There seems to be a plethora of documentation tools for Python. Another one that I've run across is epydoc. It seems like Sphinx is the de facto standard, because it's used to generate the official Python docs. Can someone please sort out the current state of Python's documentation tools for me?
+6
A:
epydoc and Sphinx are different types of tools.
They are the same in that they:
- Both use ReST via docutils.
- Both are very Pythonic in their focus
- Both can generate HTML and PDF documentation
They are different in their focus.
- Epydoc is focused on API (Developer) documentation. You get more results quicker with Epydoc. You point it at your source code and you get something. This is what I want from an API documentation tool.
- Sphinx is focused on general (User) documentation. While Sphinx does pull a lot of information from your source code you need to put a little more into it. Sphinx can generate API documentation but, it's not as straight forward, and IMO doesn't do as good of a job as Epydoc. I know some will disagree because Sphinx is chosen for Python. BUT, it depends on how much work you want to put into it. I do love Sphinx for general documentation.
So it depends on how much work you want to put into it and what you are documenting.
Paul Hildebrandt
2010-03-14 04:15:48
Thanks for explaining what these tools have in common (eg their relationship to docutils) as well as their differences. What makes epydoc better for API documentation and Sphinx better for functional documentation? You mentioned that they both use reST. Seems like there's alot of overlap. Is it just a matter of convenience? Also, epydoc development doesn't seem to be very active. The last commit was in Feb 2009, and the last correspondence on the devel list was in May 2009.
allyourcode
2010-03-15 06:14:34
Well, the easy answer to why one is better at one thing that another is that is the way they were designed. Epydoc is made to just pull from the code and Sphinx is made to generate a lot of it's documentation from ReST files you write. There is a lot of overlap. Sphinx is the new kid on the block. I've heard rumors that in .7 it will have much better auto-generation built in. I have a lot of respect for Epydoc but Sphinx seems to have all the momentum right now. I like it because it looks like the python.org documentation AND I think it looks better.
Paul Hildebrandt
2010-03-15 07:00:24
Sphinx is not focused on general User documentation. Sphinx is a tool which helps you write a complete and detailed documentation, which you simply cannot provide by concatenating docstrings. Also Sphinx will support so-called domains with 1.0 which will allow you to document a project written in multiple languages for example a webapp written in Python, Javascript and C.
DasIch
2010-03-15 23:08:32
I was about to ask for pointer on how Sphinx generates API docs and then I found [this](http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/python/dev/726475) post of yours. `sphinx.ext.autodoc` *doh*. Thanks.
muhuk
2010-04-22 11:19:10