Epydoc is a tool for generating API documentation for Python modules, based on their docstrings.
Automatic python reference documentation generator. Epydoc processes Python modules and docstrings to generate formatted API documentation, in the form of HTML pages. Epydoc can be used via a command-line interface (epydoc.cli) and a graphical interface (epydoc.gui). Both interfaces let the user specify a set of modules or other objects to document, and produce API documentation using the following steps:
- Extract basic information about the specified objects, and objects that are related to them (such as the values defined by a module). This can be done via introspection, parsing, or both:
- Introspection imports the objects, and examines them directly using Python's introspection mechanisms.
- Parsing reads the Python source files that define the objects, and extracts information from those files.
- Combine and process that information.
- Merging: Merge the information obtained from introspection & parsing each object into a single structure.
- Linking: Replace any "pointers" that were created for imported variables with the documentation that they point to.
- Naming: Assign unique canonical names to each of the specified objects, and any related objects.
- Docstrings: Parse the docstrings of each of the specified objects.
- Inheritance: Add variables to classes for any values that they inherit from their base classes.
- Generate output. Output can be generated in a variety of formats:
