Principle:Sdv dev SDV Documentation Build Configuration
| Knowledge Sources | |
|---|---|
| Domains | Documentation, Build_Configuration |
| Last Updated | 2026-02-14 19:00 GMT |
Overview
Principle that defines how project documentation is configured, built, and deployed using static site generators.
Description
Documentation Build Configuration is the practice of maintaining a declarative configuration file that defines all aspects of documentation generation: which Sphinx extensions to enable, how to handle URL redirects from legacy documentation, which theme and styling to apply, and what output formats to produce (HTML, LaTeX, man pages). This principle ensures documentation remains reproducible and consistent across builds.
Usage
Apply this principle when a project uses Sphinx (or similar tools) to generate documentation from reStructuredText or Markdown sources. The configuration file serves as the single source of truth for documentation behavior.
Theoretical Basis
Documentation build configuration follows the declarative infrastructure pattern: rather than imperatively scripting each build step, a configuration file declares the desired state (extensions, theme, redirects) and the build tool (Sphinx) resolves that state into output artifacts. This is analogous to build systems like Make or CMake where a specification drives the build process.