RST guidelines and cheat sheet¶
Importante
We strongly recommend reading the Content guidelines and main Documentation pages before contributing.
Follow the RST guidelines below when contributing to the documentation to help maintain consistency with the rest of the documentation and facilitate the review process for the team:
For hyperlinks:
Formatting¶
Use specific formatting to improve clarity and readability. For example, apply Menu selection for menu paths, GUI element for other user interface elements, such as fields, buttons, and options, Note for notes, Example for examples, etc.
Nota
Add a blank line between different block elements, such as paragraphs, lists, and directives to ensure proper rendering and formatting.
Hyperlinks¶
Internal URLs: relative links¶
If you need to reference an internal documentation page or a file that is not located in the same directory as the current page, always use relative file paths instead of absolute file paths. This ensures that links remain valid even with version updates, folder name changes, and directory structure reorganizations.
An absolute file path indicates the target’s location from the root directory. A relative file path
uses smart notations (such as ../
that redirects to the parent folder) to indicate the target’s
location relative to that of the source document.
Example
Nota
The purpose of the following example is to illustrate the difference between absolute and relative links. Always use Documentation page hyperlinks when referencing documentation pages.
Given the following source file tree:
documentation
├── content
│ └── applications
│ │ └── sales
│ │ │ └── sales
│ │ │ │ └── products_prices
│ │ │ │ │ └── products
│ │ │ │ │ │ └── import.rst
│ │ │ │ │ │ └── variants.rst
│ │ │ │ │ └── prices.rst
A reference to prices.rst
and variants.rst
could be made from import.rst
as follows:
Absolute:
documentation/content/applications/sales/sales/products_prices/prices.rst
documentation/content/applications/sales/sales/products_prices/products/variants.rst
Relative:
../prices.rst
variants.rst
Refactoring: hyperlink targets¶
When refactoring (improving without adding new content) section headings or hyperlink targets, take care not to break any hyperlink reference to these targets or update them accordingly.
Hyperlink labels¶
Do not use non-descriptive labels for hyperlinks.
Example
Indentation¶
Use only spaces (never tabs).
Use as many spaces at the beginning of an indented line as needed to align it with the first character of the markup in the line above. This usually implies three spaces, but you only need two for bulleted lists, for example.
Example
The first :
is below the i
(three spaces):
.. image:: media/example.png
:alt: example
The :titlesonly:
and page references start below the t
(three spaces):
.. toctree::
:titlesonly:
payables/supplier_bills
payables/pay
Continuation lines resume below the I
’s of «Invoice» (two spaces):
- Invoice on ordered quantity: invoice the full order as soon as the sales order is confirmed.
- Invoice on delivered quantity: invoice on what was delivered even if it is a partial
delivery.
100th-character limit¶
In RST, it is possible to break a line without forcing a line break on the rendered HTML. Make use of this feature to write lines of maximum 100 characters. It is not necessary to leave a trailing whitespace at the end of a line to separate words.
Suggerimento
You can safely break a line on any space, even inside markups such as
menuselection
anddoc
.Some external hyperlinks may exceed 100 characters, but leaving them on a single line is acceptable.
Example
To register your seller account in Odoo, go to :menuselection:`Sales --> Configuration -->
Settings --> Amazon Connector --> Amazon Accounts` and click :guilabel:`Create`. You can find
the **Seller ID** under the link :guilabel:`Your Merchant Token`.
Headings¶
For each formatting line (e.g., ===
), write as many symbols (=
) as there are characters in the
header.
The symbols used for the formatting are, in fact, not important. Only the order in which they are written matters, as it determines the size of the decorated heading. This means that you may encounter different heading formatting and in a different order, in which case you should follow the formatting in place in the document. In any other case, use the formatting shown below.
Heading size |
Formatting |
---|---|
H1 |
=======
Heading
=======
|
H2 |
Heading
=======
|
H3 |
Heading
-------
|
H4 |
Heading
~~~~~~~
|
H5 |
Heading
*******
|
H6 |
Heading
^^^^^^^
|
Importante
Each document must have exactly one H1 heading.
Markups¶
Emphasis (italic)¶
To emphasize a part of the text. The text is rendered in italic.
Fill out the information before saving the form. |
Fill out the information *before* saving the form.
|
Strong emphasis (bold)¶
To emphasize a part of the text. The text is rendered in bold.
A subdomain is a domain that is a part of another domain. |
A **subdomain** is a domain that is a part of another domain.
|
Technical term (literal)¶
To write a technical term or a specific value to insert. The text is rendered in literal.
