CI Workflow: Publish Documentation Pull Requests Online

Improve your documentation workflow by learning how to publish documentation pull requests on the web. This article will guide you through the process of setting up a CI workflow that allows for easy review and collaboration on documentation changes.

Objective

The primary objective is to simplify the process of writing and reviewing documentation pull requests (PRs) that involve technical RST (reStructuredText) or MD (Markdown) files. By making the documentation available as static HTML files online, reviewers can easily visualize the changes and provide feedback. This approach enhances collaboration and ensures that documentation updates are accurate and well-presented.

How It Works

The core mechanism of this workflow revolves around automatically publishing documentation changes whenever a pull request modifies files within the documentation/ directory. When a PR is opened or updated with changes to these files, the CI workflow springs into action. It generates static HTML files from the documentation source and makes them accessible via a unique URL. This URL follows the pattern /PR-XXX/, where XXX represents the pull request number. The published documentation reflects the state of the last commit in the PR, ensuring that reviewers always see the most up-to-date version.

This approach offers several advantages. First, it provides a visual representation of the documentation changes, making it easier to identify formatting issues, broken links, or inconsistencies. Second, it allows for collaborative review directly on the rendered output, streamlining the feedback process. Finally, it ensures that the documentation is always up-to-date with the latest changes in the code.

Configuration

To implement this workflow, you'll need to configure a CI (Continuous Integration) system, such as GitHub Actions. The configuration involves setting up a workflow that triggers on pull requests targeting the relevant branches. Within the workflow, you'll need to define the steps required to build the documentation and publish it to a web server.

Parameters

The workflow may require certain parameters to be configured. Here’s a table outlining some common parameters:

While the table shows only the id parameter for demonstration, in a real-world scenario, you might need to configure additional parameters such as the documentation source directory, the output directory for the generated HTML files, and the credentials for accessing the web server.

Detailed Steps for Configuration

1. Set up a GitHub Actions workflow file: Create a new file in your repository under .github/workflows/, for example, publish-documentation.yml. This file will define the steps of your CI workflow.
2. Define the trigger: Configure the workflow to trigger on pull_request events, specifically when changes are made to files in the documentation/ directory. You can use the paths filter to narrow down the trigger to only relevant file changes.
3. Checkout the code: Use the actions/checkout action to check out the code from the pull request branch.
4. Set up the environment: Install any necessary dependencies, such as Python and Sphinx, if you are using Sphinx to build your documentation. You might also need to set up environment variables for accessing external services.
5. Build the documentation: Run the commands required to build your documentation. This might involve using a tool like Sphinx to generate HTML files from RST or MD sources.
6. Publish the documentation: Deploy the generated HTML files to a web server. This could involve using a service like GitHub Pages, Netlify, or a custom web server. You'll need to configure the deployment process to make the documentation accessible under the /PR-XXX/ URL.
7. Clean up: After the pull request is closed or merged, you might want to remove the published documentation to avoid clutter. You can add a step to the workflow that triggers on pull_request close events and removes the deployed files.

Other Considerations

When implementing this workflow, there are several additional factors to consider.

Security

Ensure that your CI workflow is secure and doesn't expose any sensitive information. Avoid storing secrets directly in the workflow file. Instead, use GitHub Secrets to securely store credentials and other sensitive data.

Performance

Optimize your workflow for performance to minimize the build and deployment time. Use caching to avoid re-downloading dependencies and consider using parallel processing to speed up the documentation build process.

Scalability

If your documentation is large or your team is actively contributing, you might need to scale your CI infrastructure to handle the load. Consider using a CI service that offers autoscaling capabilities.

Versioning

Implement a versioning strategy for your documentation to track changes over time. This can involve using tags or branches to mark specific releases of the documentation.

Acceptation Criteria

To ensure that the workflow meets the desired requirements, the following acceptance criteria should be met:

These criteria provide a clear benchmark for evaluating the success of the implemented workflow. Regular testing and monitoring should be conducted to ensure that these criteria continue to be met as the project evolves.

Benefits of Publishing Documentation Pull Requests Online

Publishing documentation pull requests online offers a multitude of benefits for teams and projects of all sizes. By making documentation changes readily accessible and visually appealing, this approach streamlines the review process, fosters collaboration, and ultimately leads to higher-quality documentation. Let's delve deeper into the key advantages:

Enhanced Review Process

The traditional method of reviewing documentation changes often involves reading through raw text files, which can be cumbersome and difficult to visualize the final output. Publishing documentation pull requests online transforms this process by providing a rendered, interactive version of the documentation. Reviewers can easily navigate through the content, click on links, view images, and experience the documentation as an end-user would. This visual context makes it much easier to identify formatting issues, broken links, and inconsistencies in the text. By streamlining the review process, teams can iterate faster and ensure that documentation is accurate, complete, and user-friendly.

Improved Collaboration

When documentation is published online, it becomes a shared resource that all team members can access and contribute to. Reviewers can leave comments directly on the rendered documentation, providing specific feedback on areas that need improvement. This collaborative approach fosters a more interactive and engaging review process. It also allows for real-time discussions and clarifications, which can help resolve ambiguities and ensure that everyone is on the same page. By fostering collaboration, teams can leverage the collective knowledge and expertise of their members to create high-quality documentation that meets the needs of their users.

Early Detection of Issues

Publishing documentation pull requests online allows for the early detection of potential issues, such as broken links, formatting errors, and inconsistencies in terminology. By visualizing the documentation in its final form, reviewers can quickly identify these problems and provide feedback before the changes are merged into the main branch. This proactive approach helps prevent errors from making their way into the production documentation, which can save time and effort in the long run. Early detection of issues also improves the overall quality of the documentation, making it more reliable and user-friendly.

Increased Accessibility

Online documentation is inherently more accessible than documentation stored in local files or shared via email. By publishing documentation pull requests online, teams can make their work accessible to a wider audience, including stakeholders, users, and potential contributors. This increased accessibility can lead to greater engagement and feedback, which can help improve the documentation over time. Online documentation can also be easily indexed by search engines, making it easier for users to find the information they need. By increasing accessibility, teams can ensure that their documentation is widely used and valued.

Streamlined Workflow

Publishing documentation pull requests online can streamline the overall workflow for documentation updates. By automating the process of building and deploying documentation changes, teams can reduce the amount of manual effort required to keep their documentation up-to-date. This automation frees up time for writers and reviewers to focus on more important tasks, such as content creation and quality assurance. A streamlined workflow also helps ensure that documentation changes are integrated into the main branch quickly and efficiently, reducing the risk of conflicts and delays.

Conclusion

Implementing a CI workflow to publish documentation pull requests online is a valuable investment for any team that values high-quality documentation. By streamlining the review process, fostering collaboration, and enabling early detection of issues, this approach can significantly improve the quality and accessibility of your documentation. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can set up a CI workflow that meets your specific needs and helps you create documentation that your users will love. For further reading on CI/CD best practices, you can check out resources like this article on CircleCI.