Build Documentation Skill

Generate all reference documentation from code, build Sphinx docs, capture tutorial screenshots, and review everything for issues.

When to Use

• After making changes to actions, mouse profiles, or UI
• Before committing documentation changes
• When preparing a release
• When asked to "build the docs" or "generate documentation"

Prerequisites

• Python environment with project dependencies (uv sync)
• For full generation: 3D Slicer installed with SLICER_PATH in .env
• For partial generation: Works without Slicer (mouse profiles only)

Quick Start

Minimal (No Slicer Required)

# Generate mouse profiles reference
python MouseMaster/Testing/Python/test_generate_mouse_profiles.py

# Build docs (will have placeholder for actions)
pip install -r docs/requirements.txt
sphinx-build -b html docs docs/_build/html

Full Generation (Requires Slicer)

# Set Slicer path
export SLICER_PATH=/path/to/Slicer

# Generate all reference docs
python MouseMaster/Testing/Python/test_generate_mouse_profiles.py

$SLICER_PATH --no-splash \
  --python-script MouseMaster/Testing/Python/test_generate_actions_reference.py \
  --additional-module-paths $(pwd)/MouseMaster

# Generate tutorial screenshots
$SLICER_PATH --no-splash \
  --python-script MouseMaster/Testing/Python/test_tutorial_workflow.py \
  --additional-module-paths $(pwd)/MouseMaster

# Build docs
sphinx-build -b html docs docs/_build/html

Step-by-Step Workflow

Step 1: Generate Mouse Profiles Reference

This can run standalone without Slicer:

python MouseMaster/Testing/Python/test_generate_mouse_profiles.py

Output: docs/reference/_generated/mouse-profiles.rst

Verify:

cat docs/reference/_generated/mouse-profiles.rst | head -50

Should show all mouse profiles with button tables.

Step 2: Generate Actions Reference (Requires Slicer)

$SLICER_PATH --no-splash \
  --python-script MouseMaster/Testing/Python/test_generate_actions_reference.py \
  --additional-module-paths $(pwd)/MouseMaster

Output: docs/reference/_generated/actions.rst

Verify:

cat docs/reference/_generated/actions.rst | head -50

Should show action categories with tables.

Step 3: Generate Tutorial Screenshots (Requires Slicer)

mkdir -p docs/user-guide/_generated

$SLICER_PATH --no-splash \
  --python-script MouseMaster/Testing/Python/test_tutorial_workflow.py \
  --additional-module-paths $(pwd)/MouseMaster

Output:

• docs/user-guide/_generated/*.png - Tutorial screenshots
• docs/user-guide/_generated/manifest.json - Screenshot metadata
• docs/user-guide/tutorial.rst - Generated tutorial RST

Verify:

ls -la docs/user-guide/_generated/
cat docs/user-guide/_generated/manifest.json

Step 4: Build Sphinx Documentation

pip install -r docs/requirements.txt
sphinx-build -b html docs docs/_build/html 2>&1 | tee sphinx-build.log

Check for errors:

grep -i "error\|warning" sphinx-build.log

Preview (if browser available):

python -m http.server 8000 -d docs/_build/html
# Open http://localhost:8000

Step 5: Review Screenshots

Review each screenshot for issues:

# List all screenshots
find docs -name "*.png" -o -name "manifest.json"

# Read manifest for descriptions
cat docs/user-guide/_generated/manifest.json

For each screenshot, check:

Layout Issues

• Widgets properly aligned
• Spacing consistent
• No overlapping elements
• Text not truncated

Content Issues

• Correct module/panel shown
• Dropdowns expanded where expected
• Button states correct (enabled/disabled)
• Data displayed correctly

Documentation Suitability

• Screenshot clearly shows the feature
• No personal data visible
• Resolution adequate
• Screenshot matches documentation text

Step 6: Fix Issues

If screenshots have problems:

1. UI issues - Edit MouseMaster/MouseMaster.py widget code
2. Capture issues - Edit test_tutorial_workflow.py capture sequence
3. Missing screenshots - Add new capture calls

After fixes, re-run from Step 3.

Generated Files Summary

File	Source	Requires Slicer
docs/reference/_generated/mouse-profiles.rst	JSON files	No
docs/reference/_generated/actions.rst	ActionRegistry	Yes
docs/user-guide/_generated/*.png	Tutorial test	Yes
docs/user-guide/_generated/manifest.json	Tutorial test	Yes
docs/user-guide/tutorial.rst	Tutorial test	Yes

Troubleshooting

Slicer not found

# Check path
which Slicer || echo "Not in PATH"

# Set explicitly
export SLICER_PATH=/opt/Slicer/Slicer

Module not loading

# Verify module path
ls MouseMaster/MouseMaster.py

# Check for syntax errors
python -m py_compile MouseMaster/MouseMaster.py

Screenshots blank or wrong

Check if virtual display is needed (CI/headless):

# Start Xvfb
Xvfb :99 -screen 0 1920x1080x24 &
export DISPLAY=:99

# Then run Slicer
$SLICER_PATH --no-splash ...

Sphinx build errors

# Check for missing files
grep "include" docs/reference/*.rst
ls docs/reference/_generated/

# Create placeholder if needed
echo ".. note:: Auto-generated content not available" > docs/reference/_generated/actions.rst

CI Integration

The CI workflow runs these steps automatically:

# From .github/workflows/tests.yml
- name: Generate reference documentation
  run: |
    python MouseMaster/Testing/Python/test_generate_mouse_profiles.py
    $SLICER_HOME/Slicer --python-script MouseMaster/Testing/Python/test_generate_actions_reference.py ...

Related Skills

• /generate-screenshots - Capture Extension Index screenshots
• /review-ui-screenshots - Detailed UI review
• /run-tests - Run all tests including doc generators

Verification Checklist

After building docs:

• docs/reference/_generated/mouse-profiles.rst exists and has content
• docs/reference/_generated/actions.rst exists (or placeholder)
• docs/user-guide/_generated/ has PNG files
• sphinx-build completed without errors
• Screenshots show correct UI states
• Generated tutorial matches expected workflow
• All internal links work