interactive-documentation.md

Interactive Documentation Tools

This document provides recommendations and standards for implementing interactive documentation solutions for Bayat projects.

Recommended Solutions

Tool	Best For	Features	Complexity
Docusaurus	Comprehensive developer portals	React integration, versioning, search, plugins	Medium
MkDocs	Lightweight documentation	Simple, Markdown-based, Material theme	Low
VuePress	Vue.js projects	Vue integration, customizable themes	Medium
GitBook	Team documentation	Collaborative editing, clean UI	Low
Sphinx	API documentation	Extensive extensions, code-doc integration	High

Implementation Standards

Docusaurus Implementation

For most Bayat projects, Docusaurus is the recommended solution. Implementation should follow these standards:

Project Structure

docs/
├── intro.md            # Introduction page
├── getting-started.md  # Getting started guide
├── category/           # Category directory
│   ├── _category_.json # Category metadata
│   ├── doc1.md         # Document in category
│   └── doc2.md         # Another document in category
├── another-category/
│   └── ...
static/                 # Static assets
├── img/                # Images
└── diagrams/           # Architecture diagrams

Configuration

The docusaurus.config.js file should include:

module.exports = {
  title: 'Project Name Documentation',
  tagline: 'Clear, concise, complete documentation',
  url: 'https://docs.example.com',
  baseUrl: '/',
  onBrokenLinks: 'throw',
  onBrokenMarkdownLinks: 'warn',
  favicon: 'img/favicon.ico',
  organizationName: 'bayat',
  projectName: 'project-name',
  presets: [
    [
      '@docusaurus/preset-classic',
      {
        docs: {
          sidebarPath: require.resolve('./sidebars.js'),
          editUrl: 'https://github.com/bayat/project-name/edit/main/',
        },
        theme: {
          customCss: require.resolve('./src/css/custom.css'),
        },
      },
    ],
  ],
  themeConfig: {
    navbar: {
      title: 'Project Name',
      logo: {
        alt: 'Bayat Logo',
        src: 'img/logo.svg',
      },
      items: [
        {
          type: 'doc',
          docId: 'intro',
          position: 'left',
          label: 'Documentation',
        },
        {
          href: 'https://github.com/bayat/project-name',
          label: 'GitHub',
          position: 'right',
        },
      ],
    },
    footer: {
      style: 'dark',
      links: [
        {
          title: 'Docs',
          items: [
            {
              label: 'Introduction',
              to: '/docs/intro',
            },
            {
              label: 'Getting Started',
              to: '/docs/getting-started',
            },
          ],
        },
        {
          title: 'Community',
          items: [
            {
              label: 'Slack',
              href: 'https://slack.bayat.com',
            },
          ],
        },
      ],
      copyright: `Copyright © ${new Date().getFullYear()} Bayat, Inc.`,
    },
  },
};

MkDocs Implementation

For simpler project documentation, MkDocs with Material theme is recommended:

Project Structure

docs/
├── index.md            # Home page
├── getting-started.md  # Getting started guide
├── user-guide/         # User guide directory
│   ├── overview.md     # Overview document
│   └── features.md     # Features document
├── api/                # API documentation
│   └── ...

Configuration

The mkdocs.yml file should include:

site_name: Project Name Documentation
site_url: https://docs.example.com
repo_url: https://github.com/bayat/project-name
edit_uri: edit/main/docs/

theme:
  name: material
  palette:
    primary: indigo
    accent: indigo
  features:
    - navigation.tabs
    - navigation.instant
    - navigation.tracking
    - navigation.top
    - search.suggest
    - search.highlight

markdown_extensions:
  - admonition
  - pymdownx.details
  - pymdownx.superfences
  - pymdownx.tabbed
  - pymdownx.emoji
  - attr_list
  - md_in_html

plugins:
  - search
  - minify:
      minify_html: true

nav:
  - Home: index.md
  - Getting Started: getting-started.md
  - User Guide:
    - Overview: user-guide/overview.md
    - Features: user-guide/features.md
  - API:
    - Overview: api/index.md

Deployment Recommendations

Continuous Deployment

Documentation should be deployed automatically using CI/CD pipelines:

1. For GitHub repositories, use GitHub Actions
2. For GitLab repositories, use GitLab CI/CD
3. Deploy to GitHub Pages, GitLab Pages, or Netlify

Example GitHub Action

name: Deploy Documentation

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
    paths:
      - 'docs/**'
      - 'docusaurus.config.js'
      - '.github/workflows/deploy-docs.yml'

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v3
        with:
          node-version: 16
          cache: npm
      - name: Install dependencies
        run: npm ci
      - name: Build website
        run: npm run build
      - name: Deploy to GitHub Pages
        uses: peaceiris/actions-gh-pages@v3
        with:
          github_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
          publish_dir: ./build

Migration Guide

If you're considering migrating existing documentation to an interactive solution:

1. Inventory: Catalog all existing documentation
2. Structure: Plan the new information architecture
3. Migrate: Convert content to Markdown format
4. Enhance: Add cross-references, search, and navigation
5. Test: Verify all links and content
6. Deploy: Set up CI/CD for automatic deployment
7. Redirect: Set up redirects from old documentation

Conclusion

Interactive documentation significantly improves the developer experience, making it easier to find, use, and contribute to documentation. Choose the appropriate tool based on your project's needs and follow the implementation standards outlined in this document.