Insert the IP address of your printer, for example, |
Insert the IP address of your printer, for example, `192.168.1.25`.
|
Definitions¶
Use the dfn
markup to define a term.
The documentation is written in RST and needs to be built (converted to HTML) to display nicely. |
The documentation is written in RST and needs to be built (:dfn:`converted to HTML`) to
display nicely.
|
Abbreviations¶
Use the abbr
markup to write a self-defining abbreviation that is displayed as a tooltip.
Odoo uses OCR and artificial intelligence technologies to recognize the content of the documents. |
Odoo uses :abbr:`OCR (optical character recognition)` and artificial intelligence
technologies to recognize the content of the documents.
|
GUI element¶
Use the guilabel
markup to identify any text of the interactive user interface (e.g., labels).
Update your credentials, then click on Save. |
Update your credentials, then click on :guilabel:`Save`.
|
Nota
Avoid using the guilabel
markup when referring to a concept or general term.
Example
- Good example:To create a credit note, go to Credit Note., open the invoice, and click
- Bad example:To create a Credit Note, go to , open the Invoice, and click Credit Note.
File¶
Use the file
markup to indicate a file path or name.
Create redirections using the |
Create redirections using the :file:`redirects.txt` file found at the root of the
repository.
|
Command¶
Use the command
markup to highlight a command.
Run the command make clean html to delete existing built files and build the documentation to HTML. |
Run the command :command:`make clean html` to delete existing built files and build the
documentation to HTML.
|
Icons¶
Use the icon
markup to add the class name of an icon. There are two icon sets used in Odoo:
FontAwesome4 and Odoo UI. Follow the icon with its name as a
GUI element in brackets as a descriptor.
The graph view is represented by the (area chart) icon. The pivot view is represented by the icon. |
The graph view is represented by the :icon:`fa-area-chart` :guilabel:`(area chart)` icon.
The pivot view is represented by the :icon:`oi-view-pivot` icon.
|
Lists¶
Bulleted list¶
|
- This is a bulleted list.
- It has two items, the second
item uses two lines.
|
Numbered list¶
|
#. This is a numbered list.
#. Numbering is automatic.
|
|
6. Use this format to start the numbering
with a number other than one.
#. The numbering is automatic from there.
|
Suggerimento
Prefer the use of autonumbered lists with #.
instead of 1.
, 2.
, etc. for better code
resilience.
Nested lists¶
Suggerimento
Add a blank line before the nested elements in lists.
Indent nested lists properly, with sub-items aligned under their parent item.
|
- This is the first item of a bulleted list.
#. It has a nested numbered list
#. with two items.
|
Hyperlinks¶
External hyperlinks¶
External hyperlinks are links to a URL with a custom label. They follow the syntax:
`label <URL>`_
.
Nota
Use documentation page hyperlinks when targeting another documentation page.
Do not use non-descriptive hyperlink labels.
For instance, this is an external hyperlink to Odoo’s website. |
For instance, `this is an external hyperlink to Odoo's website <https://www.odoo.com>`_.
|
External hyperlink aliases¶
External hyperlink aliases allow creating shortcuts for external hyperlinks. The definition syntax
is as follows: .. _target: URL
. There are two ways to reference them, depending on the use case:
target_
creates a hyperlink with the target name as label and the URL as reference. Note that the_
moved after the target.`label <target_>`_
the label replaces the name of the target, and the target is replaced by the URL.
A proof-of-concept is a simplified version, a prototype of what is expected to agree on the main lines of expected changes. PoC is a common abbreviation. |
.. _proof-of-concept: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_of_concept
A proof-of-concept_ is a simplified version, a prototype of what is expected to agree on
the main lines of expected changes. `PoC <proof-of-concept_>`_ is a common abbreviation.
|
Custom anchors¶
Custom anchors follow the same syntax as external hyperlink aliases but without any URL. They allow referencing a specific part of a RST file by using the target as an anchor. When users click the reference, they are taken to the part of the documentation page where the target is defined.
The definition syntax is: .. _target:
. There are two ways to reference them, both using the ref
markup:
:ref:`target`
creates a hyperlink to the anchor with the heading defined below as label.:ref:`label <target>`
creates a hyperlink to the anchor with the given label.
Importante
As targets are visible from the entire documentation when referenced with the ref
markup,
prefix the target name with the app/section name and the file name, separated by slashes,
e.g., accounting/taxes/configuration
.
Nota
Add custom anchors for all headings so they can be referenced from any documentation file or within Odoo using documentation links.
Notice that there is no
_
at the end, contrary to what is done with external hyperlinks.
