Build instructions do not work by default.

[dir21]

If, following the 'making a local build' instructions in README, I do something like:

  cd /tmp
  git clone https://github.com/dir21/arches-docs.git
  python3.12 -m venv ENV
  source ENV/bin/activate
  cd arches-docs
  pip install -r requirements.txt
  sphinx-autobuild docs docs/_build/html

The build promptly fails with:

  command not found: sphinx-autobuild

This is fixed easily enough with:

  pip install sphinx-autobuild

But would it be possible to just add sphinx-autobuild to requirements.txt?

I will make a patch if yes.

[ekansa]

@dir21 thanks for this! It has been years since I've tried to rebuild these docs. I think on my own machine I apt-installed sphinx components. I'll will try to replicate this problem and see if sphinx-autobuild should be in the requirements.txt

[dir21]

D'oh! I meant to say that sphinx-autobuild was in requirements.txt until this commit: 35e7ace in 2023.

It was a big commit - you have to scroll all the way down to the bottom to see sphinx-autobuild leave the building - and I'm not completely sure why it was done.

[scott-huberty]

Hey @ekansa WDYT about adding a small build docs CI job, something like .github/workflows/docs.yaml? Then we can run it on every push/PR to master, and check that installing the requirements and building the sphinx doc works.

I'd happily volunteer to open a PR that does this!

[ekansa]

Yes please! I'd love to learn how to get CI integrated in this (never done that before), so @scott-huberty that would be welcome!

[scott-huberty]

Awesome! @ekansa feel free to assign me to this issue if you are able to , so that I don't forget :P (I will be busy for the next few weeks).