6 :Contact: goodger@users.sourceforge.net
8 :Web site: http://docutils.sourceforge.net/
9 :Copyright: This document has been placed in the public domain.
14 Thank you for downloading the Python Docutils project archive. As
15 this is a work in progress, please check the project website for
16 updated working files (snapshots). This project should be considered
17 highly experimental; APIs are subject to change at any time.
23 This is for those who want to get up & running quickly. Read on for
26 1. Get and install the latest release of Python, available from
28 http://www.python.org/
30 Python 2.2 or later [1]_ is required; Python 2.2.2 or later is
33 2. Use the latest Docutils code. Get the code from CVS or from the
36 http://docutils.sf.net/docutils-snapshot.tgz
38 See `Releases & Snapshots`_ below for details.
40 3. Unpack the tarball in a temporary directory (**not** directly in
41 Python's ``site-packages``) and install with the standard ::
43 python setup.py install
45 See Installation_ below for details.
47 4. Use a front-end tool from the "tools" subdirectory of the same
48 directory as in step 3. For example::
51 ./rst2html.py test.txt test.html
53 See Usage_ below for details.
59 The purpose of the Docutils project is to create a set of tools for
60 processing plaintext documentation into useful formats, such as HTML,
61 XML, and TeX. Support for the following sources has been implemented:
65 * `PEPs (Python Enhancement Proposals)`_.
67 Support for the following sources is planned:
69 * Inline documentation from Python modules and packages, extracted
70 with namespace context. **This is the focus of the current
73 * Email (RFC-822 headers, quoted excerpts, signatures, MIME parts).
75 * Wikis, with global reference lookups of "wiki links".
77 * Compound documents, such as multiple chapter files merged into a
80 * And others as discovered.
82 .. _PEPs (Python Enhancement Proposals):
83 http://www.python.org/peps/pep-0012.html
89 Putting together an official "Release" of Docutils is a significant
90 effort, so it isn't done that often. In the meantime, the CVS
91 snapshots always contain the latest code and documentation, usually
92 updated within an hour of changes being committed to the repository,
95 * Snapshot of Docutils code, documentation, front-end tools, and
96 tests: http://docutils.sf.net/docutils-snapshot.tgz
98 * Snapshot of the Sandbox (experimental, contributed code):
99 http://docutils.sf.net/docutils-sandbox-snapshot.tgz
101 * Snapshot of web files (the files that generate the web site):
102 http://docutils.sf.net/docutils-web-snapshot.tgz
104 To keep up to date on the latest developments, download fresh copies
105 of the snapshots regularly. New functionality is being added weekly,
106 sometimes daily. (There's also the CVS repository, and a mailing list
107 for CVS messages. See the web site [address above] or
108 docs/dev/policies.txt for details.)
114 To run the code, Python 2.2 or later [1]_ must already be installed.
115 The latest release is recommended. Python is available from
116 http://www.python.org/.
118 The `Python Imaging Library`, or PIL, is used for some image
119 manipulation operations if it is installed.
121 Docutils uses Greg Ward's Optik_/optparse option processing package.
122 It is included in the Docutils distribution. Python 2.3 and later
123 come with optparse in the standard library; in this case, the Docutils
124 copy is not installed.
126 .. [1] Python 2.1 may be used providing the compiler package is
127 installed. The compiler package can be found in the Tools/
128 directory of Python 2.1's source distribution.
130 .. _Python Imaging Library: http://www.pythonware.com/products/pil/
131 .. _Optik: http://optik.sourceforge.net/
134 Project Files & Directories
135 ===========================
137 * README.txt: You're reading it.
139 * COPYING.txt: Public Domain Dedication and copyright details for
140 non-public-domain files (most are PD).
142 * FAQ.txt: Docutils Frequently Asked Questions.
144 * HISTORY.txt: Release notes for the current and previous project
147 * setup.py: Installation script. See "Installation" below.
149 * install.py: Quick & dirty installation script. Just run it.
151 * docutils: The project source directory, installed as a Python
154 * extras: Directory for third-party modules that Docutils depends on.
155 These are only installed if they're not already present.
157 * docs: The project documentation directory. Read ``docs/index.txt``
158 for an overview, which is especially interesting for developers.
160 * docs/user: The project user documentation directory. Contains the
161 following documents, among others:
163 - docs/user/tools.txt: Docutils Front-End Tools
164 - docs/user/latex.txt: Docutils LaTeX Writer
165 - docs/user/rst/quickstart.txt: A ReStructuredText Primer
166 - docs/user/rst/quickref.html: Quick reStructuredText (HTML only)
168 * docs/ref: The project reference directory.
169 ``docs/ref/rst/restructuredtext.txt`` is the reStructuredText
172 * licenses: Directory containing copies of license files for
173 non-public-domain files.
