ODK Docs

This repo is the source for ODK documentation.

The published documentation is at:

• https://docs.getodk.org

Please file an issue if you can't find what you are looking for.

Building and viewing documentation locally

There are two options for building and viewing ODK docs locally: using Docker or setting up a local Python/Sphinx environment. We generally recommend starting with the Docker image unless you already have a Sphinx environment set up. The Contributor Guide describes the philosophy behind the docs, style considerations, how to write restructured text and more.

Using Docker

Docker is a platform that makes it easier to package applications so that they can work on any computer. This is particularly valuable when setting up development environments which can work very differently based on versions of the tools involved.

Prerequisites

• Install Docker

  • Windows and Mac users should follow the instructions in the get started guide
  • Linux users should follow the instructions for their specific distribution: CentOS, Debian, Fedora, Ubuntu, Binaries

  More info at the Docker CE docs page

• Install git

• Install Git-LFS

Cloning the repo

Clone the docs repo. For example, at the command line:

git clone https://github.com/getodk/docs.git

It can take a long time (>10 minutes) to clone the repo due to the large number of images in the docs. If you get an error such as Smudge error or GitHub's rate limit reached, run git checkout -f HEAD until you get the message Checking out files: 100% done.

Building and serving the docs locally

Build and serve the docs locally with:

• Windows: .\run.bat
• Linux/macOS: ./run.sh

This will build the Docker image with all the tools you will be using to work with ODK's docs which might take some time the first time you run the command.

Once your terminal shows a "Serving on http://0.0.0.0:8080" message, you can then view the docs in your browser at http://localhost:8080.

Changes you make in the source files will automatically be built and shown in your browser.

Press Ctrl-C on your keyboard to stop the build server. It could take a while to effectively stop, and you can always close the terminal window.

If you get a The name "odk-docs" is already in use by container error message, run the following command:

docker kill odk-docs

Windows users

• All commands should be run in an elevated PowerShell window. Right click on PowerShell and select the "Run as administrator" option.
• Ensure Docker is running by checking your system tray. If Docker is not running, launch "Docker for Windows" app and wait until a notification confirms that Docker is running.

Other build tasks

You can also use the run-task script to run just a portion of the build process:

• Windows: .\run-task.bat <build-task>
• Linux/macOS: ./run-task.sh <build-task>

See available build tasks below.

Python environment

Prerequisites

• Install Python 3
• Install git
• Install Git-LFS

We highly recommend you use a virtual environment like virtualenv or a Python version management like pyenv. (Type python --version to see your current version.)

• Instructions for setting up virtual environment:

  A `virtual environment`_ is a Python construct
  that lets you download and install tools for a specific project
  without installing them for your entire computer.
  
  .. _virtual environment: https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/venv.html
  
  #. Create the virtual environment.
  
     .. tabs::
  
        .. group-tab:: Bash
  
           .. code:: console
  
              /odk/ $ python3 -m venv odkenv
  
        .. group-tab:: PowerShell
  
           .. code:: powershell
  
              /odk/ > python -m venv odkenv
  
  #. Activate the virtual environment.
  
     .. tabs::
  
        .. group-tab:: Bash
  
           .. code:: console
  
              /odk/ $ source odkenv/bin/activate
              (odkenv) /odk/ $
  
        .. group-tab:: PowerShell
  
           .. code:: console
  
              /odk/ > source odkenv/bin/activate
              (odkenv) /odk/ >
  
     The ``(odkenv)`` before the prompt shows that the virtual environment is active.
     You will need to have this active any time you are working on the docs.
  
     If the file cannot be found, your activate file may be located under odkenv/scripts/activate.
  
     Later, to deactivate the virtual environment:
  
     .. tabs::
  
        .. group-tab:: Bash
  
           .. code:: console
  
              (odkenv) /odk/ $ deactivate
              /odk/ $
  
        .. group-tab:: PowerShell
  
           .. code:: console
  
              (odkenv) /odk/ > deactivate
              /odk/ >
  

Cloning the repo

Clone the docs repo and make sure all the requirements are installed:

$ git clone https://github.com/getodk/docs.git
$ cd docs/
$ pip install -r requirements.txt

It can take a long time (>10 minutes) to clone the repo due to the large number of images in the docs. If you get an error such as Smudge error or GitHub's rate limit reached, run git checkout -f HEAD until you get the message Checking out files: 100% done.

Building the docs

Building the docs

Once your environment is set up, build and serve the docs locally with:

$ make build
$ cd build
$ python -m http.server 8000

You can then view the docs in your browser at http://localhost:8000.

You can also use make to build just a portion of the build process. See available build tasks below.

Build tasks

	Build & Serve	Build	Copy	LaTeX	Style Check	Spell Check	Check All
Options	autobuild	build	copy	latex	style-check	spell-check	check

How to contribute?

We are open for new issues and pull requests.

• Please read the Contributors Guide before working on the documentation.
• Find issues to work on.
  • First time contributors are encouraged to complete a line edit as a way to get familiar with our contribution process.
  • Issues labelled easy do not require much specific technical knowledge.
  • Issues labelled contributor friendly are usually self-contained and don't require extensive knowledge of the ODK ecosystem as a whole.

You can also...

• Discuss the documentation from a user perspective in our forum.
• Discuss the documentation from a contributor perspective in our developer Slack. (Use the #docs-code channel.)
• File an issue for any needed improvements.
• Watch and star this repo, to keep up with what we're doing.

Troubleshooting

• If you get an extension error or a configuration error:
  • Make sure your virtual environment is activated.
  • Type python --version to check your current python version (it should be 3.x).
  • Run pip install -r requirements.txt.