Documenting Python Code
summary
Argues that usable Python docs come from reStructuredText docstrings processed with Sphinx + napoleon (or sphinx-apidoc), shown by generating HTML from a small bank-account module with autodoc, custom theme, and textual UML diagrams; recommends docs-as-code workflows (text files in VCS, CI, code-review), forbids Word/Confluence and warns against plain Markdown for APIs, cites a 300‑vote survey where 22% report good docs, advises a few responsible technical writers, and rejects LLMs for explaining the why behind decisions.
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chapters (9)
- 0:00The problem of documentation
- 5:23Principles of documentation
- 11:32Python documentation tools
- 22:03Documentation workflow demo
- 28:12Comparing markup languages
- 29:02Strategies for success
- 35:41Conclusion and resources
- 37:17Q&A introduction
- 37:35Expert Q&A session
