Writing CodeIgniter Documentation

CodeIgniter uses Sphinx to generate its documentation in a variety of formats, using reStructuredText to handle the formatting. If you are familiar with Markdown or Textile, you will quickly grasp reStructuredText. The focus is on readability and user friendliness. While they can be quite technical, we always write for humans!

A local table of contents should always be included, like the one below. It is created automatically by inserting the following:

.. contents::
        :local:

.. raw:: html

<div class="custom-index container"></div>

The <div> that is inserted as raw HTML is a hook for the documentation’s JavaScript to dynamically add links to any function and method definitions contained in the current page.

Tools Required

To see the rendered HTML, ePub, PDF, etc., you will need to install Sphinx along with the PHP domain extension for Sphinx. The underlying requirement is to have Python installed. Lastly, you will install the CI Lexer for Pygments, so that code blocks can be properly highlighted.

easy_install "sphinx==1.2.3"
easy_install sphinxcontrib-phpdomain

Then follow the directions in the README file in the cilexer folder inside the documentation repository to install the CI Lexer.

Page and Section Headings and Subheadings

Headings not only provide order and sections within a page, but they also are used to automatically build both the page and document table of contents. Headings are formed by using certain characters as underlines for a bit of text. Major headings, like page titles and section headings also use overlines. Other headings just use underlines, with the following hierarchy:

# with overline for page titles
* with overline for major sections
= for subsections
- for subsubsections
^ for subsubsubsections
" for subsubsubsubsections (!)

The TextMate ELDocs Bundle can help you create these with the following tab triggers:

title->

        ##########
        Page Title
        ##########

sec->

        *************
        Major Section
        *************

sub->

        Subsection
        ==========

sss->

        SubSubSection
        -------------

ssss->

        SubSubSubSection
        ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

sssss->

        SubSubSubSubSection (!)
        """""""""""""""""""""""

Method Documentation

When documenting class methods for third party developers, Sphinx provides directives to assist and keep things simple. For example, consider the following ReST:

.. php:class:: Some_class

        .. php:method:: some_method ( $foo [, $bar [, $bat]])

                This function will perform some action. The ``$bar`` array must contain
                a something and something else, and along with ``$bat`` is an optional
                parameter.

                :param int $foo: the foo id to do something in
                :param mixed $bar: A data array that must contain a something and something else
                :param bool $bat: whether or not to do something
                :returns: FALSE on failure, TRUE if successful
                :rtype: bool

                ::

                        $this->load->library('some_class');

                        $bar = array(
                                'something'             => 'Here is this parameter!',
                                'something_else'        => 42
                        );

                        $bat = $this->some_class->should_do_something();

                        if ($this->some_class->some_method(4, $bar, $bat) === FALSE)
                        {
                                show_error('An Error Occurred Doing Some Method');
                        }

                .. note:: Here is something that you should be aware of when using some_method().
                                For real.

                See also :meth:`Some_class::should_do_something`


        .. php:method:: should_do_something()

                :returns: Whether or not something should be done
                :rtype: bool

It creates the following display:

class Some_class
some_method($foo[, $bar[, $bat]])

This function will perform some action. The $bar array must contain a something and something else, and along with $bat is an optional parameter.

Parameters:
  • $foo (int) – the foo id to do something in
  • $bar (mixed) – A data array that must contain a something and something else
  • $bat (bool) – whether or not to do something
Returns:

FALSE on failure, TRUE if successful
Return type:

bool

 
$this->load->library('some_class');

$bar = array(
        'something'             => 'Here is this parameter!',
        'something_else'        => 42
);

$bat = $this->some_class->should_do_something();

if ($this->some_class->some_method(4, $bar, $bat) === FALSE)
{
        show_error('An Error Occurred Doing Some Method');
}

Note

Here is something that you should be aware of when using some_method(). For real.

See also Some_class::should_do_something()

should_do_something()
Returns:Whether or not something should be done
Return type:bool