Docs: Configuration file how-to guide

docs/conf.py

@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
     "multiproject",
     "myst_parser",
     "notfound.extension",
+    "sphinx_copybutton",
     "sphinx_design",
     "sphinx_search.extension",
     "sphinx_tabs.tabs",

docs/user/build-customization.rst

@@ -339,6 +339,8 @@ Take a look at the following example:
      configuration: docs/conf.py
 
 
+.. _build_commands_introduction:
+
 Override the build process
 --------------------------
 

docs/user/config-file/examples/README

@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+README
+
+What is config-file/examples for?
+
+To make maintenance easier, we are collecting all examples of configurations
+used in documentation and on the website here.
+
+Future potential scenarios for leveraging this structure aren't decided.

docs/user/config-file/examples/mkdocs/.readthedocs.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+# Read the Docs configuration file for MkDocs projects
+# See https://docs.readthedocs.io/en/stable/config-file/v2.html for details
+
+# Required
+version: 2
+
+# Set the version of Python and other tools you might need
+build:
+  os: ubuntu-22.04
+  tools:
+    python: "3.11"
+
+mkdocs:
+  configuration: mkdocs.yml
+
+# Optionally declare the Python requirements required to build your docs
+python:
+  install:
+  - requirements: docs/requirements.txt

docs/user/config-file/examples/sphinx/.readthedocs.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+# Read the Docs configuration file for Sphinx projects
+# See https://docs.readthedocs.io/en/stable/config-file/v2.html for details
+
+# Required
+version: 2
+
+# Set the OS, Python version and other tools you might need
+build:
+  os: ubuntu-22.04
+  tools:
+    python: "3.11"
+    # You can also specify other tool versions:
+    # nodejs: "19"
+    # rust: "1.64"
+    # golang: "1.19"
+
+# Build documentation in the "docs/" directory with Sphinx
+sphinx:
+   configuration: docs/conf.py
+
+# Optionally build your docs in additional formats such as PDF and ePub
+# formats:
+#    - pdf
+#    - epub
+
+# Optional but recommended, declare the Python requirements required
+# to build your documentation
+# See https://docs.readthedocs.io/en/stable/guides/reproducible-builds.html
+# python:
+#    install:
+#    - requirements: docs/requirements.txt

docs/user/config-file/v2.rst

@@ -12,62 +12,18 @@ Below is an example YAML file which shows the most common configuration options:
 
    .. tab:: Sphinx
 
-      .. code:: yaml
-
-         # .readthedocs.yaml
-         # Read the Docs configuration file
-         # See https://docs.readthedocs.io/en/stable/config-file/v2.html for details
-
-         # Required
-         version: 2
-
-         # Set the version of Python and other tools you might need
-         build:
-           os: ubuntu-22.04
-           tools:
-             python: "3.11"
-             # You can also specify other tool versions:
-             # nodejs: "19"
-             # rust: "1.64"
-             # golang: "1.19"
-
-         # Build documentation in the docs/ directory with Sphinx
-         sphinx:
-            configuration: docs/conf.py
-
-         # If using Sphinx, optionally build your docs in additional formats such as PDF
-         # formats:
-         #    - pdf
-
-         # Optionally declare the Python requirements required to build your docs
-         python:
-            install:
-            - requirements: docs/requirements.txt
+        .. literalinclude:: /config-file/examples/sphinx/.readthedocs.yaml
+              :language: yaml
+              :linenos:
+              :caption: .readthedocs.yaml
 
    .. tab:: MkDocs
 
-      .. code:: yaml
+        .. literalinclude:: /config-file/examples/mkdocs/.readthedocs.yaml
+           :language: yaml
+           :linenos:
+           :caption: .readthedocs.yaml
 
-         # .readthedocs.yaml
-         # Read the Docs configuration file
-         # See https://docs.readthedocs.io/en/stable/config-file/v2.html for details
-
-         # Required
-         version: 2
-
-         # Set the version of Python and other tools you might need
-         build:
-           os: ubuntu-22.04
-           tools:
-             python: "3.11"
-
-         mkdocs:
-           configuration: mkdocs.yml
-
-         # Optionally declare the Python requirements required to build your docs
-         python:
-            install:
-            - requirements: docs/requirements.txt
 
