PyCharm 2021.1 Help

Generate reference documentation

PyCharm helps produce the formatted API documentation, using the following documentation generators:

Mind the following:

  • The documentation generators should be properly installed on your machine. Refer to their respective download and installation pages for details.

  • PyCharm recognizes the docstring format and uses the documentation source directory defined in the Python Integrated Tools page of the Settings dialog.

Generating Reference Documentation Using DocUtils

To generate docutils documentation

  1. Select DocUtil task run/debug configuration, and change it as required: specify the configuration name, input and output directories, and optional keys.

  2. Launch this run/debug configuration, as described in the section Run and rerun applications.

Generating Reference Documentation Using Sphinx

To create initial infrastructure for Sphinx documentation

  1. Ensure that the Sphinx package has been installed with the Python interpreter(Settings/Preferences | Project <project name> | Python Interpreter). Refer to Install, uninstall, and upgrade packages for more information about how to install a package in PyCharm.

  2. From the main menu, choose Tools | Sphinx quickstart.

  3. If the Sphinx working directory is not specified in the Python Integrated Tools page, the Set working directory dialog box opens, suggesting to specify the path to the documentation.

    Sphinx working directory
  4. In the console that opens in PyCharm, answer the questions provided by the sphinx-quickstart utility. In particular, specify the source directory, where the generated conf.py file will be stored. If, answering this question, you just press Enter, PyCharm will use either the path you've specified in the previous step, or the path specified in the Sphinx working directory field of the Python Integrated Tools page.

To generate Sphinx documentation

  1. Open the Run/Debug Configuration dialog in one of the following ways:

    • Select Run | Edit Configurations from the main menu.

    • With the Navigation bar visible (View | Appearance | Navigation Bar), choose Edit Configurations from the run/debug configuration selector.

    • Press Alt+Shift+F10, then press 0 or select the configuration from the popup and press F4.

  2. In the Run/Debug Configuration dialog, click Icons general add on the toolbar or press Alt+Insert. The list shows the run/debug configuration templates.

  3. Select Sphinx task run/debug configuration, and change it as required: specify the configuration name, input and output directories.

  4. Launch this run/debug configuration, as described in the section Run and rerun applications.

Last modified: 11 May 2021