Create User Facing Documentation for your Python Package#

Core components of user-facing Python package documentation#

Below we break documentation into two broad types.

User-facing documentation refers to documentation that describes the way the tools within a package are broadly used in workflows. API documentation refers to documentation of functions, classes, methods, and attributes in your code and is written at a more granular level. This documentation is what a user sees when they type help(function-name).

Your user-facing documentation for your Python package should include several core components.

Write usable documentation#

User-facing documentation should be published on a easy-to-navigate website. The documentation should be written keeping in mind that users may not be developers or expert-level programmers. Rather, the language that you use in your documentation should not be highly technical.

To make the language of your documentation more accessible to a broader audience:

  • Whenever possible, define technical terms and jargon.

  • Consider writing instructions for a high-school level reader.

  • Include step-by-step code examples, tutorials or vignettes that support getting started using your package.

Four elements of a good open source documentation landing page#

To make it easy for users to find what they need quickly, consider adding quick links on your package’s landing page to the following elements:

  • Getting started: This section should provide the user with a quick start for installing your package. A small example of how to use the package is good to have here as well. Or you can link to useful tutorials in the get started section.

  • About: Describe your project, stating its goals and its functionality.

  • Community: Instructions for how to help and/or get involved. This might include links to your issues (if that is where you let users ask questions) or the discussion part of your GitHub repo. This section might include a development guide for those who might contribute to your package.

  • API Documentation: This is the detailed project documentation. Here you store documentation for your package’s API including all user-facing functions, classes, methods, and attributes as well as any additional high level discussion that will help people use your package.

Image showing the landing page for GeoPandas documentation which has 4 sections including Getting started, Documentation, About GeoPandas, Community.

The documentation landing page of GeoPandas, a spatial Python library, has the 4 element specified above. Notice that the landing page is simple and directs users to each element using a Sphinx card.#

NOTE: in many cases you can include your README file and your CONTRIBUTING files in your documentation given those files may have some of the components listed above.

Tip

You can include files in Sphinx using the include directive. Below is an example of doing this using myst syntax.

```{include} ../README.md
```