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DOC: Rewrite installation instructions
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- Put pip and conda as the most common options first
- Don't distinguish Linux / Windows in the pip commands.
  They are equivalent and users should be able to get this
  right even without the distinction.
- Replace the venv instructions by a general tip to use
  environments and link out for details.
- Collect all OS-specific package manager in one section
- Remove the "Windows - Other methods" secion. This is
  basically pip (or conda). It's beyond the scope of Sphinx
  to explain how to set up Python.
- Move latest development release to a separate entry.
  *Question*: Do you still do development releases?
  I just got the latest stable by that.
  • Loading branch information
@timhoffm
timhoffm committed Jun 22, 2024
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203 changes: 88 additions & 115 deletions doc/usage/installation.rst
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Installing Sphinx
=================

.. contents::
:depth: 1
Sphinx is a Python application. It can be installed in one of the ways described
below.

.. contents:: Installation methods
:depth: 2
:local:
:backlinks: none

.. highlight:: console

Overview
--------
After installation, you can check that Sphinx is available by running ::

$ sphinx-build --version

This should print out the Sphinx version number.


.. tip::

If you use Sphinx for documenting a Python library or application, it is
generally recommended to install Sphinx into your development environment
(`venv <https://docs.python.org/3/library/venv.html>`_ or `conda
<https://conda.io/projects/conda/en/latest/user-guide/getting-started.html>`_
environment).

By adding Sphinx and 3rdparty extensions or themes that you use to your dev
dependencies, you make sure that you have a consistent setup for building
your documentation.


.. _install-pypi:

PyPI package
------------

Sphinx packages are published on the `Python Package Index
<https://pypi.org/project/Sphinx/>`_ (PyPI). The preferred tool for installing
packages from *PyPI* is :command:`pip`, which is included in all modern versions of
Python.

Run the following command::

$ pip install -U sphinx

.. _install-conda:

Conda package
-------------
To work with :command:`conda`, you need a conda-based Python distribution such as
`anaconda`__, `miniconda`__, `miniforge`__ or `micromamba`__.

__ https://docs.anaconda.com/anaconda/
__ https://docs.anaconda.com/miniconda/
__ https://github.com/conda-forge/miniforge/
__ https://mamba.readthedocs.io/en/latest/installation/micromamba-installation.html

Sphinx is written in `Python`__ and supports Python 3.9+. It builds upon the
shoulders of many third-party libraries such as `Docutils`__ and `Jinja`__,
which are installed when Sphinx is installed.

__ https://docs.python-guide.org/
__ https://docutils.sourceforge.io/
__ https://jinja.palletsprojects.com/
Sphinx is available both via the *anaconda main* channel (maintained by Anaconda
Inc.)

::

$ conda install sphinx

as well as via the *conda-forge* community channel ::

$ conda install -c conda-forge sphinx

OS-specific package manager
---------------------------

You may install a global version of Sphinx into your system using OS-specific
package managers. However, be aware that this is less flexible and you may run into
compatibility issues if you want to work across different projects.

Linux
-----
~~~~~

Debian/Ubuntu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"""""""""""""

Install either ``python3-sphinx`` using :command:`apt-get`:

Expand All @@ -36,7 +92,7 @@ Install either ``python3-sphinx`` using :command:`apt-get`:
If it not already present, this will install Python for you.

RHEL, CentOS
~~~~~~~~~~~~
""""""""""""

Install ``python-sphinx`` using :command:`yum`:

Expand All @@ -47,27 +103,24 @@ Install ``python-sphinx`` using :command:`yum`:
If it not already present, this will install Python for you.

