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=======================
README: Docutils 0.22
=======================
:Author: David Goodger
:Contact: goodger@python.org
:Date: $Date: 2025-07-29 17:03:01 +0200 (Di, 29. Jul 2025) $
:Web site: https://docutils.sourceforge.io/
:Copyright: This document has been placed in the public domain.
:Abstract: Docutils is a modular system for processing documentation into
useful formats, such as HTML, XML, and LaTeX.
For input Docutils supports reStructuredText, an easy-to-read,
what-you-see-is-what-you-get plaintext markup syntax.
.. contents::
Quick-Start
===========
This is for those who want to get up & running quickly.
1. Docutils requires **Python**, available from
https://www.python.org/.
See Dependencies_ below for details.
2. Install the latest stable release from PyPi with pip_::
pip install docutils
For alternatives and details, see section `Installation`_ below.
3. Use the `front-end scripts`_ to convert reStructuredText documents.
Try for example::
docutils FAQ.rst FAQ.html
See Usage_ below for details.
Purpose
=======
The purpose of the Docutils project is to provide a set of tools for
processing plaintext documentation into useful formats, such as HTML,
LaTeX, troff (man pages), OpenOffice, and native XML. Support for the
following sources has been implemented:
* Standalone files.
* `PEPs (Python Enhancement Proposals)`_.
Support for the following sources is planned or provided by
`third party tools`_:
* Inline documentation from Python modules and packages, extracted
with namespace context.
* Email (RFC-822 headers, quoted excerpts, signatures, MIME parts).
* Wikis, with global reference lookups of "wiki links".
* Compound documents, such as multiple chapter files merged into a
book.
* And others as discovered.
.. _PEPs (Python Enhancement Proposals):
https://peps.python.org/pep-0012
.. _third party tools: docs/user/links.html#related-applications
Dependencies
============
To run the code, Python_ must be installed.
(Python is pre-installed with most Linux distributions.)
* Since version 0.21, Docutils requires Python 3.9 or later.
* Docutils versions 0.19 to 0.20.1 require Python 3.7 or later.
* Docutils versions 0.16 to 0.18 require Python 2.7 or 3.5+.
The **type hints** added in version 0.22 use Python 3.10 syntax.
However, the Python interpreter treats them as annotations
unless ``typing.TYPE_CHECKING`` is set to ``True``.
.. _Python: https://www.python.org/.
Recommendations
---------------
Docutils uses the following packages for enhanced functionality, if they
are installed:
* The recommended installer is pip_, setuptools_ works, too.
* The `Python Imaging Library`_ (PIL) is used for some image
manipulation operations.
* The `Pygments`_ package provides syntax highlight of "code" directives
and roles.
* The `myst`_, `pycmark`_, or `recommonmark`_ parsers can be used to
parse input in "Markdown" (CommonMark_) format.
The `Docutils Link List <docs/user/links.html>`__ records projects that
users of Docutils and reStructuredText may find useful.
.. _pip: https://pypi.org/project/pip/
.. _setuptools: https://pypi.org/project/setuptools/
.. _Python Imaging Library: http://www.pythonware.com/products/pil/
.. _Pygments: https://pypi.org/project/Pygments/
.. _myst: https://pypi.org/project/myst-docutils/
.. _pycmark: https://pypi.org/project/pycmark/
.. _recommonmark: https://github.com/rtfd/recommonmark
.. _CommonMark: https://spec.commonmark.org/0.30/
Installation
============
The `Python Packaging User Guide`_ gives details how to
`use pip for installing`_.
* The simplest way is to install the latest *stable release* from PyPi::
pip install docutils
* To install a *pre-relase*, append the option ``--pre``.
* To install a `development version`_ *from source*:
1. Open a shell
2. Go to the directory containing the ``pyproject.toml`` file.
3. Install the package with **one** of the following commands::
pip install -e . # editable install
pip install . # regular install
or do a `"manual" install`_.
4. Optional steps:
* `Running the test suite`_
* `Converting the documentation`_
See also the OS-specific installation instructions below and
the `Docutils version repository`_ documentation.
* To install for a *specific Python version*, use this version in the
setup call, e.g. ::
python3.11 -m pip install docutils
If the python executable isn't on your path, you'll have to specify the
complete path, such as ``/usr/local/bin/python3.11``.
To install for different Python versions, repeat step 3 for every
required version. The last installed version will be used for the
``docutils`` command line application.
.. _Python Packaging User Guide: https://packaging.python.org/en/latest/
.. _use pip for installing:
https://packaging.python.org/en/latest/tutorials/installing-packages/
#use-pip-for-installing
.. _"editable" install:
https://pip.pypa.io/en/stable/topics/local-project-installs/
#editable-installs
.. _"manual" install: docs/dev/repository.html#manual-install
GNU/Linux, BSDs, Unix, Mac OS X, etc.
-------------------------------------
* Use ``su`` or ``sudo`` for a system-wide
installation as ``root``, e.g.::
sudo pip install docutils
Windows
-------
* The Python FAQ explains `how to run a Python program under Windows`__.
__ https://docs.python.org/3/faq/windows.html
#how-do-i-run-a-python-program-under-windows
* Usually, pip_ is automatically installed if you are using Python
downloaded from https://python.org. If not, see the
`pip documentation <https://pip.pypa.io/en/stable/installation/>`__.
* The command window should recognise the word ``py`` as an instruction to
start the interpreter, e.g.
py -m pip install docutils
If this does not work, you may have to specify the full path to the
Python executable.
