documentation driven development

Documentation Driven Development

Corey Oordt @coordt

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Origins


I’m writing documentation?!


What was I thinking?


http://www.onesigmaoff.net/?p=40


1. Write code2. Write documentation3. Rewrite code


1. Write code2. Write documentation12

3. Rewrite code


Why?

RANDOMSPECULATION

AHEAD


The great virtues of a programmer

LazinessImpatienceHubris


http://www.flickr.com/photos/feen/2574309998/in/set-72157605976407357/Saturday, March 12, 2011

http://www.flickr.com/photos/feen/2573487059/in/set-72157605976407357/Saturday, March 12, 2011

We get functional, but not useable code


Functional, not Useable


The Parable of the Microsoft Engineer



It looks like you’re shooting a target.

Would you like help?

Get help with shooting the target

Just shoot the target without help

Don’t show me this tip again


Writing documentation first changes your

perspective


http://www.gravestmor.com/strips/Saturday, March 12, 2011

Don’t document your code,code your documentation


Sometimes coding feels like falling down stairs and landing

on your feet


http://www.flickr.com/photos/zen/2339658529/


How do I start?


http://www.flickr.com/photos/hlkljgk/1227416397/sizes/l/in/photostream/Saturday, March 12, 2011

http://sphinx.pocoo.org/


Have a default Sphinx setup

Include your favorite template or theme


Have a default Sphinx setupCustomize the conf.py

import sys, os

sys.path.append(os.path.abspath('..'))import $$$$PROJECT$$$$os.environ['DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE'] = 'example.settings'

extensions = ['sphinx.ext.autodoc']

project = u'django-$$$$PROJECT$$$$'copyright = u'2010, The Washington Times'

# The short X.Y version.version = $$$$PROJECT$$$$.get_version()# The full version, including alpha/beta/rc tags.release =$$$$PROJECT$$$$.get_version()



Create placeholder and boilerplate files

doc_src

_build

_static

_templates

conf.py

getting_started.rst

index.rst

installation.rst



Modify Makefile to render HTML elsewhere

SPHINXOPTS =SPHINXBUILD = sphinx-buildPAPER =BUILDDIR = _buildDESTDIR = ..

...

html: $(SPHINXBUILD) -b html $(ALLSPHINXOPTS) $(DESTDIR)/docs @echo @echo "Build finished. The HTML pages are in $(DESTDIR)/docs."



Allows you to build docs often



See http://github.com/washingtontimes/

django-app-skeleton/


Jumping off points

http://www.flickr.com/photos/frecklefinger/1369581228/


Feature Lists.. _feature_list:

Feature List============

* Tags - Using `django tagging <http://code.google.com/p/django-tagging/>`_* Groups * Public * Private * Corp only * Alliance only* Export * xml * copy & paste * `eve dna <http://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Ship_DNA>`_* Ratings - Up/Down ratting system * `django critic <https://github.com/washingtontimes/django-critic>`_* Disqus Comments* Favorite fittings* Fork Fittings* Version Fittings* Rss/AtomSaturday, March 12, 2011

http://code.google.com/p/django-tagging/




http://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Ship_DNA


https://github.com/washingtontimes/django-critic






* Tags - Using `django tagging <http://code.google.com/p/django-tagging/>`_* Groups * Public * Private * Corp only * Alliance only* Export * xml * copy & paste * `eve dna <http://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Ship_DNA>`_* Ratings - Up/Down ratting system * `django critic <https://github.com/washingtontimes/django-critic>`_* Disqus Comments* Favorite fittings* Fork Fittings* Version Fittings* Rss/Atom

How do you add the tags?How do you browse the tags?














* Tags - Using `django tagging <http://code.google.com/p/django-tagging/>`_* Groups * Public * Private * Corp only * Alliance only* Export * xml * copy & paste * `eve dna <http://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Ship_DNA>`_* Ratings - Up/Down ratting system * `django critic <https://github.com/washingtontimes/django-critic>`_* Disqus Comments* Favorite fittings* Fork Fittings* Version Fittings* Rss/Atom

How do you fork the fittings?How do see who has forked your fittings?What happens if they fork your mom?












Flushing out the initial feature list led

to this much documentation


Examples of how features will work are flushed out


Initial hurdles are identified


Some ideas are reconsidered


Next Step: Work through issues


Next Step: Write some step-by-step instructions


Rough notesStarting Out 1. Create a documentation storage record (it configures and sets up a repository) Name, Repository Type (git, hg), remote, url prefix, etc. 2. Optional: Import a zipped sphinx documentation directory 3. Configure Sphinx Settings Initially it will have to be the editing of a python file until better ways can be devised.That's it! Now the table of contents is served at http://sitename.com/prefix/

Structure of the DocumentationSphinx keeps track of files using a table of contents structure called a toctree. The toctree is simply a listing of documents (including documents that have their own toctrees). toctrees are typically in a file named index.rst.Sphwiki maintains a directory structure by adding (if one doesn't exist) and maintaining an index.rst file for every level of the URL structure. So * Directories/Folders/Table of Contents are referenced at URLs ending with a / * Pages are referenced by URLs ending without a /In otherwords, http://www.example.com/docs/getting_started/ is really the same as http://www.example.com/docs/getting_started/index

When you first create a page within a subdirectory, three things are done when you save the page: 1. A directory is created and the page is saved in it. 2. An index.rst file is created in the directory and the page is added to its toctree listing. 3. An item is added to the index.rst of the directory's parent

For example, if you create the new page section1/subsection1/newpage 1. A directory named subsection1 is created within the section1 directory, and newpage.rst is saved. 2. An index.rst page is created within the subsection1 directory and newpage is added under thetoctree item. 3. subsection1/index is added to the toctree of the section1/index.rst file.

You can edit the index.rst file by going to either the directory URL (/docs/getting_started/) or the index URL (/docs/getting_started/index) and editing the page.

If you remove an item from the toctree Sphwiki will add it back in the next time you edit that page.You can re-order the items without any problems. Sphwiki only looks for the page's existence within the toctree.

Creating a New Page 1. Make sure you are logged in, if necessary. 2. Go to the URL of the new page 3. You will be prompted that the page doesn't exist, do you want to create it? 4. Say Yes. 5. Start writing.


http://sitename.com/prefix/


http://www.example.com/docs/getting_started/


http://www.example.com/docs/getting_started/index


Rough notes

Initially it will have to be the editing of a python file until better ways can be devised.That's it! Now the table of contents is served at http://sitename.com/prefix/




You can edit the index.rst file by going to either the directory URL (/docs/getting_started/) or the index URL (/docs/getting_started/index) and editing the page.

If you remove an item from the toctree Sphwiki will add it back in the next time you edit that page.You can re-order the items without any problems. Sphwiki only looks for the page's existence within the toctree.

Creating a New Page 1. Make sure you are logged in, if necessary. 2. Go to the URL of the new page 3. You will be prompted that the page doesn't exist, do you want to create it? 4. Say Yes. 5. Start writing.







Write a tutorial


How do I…?


Research


In summary

• Code your documentation

• Make a customized documentation skeleton

• Iterate over your documentation

• Find a groove that works for you


Thank You

• Corey Oordt

• [email protected]

• http://github.com/coordt

• http://github.com/washingtontimes

• @coordt


documentation driven development

Technology