175 * tools: Directory for Docutils front-end tools. See
176 ``docs/user/tools.txt`` for documentation.
178 * test: Unit tests. Not required to use the software, but very useful
179 if you're planning to modify it. See `Running the Test Suite`_
186 The first step is to expand the ``.tar.gz`` or ``.tgz`` archive in a
187 temporary directory (**not** directly in Python's ``site-packages``).
188 It contains a distutils setup file "setup.py". OS-specific
189 installation instructions follow.
192 GNU/Linux, BSDs, Unix, Mac OS X, etc.
193 -------------------------------------
197 2. Go to the directory created by expanding the archive::
199 cd <archive_directory_path>
201 3. Install the package::
203 python setup.py install
205 If the python executable isn't on your path, you'll have to specify
206 the complete path, such as /usr/local/bin/python. You may need
207 root permissions to complete this step.
209 You can also just run install.py; it does the same thing.
215 1. Open a DOS box (Command Shell, MSDOS Prompt, or whatever they're
216 calling it these days).
218 2. Go to the directory created by expanding the archive::
220 cd <archive_directory_path>
222 3. Install the package::
224 <path_to_python.exe>\python setup.py install
226 If your system is set up to run Python when you double-click on .py
227 files, you can run install.py to do the same as the above.
233 1. Open the folder containing the expanded archive.
235 2. Double-click on the file "setup.py", which should be a "Python
238 If the file isn't a "Python module", the line endings are probably
239 also wrong, and you will need to set up your system to recognize
240 ".py" file extensions as Python files. See
241 http://gotools.sourceforge.net/mac/python.html for detailed
242 instructions. Once set up, it's easiest to start over by expanding
245 3. The distutils options window will appear. From the "Command" popup
246 list choose "install", click "Add", then click "OK".
248 If install.py is a "Python module" (see step 2 above if it isn't), you
249 can run it (double-click) instead of the above. The distutils options
250 window will not appear.
256 After unpacking and installing the Docutils package, the following
257 shell commands will generate HTML for all included documentation::
259 cd <archive_directory_path>/tools
262 The final directory name of the ``<archive_directory_path>`` is
263 "docutils" for snapshots. For official releases, the directory may be
264 called "docutils-X.Y", where "X.Y" is the release version.
267 cd <archive_directory_path>
268 tools/buildhtml.py --config=tools/docutils.conf
270 Some files may generate system messages (warnings and errors). The
271 ``tools/test.txt`` file (under the archive directory) contains 5
272 intentional errors. (They test the error reporting mechanism!)
274 There are many front-end tools in the unpacked "tools" subdirectory.
275 You may want to begin with the "rst2html.py" front-end tool. Most
276 tools take up to two arguments, the source path and destination path,
277 with STDIN and STDOUT being the defaults. Use the "--help" option to
278 the front-end tools for details on options and arguments. See
279 Docutils Front-End Tools (``docs/user/tools.txt``) for full documentation.
281 The package modules are continually growing and evolving. The
282 ``docutils.statemachine`` module is usable independently. It contains
283 extensive inline documentation (in reStructuredText format of course).
285 Contributions are welcome!
288 Running the Test Suite
289 ======================
291 To run the entire test suite, after installation_ open a shell and use
292 the following commands::
294 cd <archive_directory_path>/test
297 You should see a long line of periods, one for each test, and then a
300 Ran 518 tests in 24.653s
303 Elapsed time: 26.189 seconds
305 The number of tests will grow over time, and the times reported will
306 depend on the computer running the tests. The difference between the
307 two times represents the time required to set up the tests (import
308 modules, create data structures, etc.).
310 If any of the tests fail, please `open a bug report`_ or `send email`_
311 [2]_. Please include all relevant output, information about your
312 operating system, Python version, and Docutils version. To see the
313 Docutils version, use these commands::
316 ./quicktest.py --version
318 .. _open a bug report:
319 http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=38414&atid=422030
320 .. _send email: mailto:docutils-users@lists.sourceforge.net
321 ?subject=Docutils%20test%20suite%20failure
327 If you have questions or need assistance with Docutils or
328 reStructuredText, please `post a message`_ to the `Docutils-Users
331 .. [2] Due to overwhelming amounts of spam, the
332 docutils-users@lists.sourceforge.net mailing list has been set up
333 for subscriber posting only. Non-subscribers who post to
334 docutils-users will receive a message with "Subject: Your message
335 to Docutils-users awaits moderator approval". Legitimate messages
336 are accepted and posted as soon as possible (a list administrator
337 must verify the message manually). If you'd like to subscribe to
338 docutils-users, please visit
339 <http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/docutils-users>.
341 .. _post a message: mailto:docutils-users@lists.sourceforge.net
342 .. _Docutils-Users mailing list:
343 http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/docutils-users
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