 Supported settings
 ------------------

docs/user/guides/pull-requests.rst

@@ -14,6 +14,11 @@ If your account is already connected:
 #. Enable the :guilabel:`Build pull requests for this project` option
 #. Click on :guilabel:`Save`
 
+.. tip::
+
+   Pull requests opened before enabling pull request builds will not trigger new builds automatically.
+   Push a new commit to the pull request to trigger its first build.
+
 Privacy levels
 --------------
 

docs/user/guides/setup/configuration-file.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,183 @@
+How to add a configuration file
+===============================
+
+As part of the initial set up for your Read the Docs site,
+you need to create a **configuration file** called ``.readthedocs.yaml``.
+The configuration file tells Read the Docs what specific settings to use for your project.
+
+This how-to guide covers:
+
+#. Where to put your configuration file.
+#. What to put in the configuration file.
+#. How to customize the configuration for your project.
+
+.. seealso::
+
+   :doc:`/tutorial/index`.
+     Following the steps in our tutorial will help you setup your first documentation project.
+
+
+Where to put your configuration file
+------------------------------------
+
+The ``.readthedocs.yaml`` file should be placed in the top-most directory of your project's repository.
+We will get to the contents of the file in the next steps.
+
+When you have changed the configuration file,
+you need to commit and push the changes to your Git repository.
+Read the Docs will then automatically find and use the configuration to build your project.
+
+.. note::
+
+    The Read the Docs configuration file is a `YAML`_ file.
+    YAML is a human-friendly data serialization language for all programming languages.
+    To learn more about the structure of these files, see the `YAML language overview`_.
+
+.. _YAML: https://yaml.org/
+.. _YAML language overview: https://yaml.org/spec/1.2.2/#chapter-1-introduction-to-yaml
+
+.. _howto_templates:
+
+Getting started with a template
+-------------------------------
+
+Here are some configuration file examples to help you get started.
+Pick an example based on the tool that your project is using,
+copy its contents to ``.readthedocs.yaml`` and add the file to your Git repository.
+
+.. tabs::
+
+    .. tab:: Sphinx
+
+        If your project uses Sphinx,
+        we offer a special builder optimized for Sphinx projects.
+
+        .. literalinclude:: /config-file/examples/sphinx/.readthedocs.yaml
+           :language: yaml
+           :linenos:
+           :caption: .readthedocs.yaml
+
+
+    .. tab:: MkDocs
+
+        If your project uses MkDocs,
+        we offer a special builder optimized for MkDocs projects.
+
+        .. literalinclude:: /config-file/examples/mkdocs/.readthedocs.yaml
+           :language: yaml
+           :linenos:
+           :caption: .readthedocs.yaml
+
+Editing the template
+--------------------
+
+Now that you have a ``.readthedocs.yaml`` file added to your Git repository,
+you should see Read the Docs trying to build your project with the configuration file.
+The configuration file probably needs some adjustments to accommodate exactly your project setup.
+
+.. note::
+
+   If you added the configuration file in a separate branch,
+   you may have to activate a :doc:`version </versions>` for that branch.
+
+   If you have added the file in a pull request,
+   you should enable :doc:`pull request builds </guides/pull-requests>`.
+
+Skip: file header and comments
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+There are some parts of the templates that you can leave in place:
+
+Comments
+  We added comments that explain the configuration options and optional features.
+  These lines begin with a ``#``.
+
+Commented out features
+  We use the ``#`` in front of some popular configuration options.
+  They are there as examples,
+  which you can choose to enable, delete or save for later.
+
+``version`` key
+  The version key tells the system how to read the rest of the configuration file.
+  The current and only supported version is **version 2**.
+
+
+Adjust: ``build.os``
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+In our examples,
+we are using Read the Docs' custom image based on the latest Ubuntu release.
+Package versions in these images will not change drastically,
+though will receive periodic security updates.
+
+You should pay attention to this field if your project needs to build on an older version of Ubuntu,
+or in the future when you need features from a newer Ubuntu.
+
+.. seealso::
+
+   :ref:`config-file/v2:build.os`
+     Configuration file reference with all values possible for ``build.os``.
+
+
+Adjust: Python configuration
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+If you are using Python in your builds,
+you should define the Python version in ``build.tools.python``.
+
+The ``python`` key contains a list of sub-keys,
+specifying the requirements to install.
+
+- Use ``python.install.package`` to install the project itself as a Python package using pip
+- Use ``python.install.requirements`` to install packages from a requirements file
+- Use ``build.jobs`` to install packages using Poetry or PDM
+
+.. seealso::
+
+   :ref:`config-file/v2:build.tools.python`
+     Configuration file reference with all Python versions available for ``build.tools.python``.
+
+   :ref:`config-file/v2:python`
+     Configuration file reference for configuring the Python environment activated by ``build.tools.python``.
+
+Adjust: Sphinx and MkDocs version
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+If you are using either the ``sphinx`` or ``mkdocs`` builder,
+then Sphinx or MkDocs will be installed automatically in its latest version.
+
+But we recommend that you specify the version that your documentation project uses.
+The ``requirements`` key is a file path that points to a text (``.txt``) file
+that lists the Python packages you want Read the Docs to install.
+
+.. seealso::
+
+   :ref:`guides/reproducible-builds:Use a requirements file for Python dependencies`
+      This guide explains how to specify Python requirements,
+      such as the version of Sphinx or MkDocs.
+
+   :ref:`config-file/v2:sphinx`
+     Configuration file reference for configuring the Sphinx builder.
+
+   :ref:`config-file/v2:mkdocs`
+     Configuration file reference for configuring the MkDocs builder.
+
+Next steps
+----------
+
+There are more configuration options that the ones mentioned in this guide.
+
+After you add a configuration file your Git repository,
+and you can see that Read the Docs is building your documentation using the file,
+you should have a look at the complete configuration file reference for options that might apply to your project.
+
+.. seealso::
+
+   :doc:`/config-file/v2`.
+     The complete list of all possible ``.readthedocs.yaml`` settings,
+     including the optional settings not covered in on this page.
+
+   :doc:`/build-customization`
+     Are familiar with running a command line?
+     Perhaps there are special commands that you know you want Read the Docs to run.
+     Read this guide and learn more about how you add your own commands to ``.readthedocs.yaml``.