Other distributions
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"""""""""""""""""""

Most Linux distributions have Sphinx in their package repositories. Usually
the package is called ``python3-sphinx``, ``python-sphinx`` or ``sphinx``. Be
aware that there are at least two other packages with ``sphinx`` in their name:
a speech recognition toolkit (*CMU Sphinx*) and a full-text search database
(*Sphinx search*).


macOS
-----
~~~~~

Sphinx can be installed using `Homebrew`__, `MacPorts`__, or as part of
a Python distribution such as `Anaconda`__.
Sphinx can be installed using `Homebrew`__, `MacPorts`__.

__ https://brew.sh/
__ https://www.macports.org/
__ https://www.anaconda.com/download

Homebrew
~~~~~~~~
""""""""

::

Expand All @@ -78,7 +131,7 @@ For more information, refer to the `package overview`__.
__ https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/sphinx-doc

MacPorts
~~~~~~~~
""""""""

Install either ``python3x-sphinx`` using :command:`port`:

Expand All @@ -97,23 +150,15 @@ For more information, refer to the `package overview`__.

__ https://www.macports.org/ports.php?by=library&substr=py39-sphinx

Anaconda
~~~~~~~~

::

$ conda install sphinx

Windows
-------
~~~~~~~

Sphinx can be install using `Chocolatey`__ or
:ref:`installed manually <windows-other-method>`.
Sphinx can be install using `Chocolatey`__.

__ https://chocolatey.org/

Chocolatey
~~~~~~~~~~
""""""""""

::

Expand All @@ -127,89 +172,6 @@ For more information, refer to the `chocolatey page`__.

__ https://chocolatey.org/packages/sphinx/

.. _windows-other-method:

Other Methods
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Most Windows users do not have Python installed by default, so we begin with
the installation of Python itself. To check if you already have Python
installed, open the *Command Prompt* (:kbd:`⊞Win-r` and type :command:`cmd`).
Once the command prompt is open, type :command:`python --version` and press
Enter. If Python is installed, you will see the version of Python printed to
the screen. If you do not have Python installed, refer to the `Hitchhikers
Guide to Python's`__ Python on Windows installation guides. You must install
`Python 3`__.

Once Python is installed, you can install Sphinx using :command:`pip`. Refer
to the :ref:`pip installation instructions <install-pypi>` below for more
information.

__ https://docs.python-guide.org/
__ https://docs.python-guide.org/starting/install3/win/


.. _install-pypi:

Installation from PyPI
----------------------

Sphinx packages are published on the `Python Package Index
<https://pypi.org/project/Sphinx/>`_. The preferred tool for installing
packages from *PyPI* is :command:`pip`. This tool is provided with all modern
versions of Python.

On Linux or MacOS, you should open your terminal and run the following command.

::

$ pip install -U sphinx

On Windows, you should open *Command Prompt* (:kbd:`⊞Win-r` and type
:command:`cmd`) and run the same command.

.. code-block:: doscon
C:\> pip install -U sphinx
After installation, type :command:`sphinx-build --version` on the command
prompt. If everything worked fine, you will see the version number for the
Sphinx package you just installed.

Installation from *PyPI* also allows you to install the latest development
release. You will not generally need (or want) to do this, but it can be
useful if you see a possible bug in the latest stable release. To do this, use
the ``--pre`` flag.

::

$ pip install -U --pre sphinx

Using virtual environments
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When installing Sphinx using pip,
it is highly recommended to use *virtual environments*,
which isolate the installed packages from the system packages,
thus removing the need to use administrator privileges.
To create a virtual environment in the ``.venv`` directory,
use the following command.

::

$ python -m venv .venv

.. seealso:: :mod:`venv` -- creating virtual environments

.. warning::

Note that in some Linux distributions, such as Debian and Ubuntu,
this might require an extra installation step as follows.

.. code-block:: console
$ apt-get install python3-venv
Docker
------

Expand Down Expand Up @@ -251,6 +213,17 @@ For more details, please read `README file`__ of docker images.

.. __: https://hub.docker.com/r/sphinxdoc/sphinx

Installation of the latest development release
----------------------------------------------

You can install the latest development from *PyPI* using the ``--pre`` flag::

$ pip install -U --pre sphinx

.. warning::

You will not generally need (or want) to do this, but it can be
useful if you see a possible bug in the latest stable release.

Installation from source
------------------------
Expand Down

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