Please refer to the Hyperlinks section to learn more about relative links. |
.. _contributing/rst/hyperlinks-guidelines:
Hyperlinks
==========
.. _contributing/rst/relative-links:
Use relative links for internal URLs
------------------------------------
Please refer to the :ref:`<contributing/rst/hyperlinks-guidelines>` section to learn more
about :ref:`relative links <contributing/rst/relative-links>`.
|
Documentation page hyperlinks¶
The doc
markup allows referencing a documentation page wherever it is in the file tree through a
relative file path. There are two ways to use the markup, both using the doc
markup:
:doc:`path_to_doc_page`
creates a hyperlink to the documentation page with the title of the page as label.:doc:`label <path_to_doc_page>`
creates a hyperlink to the documentation page with the given label.
Please refer to the Accounting documentation to learn more about Customer invoices. |
Please refer to the :doc:`Accounting documentation <../../../applications/finance/accounting>`
to learn more about :doc:`../../../applications/finance/accounting/customer_invoices`.
|
Importante
Use relative links for documentation page hyperlinks.
File download hyperlinks¶
The download
markup allows referencing files (that are not necessarily RST documents) within the source tree to be downloaded.
Download this |
Download this :download:`module structure template <rst_guidelines/my_module.zip>` to start building your module.
|
Nota
Store the file alongside other media files and reference it using a relative link.
Images¶
The image
markup allows inserting images in a document.
.. image:: rst_guidelines/create-invoice.png
:alt: Create an invoice.
|
Suggerimento
Images should generally be aligned to the left, which is the default behavior. Use the
align
parameter to change the alignment, e.g.,:align: center
.Use the
alt
parameter to add ALT tags, e.g.,:alt: Activating the developer mode in the Settings app
.Use the
scale
parameter to scale the image, e.g.,:scale: 75%
.
Vedi anche
Alert blocks (admonitions)¶
See also¶
.. seealso::
- :doc:`Accounting documentation <../../../applications/finance/accounting>`
- :doc:`../../../applications/sales/sales/invoicing/proforma`
- `Google documentation on setting up Analytics for a website <https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1008015?hl=en/>`_
|
Note¶
Nota Use this alert block to draw the reader’s attention and highlight important additional information. |
.. note::
Use this alert block to draw the reader's attention and highlight important additional information.
|
Tip¶
Suggerimento Use this alert block to inform the reader about a useful trick that requires an action. |
.. tip::
Use this alert block to inform the reader about a useful trick that requires an action.
|
Example¶
Example Use this alert block to show an example. |
.. example::
Use this alert block to show an example.
|
Exercise¶
Exercise Use this alert block to suggest an exercise to the reader. |
.. exercise::
Use this alert block to suggest an exercise to the reader.
|
Important¶
Importante Use this alert block to notify the reader about important information. |
.. important::
Use this alert block to notify the reader about important information.
|
Warning¶
Avvertimento Use this alert block to require the reader to proceed with caution with what is described in the warning. |
.. warning::
Use this alert block to require the reader to proceed with caution with what is described in the warning.
|
Danger¶
Pericolo Use this alert block to bring the reader’s attention to a serious threat. |
.. danger::
Use this alert block to bring the reader's attention to a serious threat.
|
Custom¶
Title Customize this alert block with a Title of your choice. |
.. admonition:: Title
Customize this alert block with a **Title** of your choice.
|
Tables¶
List tables¶
List tables use two-level bulleted lists to convert data into a table. The first level represents the rows and the second level represents the columns.
|
|||||||||
.. list-table::
:header-rows: 1
:stub-columns: 1
* - Name
- Country
- Favorite colour
* - Raúl
- Montenegro
- Purple
* - Mélanie
- France
- Turquoise
|
Grid tables¶
Grid tables represent the rendered table and are more visual to work with.
|
|||||||||||
+-----------------------+--------------+---------------+
| | Shirts | T-shirts |
+=======================+==============+===============+
| **Available colours** | Purple | Green |
| +--------------+---------------+
| | Turquoise | Orange |
+-----------------------+--------------+---------------+
| **Sleeves length** | Long sleeves | Short sleeves |
+-----------------------+--------------+---------------+
|
Suggerimento
Use
=
instead of-
to define header rows.Remove
-
and|
separators to merge cells.Make use of this convenient table generator to build tables. Then, copy-paste the generated formatting into your document.
Code blocks¶
Use the code-block
directive to show example code. Specify the language (e.g., python, xml, etc.)
to format the code according to the language’s syntax rules.
def main():
print("Hello world!")
|
.. code-block:: python
def main():
print("Hello world!")
|
Spoilers¶
42 |
.. spoiler:: Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything
**42**
|
Content tabs¶
Avvertimento
The tabs
markup may not work well in some situations. In particular:
The tabs” headers cannot be translated.