Usage
=====
Start the "docutils" command line application with::
docutils [options] [<source> [<destination>]]
The default action is to convert a reStructuredText_ document to HTML5,
for example::
docutils test.rst test.html
Read the ``--help`` option output for details on options and arguments and
`Docutils Front-End Tools`_ for the full documentation of the various tools.
For programmatic use of the `docutils` Python package, read the
`API Reference Material`_ and the source code.
Remaining questions may be answered in the `Docutils Project
Documentation`_ or the Docutils-users_ mailing list.
Contributions are welcome!
.. _reStructuredText: https://docutils.sourceforge.io/rst.html
.. _front-end scripts:
.. _Docutils Front-End Tools: docs/user/tools.html
.. _API Reference Material: /docs/index.html
#api-reference-material-for-client-developers
.. _Docutils Project Documentation: /docs/index.html
Project Files & Directories
===========================
* README.rst: You're reading it.
* COPYING.rst: Public Domain Dedication and copyright details for
non-public-domain files (most are PD).
* FAQ.rst: Frequently Asked Questions (with answers!).
* RELEASE-NOTES.rst: Summary of the major changes in recent releases.
* HISTORY.rst: A detailed change log, for the current and all previous
project releases.
* BUGS.rst: Known bugs, and how to report a bug.
* THANKS.rst: List of contributors.
* pyproject.toml: Project metadata.
See "Installation" above.
* docutils: The project source directory, installed as a Python
package.
* docs: The project documentation directory. Read ``docs/index.rst``
for an overview.
* docs/user: The project user documentation directory. Contains the
following documents, among others:
- docs/user/tools.rst: Docutils Front-End Tools
- docs/user/latex.rst: Docutils LaTeX Writer
- docs/user/rst/quickstart.rst: A ReStructuredText Primer
- docs/user/rst/quickref.html: Quick reStructuredText (HTML only)
* docs/ref: The project reference directory.
``docs/ref/rst/restructuredtext.rst`` is the reStructuredText
reference.
* licenses: Directory containing copies of license files for
non-public-domain files.
* tools: Directory for Docutils front-end tools. See
``docs/user/tools.rst`` for documentation.
* test: Unit tests. Not required to use the software, but very useful
if you're planning to modify it. See `Running the Test Suite`_
below.
Development version
===================
While we are trying to follow a "release early & often" policy,
features are added frequently.
We recommend using a current snapshot or a working copy of the repository.
Repository check-out:
To keep up to date on the latest developments,
use a `working copy`__ of the `Docutils version repository`_.
Snapshots:
To get a repository _`snapshot`, go to
https://sourceforge.net/p/docutils/code/HEAD/tree/trunk/docutils/
and click the download snapshot button.
Unpack in a temporary directory,
**not** directly in Python's ``site-packages``.
See the `Installation`_ instructions above.
__ docs/dev/repository.html#checking-out-the-repository
.. _Docutils version repository: docs/dev/repository.html
.. _sandbox: https://docutils.sourceforge.io/sandbox/README.html
Converting the documentation
============================
After unpacking and installing the Docutils package, the following
shell commands will generate HTML for all included documentation::
cd <archive_directory_path>
tools/buildhtml.py .
On Windows systems, type::
cd <archive_directory_path>
py tools\buildhtml.py ..
The final directory name of the ``<archive_directory_path>`` is
"docutils" for snapshots. For official releases, the directory may be
called "docutils-X.Y.Z", where "X.Y.Z" is the release version.
Some files may generate system messages (warnings and errors). The
``docs/user/rst/demo.rst`` file (under the archive directory) contains
five intentional errors. (They test the error reporting mechanism!)
Running the Test Suite
======================
The test suite is documented in `Docutils Testing`_ (docs/dev/testing.rst).
To run the entire test suite, open a shell and use the following
commands::
cd <archive_directory_path>/test
./alltests.py
Under Windows, type::
cd <archive_directory_path>\test
python alltests.py
You should see a long line of periods, one for each test, and then a
summary like this::
Ran 1744 tests in 5.859s
OK (skipped=1)
Elapsed time: 6.235 seconds
The number of tests will grow over time, and the times reported will
depend on the computer running the tests.
Some test are skipped, if optional dependencies (`recommendations`_)
are missing.
The difference between the two times represents the time required to set
up the tests (import modules, create data structures, etc.).
A copy of the test output is written to the file ``alltests.out``.
If any of the tests fail, please `open a bug report`_ or `send an email`_
(see `Bugs <BUGS.html>`_).
Please include all relevant output, information about your operating
system, Python version, and Docutils version. To see the Docutils
version, look at the test output or use ::
docutils --version
.. _Docutils Testing: https://docutils.sourceforge.io/docs/dev/testing.html
.. _open a bug report:
https://sourceforge.net/p/docutils/bugs/
.. _send an email: mailto:docutils-users@lists.sourceforge.net
?subject=Test%20suite%20failure
.. _web interface: https://sourceforge.net/p/docutils/mailman/
Getting Help
============
All documentation can be reached from the `Project Documentation
Overview`_.
The SourceForge `project page`_ has links to the tracker, mailing
lists, and code repository.
If you have further questions or need assistance with Docutils or
reStructuredText, please post a message to the Docutils-users_ mailing
list.
.. _Project Documentation Overview: docs/index.html
.. _project page: https://sourceforge.net/p/docutils
.. _Docutils-users: docs/user/mailing-lists.html#docutils-users
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