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Diffstat (limited to 'nixos/doc/manual/from_md/development/writing-documentation.chapter.xml')
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diff --git a/nixos/doc/manual/from_md/development/writing-documentation.chapter.xml b/nixos/doc/manual/from_md/development/writing-documentation.chapter.xml new file mode 100644 index 00000000000..079c8006057 --- /dev/null +++ b/nixos/doc/manual/from_md/development/writing-documentation.chapter.xml @@ -0,0 +1,144 @@ +<chapter xmlns="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude" xml:id="sec-writing-documentation"> + <title>Writing NixOS Documentation</title> + <para> + As NixOS grows, so too does the need for a catalogue and explanation + of its extensive functionality. Collecting pertinent information + from disparate sources and presenting it in an accessible style + would be a worthy contribution to the project. + </para> + <section xml:id="sec-writing-docs-building-the-manual"> + <title>Building the Manual</title> + <para> + The DocBook sources of the <xref linkend="book-nixos-manual" /> + are in the + <link xlink:href="https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/tree/master/nixos/doc/manual"><literal>nixos/doc/manual</literal></link> + subdirectory of the Nixpkgs repository. + </para> + <para> + You can quickly validate your edits with <literal>make</literal>: + </para> + <programlisting> +$ cd /path/to/nixpkgs/nixos/doc/manual +$ nix-shell +nix-shell$ make +</programlisting> + <para> + Once you are done making modifications to the manual, it's + important to build it before committing. You can do that as + follows: + </para> + <programlisting> +nix-build nixos/release.nix -A manual.x86_64-linux +</programlisting> + <para> + When this command successfully finishes, it will tell you where + the manual got generated. The HTML will be accessible through the + <literal>result</literal> symlink at + <literal>./result/share/doc/nixos/index.html</literal>. + </para> + </section> + <section xml:id="sec-writing-docs-editing-docbook-xml"> + <title>Editing DocBook XML</title> + <para> + For general information on how to write in DocBook, see + <link xlink:href="http://www.docbook.org/tdg5/en/html/docbook.html">DocBook + 5: The Definitive Guide</link>. + </para> + <para> + Emacs nXML Mode is very helpful for editing DocBook XML because it + validates the document as you write, and precisely locates errors. + To use it, see <xref linkend="sec-emacs-docbook-xml" />. + </para> + <para> + <link xlink:href="http://pandoc.org">Pandoc</link> can generate + DocBook XML from a multitude of formats, which makes a good + starting point. Here is an example of Pandoc invocation to convert + GitHub-Flavoured MarkDown to DocBook 5 XML: + </para> + <programlisting> +pandoc -f markdown_github -t docbook5 docs.md -o my-section.md +</programlisting> + <para> + Pandoc can also quickly convert a single + <literal>section.xml</literal> to HTML, which is helpful when + drafting. + </para> + <para> + Sometimes writing valid DocBook is simply too difficult. In this + case, submit your documentation updates in a + <link xlink:href="https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/issues/new">GitHub + Issue</link> and someone will handle the conversion to XML for + you. + </para> + </section> + <section xml:id="sec-writing-docs-creating-a-topic"> + <title>Creating a Topic</title> + <para> + You can use an existing topic as a basis for the new topic or + create a topic from scratch. + </para> + <para> + Keep the following guidelines in mind when you create and add a + topic: + </para> + <itemizedlist> + <listitem> + <para> + The NixOS + <link xlink:href="http://www.docbook.org/tdg5/en/html/book.html"><literal>book</literal></link> + element is in <literal>nixos/doc/manual/manual.xml</literal>. + It includes several + <link xlink:href="http://www.docbook.org/tdg5/en/html/book.html"><literal>parts</literal></link> + which are in subdirectories. + </para> + </listitem> + <listitem> + <para> + Store the topic file in the same directory as the + <literal>part</literal> to which it belongs. If your topic is + about configuring a NixOS module, then the XML file can be + stored alongside the module definition <literal>nix</literal> + file. + </para> + </listitem> + <listitem> + <para> + If you include multiple words in the file name, separate the + words with a dash. For example: + <literal>ipv6-config.xml</literal>. + </para> + </listitem> + <listitem> + <para> + Make sure that the <literal>xml:id</literal> value is unique. + You can use abbreviations if the ID is too long. For example: + <literal>nixos-config</literal>. + </para> + </listitem> + <listitem> + <para> + Determine whether your topic is a chapter or a section. If you + are unsure, open an existing topic file and check whether the + main element is chapter or section. + </para> + </listitem> + </itemizedlist> + </section> + <section xml:id="sec-writing-docs-adding-a-topic"> + <title>Adding a Topic to the Book</title> + <para> + Open the parent XML file and add an <literal>xi:include</literal> + element to the list of chapters with the file name of the topic + that you created. If you created a <literal>section</literal>, you + add the file to the <literal>chapter</literal> file. If you + created a <literal>chapter</literal>, you add the file to the + <literal>part</literal> file. + </para> + <para> + If the topic is about configuring a NixOS module, it can be + automatically included in the manual by using the + <literal>meta.doc</literal> attribute. See + <xref linkend="sec-meta-attributes" /> for an explanation. + </para> + </section> +</chapter> |