A tab cannot contain headings.
An alert block cannot contain tabs.
A tab cannot contain custom anchors.
Basic tabs¶
Basic tabs are useful to split the content into multiple options. The tabs
markup is used to
define sequence of tabs. Each tab is then defined with the tab
markup followed by a label.
Content dedicated to Odoo Online users. Alternative for Odoo.sh users. Third version for On-premise users. |
.. tabs::
.. tab:: Odoo Online
Content dedicated to Odoo Online users.
.. tab:: Odoo.sh
Alternative for Odoo.sh users.
.. tab:: On-premise
Third version for On-premise users.
|
Nested tabs¶
Tabs can be nested inside one another.
The closest star to us. The second closest star to us. The North Star. Orbits the Earth. Orbits Jupiter. |
.. tabs::
.. tab:: Stars
.. tabs::
.. tab:: The Sun
The closest star to us.
.. tab:: Proxima Centauri
The second closest star to us.
.. tab:: Polaris
The North Star.
.. tab:: Moons
.. tabs::
.. tab:: The Moon
Orbits the Earth.
.. tab:: Titan
Orbits Jupiter.
|
Group tabs¶
Group tabs are special tabs that synchronize based on a group label. The last selected group is
remembered and automatically selected when the user returns to the page or visits another page with
the tabs group. The group-tab
markup is used to define group tabs.
C++ Python Java int main(const int argc, const char **argv) {
return 0;
}
def main():
return
class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {}
}
|
.. tabs::
.. group-tab:: C++
C++
.. group-tab:: Python
Python
.. group-tab:: Java
Java
.. tabs::
.. group-tab:: C++
.. code-block:: c++
int main(const int argc, const char **argv) {
return 0;
}
.. group-tab:: Python
.. code-block:: python
def main():
return
.. group-tab:: Java
.. code-block:: java
class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {}
}
|
Code tabs¶
Use the code-tab
markup to create code tabs, which are essentially group tabs that treat the tabs” content as a code block. Specify the language to format the code according to the language’s
syntax rules. If a label is set, it is used for grouping tabs instead of the language name.
#include <iostream>
int main() {
std::cout << "Hello World";
return 0;
}
print("Hello World")
console.log("Hello World");
|
.. tabs::
.. code-tab:: c++ Hello C++
#include <iostream>
int main() {
std::cout << "Hello World";
return 0;
}
.. code-tab:: python Hello Python
print("Hello World")
.. code-tab:: javascript Hello JavaScript
console.log("Hello World");
|
Cards¶
.. cards::
.. card:: Documentation
:target: ../documentation
:tag: Step-by-step guide
:large:
Use this guide to acquire the tools and knowledge you need to write documentation.
.. card:: Content guidelines
:target: content_guidelines
List of guidelines, tips, and tricks to help you create clear and effective content.
.. card:: RST guidelines
:target: rst_guidelines
List of technical guidelines to observe when writing with reStructuredText.
|
Document metadata¶
Sphinx supports document-wide
metadata markups that specify a behavior for the entire page. They must be placed between colons
(:
) at the top of the source file.
Metadata |
Purpose |
|
Make a toctree page accessible from the navigation menu. |
|
Show the table of content on a page that has the |
|
Hide the «On this page» sidebar and use full page width for the content. |
|
Exclude the document from search results. |
|
Suppress the need to include the document in a toctree. |
|
Show a dynamic side column that can be used to display interactive
tutorials or code excerpts.
For example, see
Accounting cheat sheet.
|
|
Link CSS files (comma-separated) to the file. |
|
Link JS files (comma-separated) to the document. |
|
Assign the specified classes to the |
Formatting tips¶
Break the line but not the paragraph¶
A first long line that you break in two
-> here <- is rendered as a single line.
A second line that follows a line break.
|
| A first long line that you break in two
-> here <- is rendered as a single line.
| A second line that follows a line break.
|
Escape markup symbols¶
Markup symbols escaped with backslashes (\
) are rendered normally. For instance, this
\*\*line of text\*\* with \*markup\* symbols
is rendered as “this **line of text** with
*markup* symbols”.
When it comes to backticks (`
), which are used in many cases such as external hyperlinks, using backslashes for escaping is no longer
an option because the outer backticks interpret enclosed backslashes and thus prevent them from
escaping inner backticks. For instance, `\`this formatting\``
produces an
[UNKNOWN NODE title_reference]
error. Instead, ```this formatting```
should be used to
produce the following result: `this formatting`
.