docs/user/guides/setup/index.rst

@@ -14,6 +14,11 @@ The following how-to guides help you solve common tasks and challenges in the se
     If you are connecting a Git repository from another provider (for instance Gitea or Codeberg),
     this guide tells you how to add and configure the webhook **manually**.
 
+⏩ :doc:`Adding a configuration file </guides/setup/configuration-file>`
+    To build your documentation project,
+    you need to add a ``.readthedocs.yaml`` configuration file.
+    This guide gets you started.
+
 ⏩️ :doc:`Managing custom domains </guides/custom-domains>`
     Hosting your documentation using your own domain name, such as ``docs.example.com``.
 
@@ -45,6 +50,7 @@ The following how-to guides help you solve common tasks and challenges in the se
    Connecting your Read the Docs account to your Git provider </guides/connecting-git-account>
    Configuring a Git repository automatically </guides/setup/git-repo-automatic>
    Configuring a Git repository manually </guides/setup/git-repo-manual>
+   Adding a configuration file </guides/setup/configuration-file>
    Managing custom domains </guides/custom-domains>
    Managing subprojects </guides/subprojects>
    Hiding a version </guides/hiding-a-version>

requirements/docs.in

@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ sphinxcontrib-httpdomain
 sphinx-prompt
 sphinx-autobuild
 sphinxext-opengraph
+sphinx-copybutton
 
 # Markdown
 myst_parser

requirements/docs.txt

@@ -96,6 +96,7 @@ sphinx==6.2.1
     #   -r requirements/docs.in
     #   myst-parser
     #   sphinx-autobuild
+    #   sphinx-copybutton
     #   sphinx-design
     #   sphinx-hoverxref
     #   sphinx-intl
@@ -109,6 +110,8 @@ sphinx==6.2.1
     #   sphinxext-opengraph
 sphinx-autobuild==2021.3.14
     # via -r requirements/docs.in
+sphinx-copybutton==0.5.2
+    # via -r requirements/docs.in
 sphinx-design==0.4.1
     # via -r requirements/docs.in
 sphinx-hoverxref==1.3.0