic versioning <https://semver.org/>`__ will match the rule.
+
+User defined matches
+--------------------
+
+If none of the above predefined matches meet your use case,
+you can use a **Custom match**.
+
+The custom match should be a valid `Python regular expression <https://docs.python.org/3/library/re.html>`__.
+Each new version will be tested against this regular expression.
+
+Actions
+-------
+
+When a rule matches a new version, the specified action is performed on that version.
+Currently, the following actions are available:
+
+- **Activate version**: Activates and builds the version.
+- **Set version as default**: Sets the version as default,
+  i.e. the version of your project that `/` redirects to.
+  See more in :ref:`automatic-redirects:Root URL`.
+  It also activates and builds the version.
+
+.. note::
+   
+   If your versions follow :pep:`440`,
+   Read the Docs activates and builds the version if it's greater than the current stable version.
+   The stable version is also automatically updated at the same time.
+   See more in :doc:`versions`.
+
+Order
+-----
+
+The order your rules are listed in  :guilabel:`Admin` > :guilabel:`Automation Rules` matters.
+Each action will be performed in that order,
+so first rules have a higher priority.
+
+You can change the order using the up and down arrow buttons.
+
+.. note::
+
+   New rules are added at the end (lower priority).
+
+Examples
+--------
+
+Activate all new tags
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+- Match: ``Any version``
+- Version type: ``Tag``
+- Action: ``Activate version``
+
+Activate only new branches that belong to the ``1.x`` release
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+- Custom match: ``^1\.\d+$``
+- Version type: ``Branch``
+- Action: ``Activate version``
+
+Set as default new tags that have the ``-stable`` or ``-release`` suffix
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+- Custom match: ``-(stable|release)$``
+- Version type: ``Tag``
+- Action: ``Set version as default``
+
+.. note::
+   
+   You can also create two rules:
+   one to match ``-stable`` and other to match ``-release``.
+
+Activate all new tags and branches that start with ``v`` or ``V``
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+- Custom match: ``^[vV]``
+- Version type: ``Tag``
+- Action: ``Activate version``
+
+.. Force new line
+
+- Custom match: ``^[vV]``
+- Version type: ``Branch``
+- Action: ``Activate version``
+
+Activate all new tags that don't contain the ``-nightly`` suffix
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+.. TODO: update example if https://github.com/readthedocs/readthedocs.org/issues/6354 is approved.
+
+
+- Custom match: ``.*(?<!-nightly)$``
+- Version type: ``Tag``
+- Action: ``Activate version``

docs/index.rst

@@ -121,6 +121,9 @@ out of your documentation and Read the Docs.
   :doc:`User defined redirects <user-defined-redirects>` |
   :doc:`Automatic redirects <automatic-redirects>`
 
+* **Versions**
+  :doc:`Automation rules <automation-rules>`
+
 * **Topic specific guides**:
   :doc:`How-to guides <guides/index>`
 
@@ -142,6 +145,8 @@ out of your documentation and Read the Docs.
    user-defined-redirects
    automatic-redirects
 
+   automation-rules
+
    guides/index
 
    api/index