RST guidelines and cheat sheet¶

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:

• Use formatting.

• Be consistent with indentation.

• Start a new line before the 100th character.

For hyperlinks:

• Use relative links for internal URLs.

• Do not break hyperlink targets when refactoring.

• Do not use non-descriptive hyperlink labels.

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.

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.

documentation
├── content
│   └── applications
│   │   └── sales
│   │   │   └── sales
│   │   │   │   └── products_prices
│   │   │   │   │   └── products
│   │   │   │   │   │   └── import.rst
│   │   │   │   │   │   └── variants.rst
│   │   │   │   │   └── prices.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.

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.

.. image:: media/example.png
   :alt: example

.. toctree::
   :titlesonly:

   payables/supplier_bills
   payables/pay

- 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.

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
=======

Heading
=======

Heading
-------

Heading
~~~~~~~

Heading
*******

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.

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.

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, `192.168.1.25`.

Definitions¶

Use the dfn markup to define a term.

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 :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 :guilabel:`Save`.

Menu selection¶

Use the menuselection markup to guide users through a sequence of menus, starting with the app’s name.

To review sales performance, go to :menuselection:`Sales --> Reporting --> Dashboard`.

File¶

Use the file markup to indicate a file path or name.

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 :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 :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.

Nested lists¶

- 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>`_.

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:

1. target_ creates a hyperlink with the target name as label and the URL as reference. Note that the _ moved after the target.

2. `label <target_>`_ the label replaces the name of the target, and the target is replaced by the URL.

.. _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:

1. :ref:`target` creates a hyperlink to the anchor with the heading defined below as label.

2. :ref:`label <target>` creates a hyperlink to the anchor with the given label.

 .. _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:

1. :doc:`path_to_doc_page` creates a hyperlink to the documentation page with the title of the page as label.

2. :doc:`label <path_to_doc_page>` creates a hyperlink to the documentation page with the given label.

Please refer to the :doc:`Accounting documentation <../../../applications/finance/accounting>`
to learn more about :doc:`../../../applications/finance/accounting/customer_invoices`.

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:`module structure template <rst_guidelines/my_module.zip>` to start building your module.

Images¶

The image markup allows inserting images in a document.

.. image:: rst_guidelines/create-invoice.png :alt: Create an invoice.

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¶

.. note::
   Use this alert block to draw the reader's attention and highlight important additional information.

Tip¶

.. 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.

Exercise¶

.. exercise::
   Use this alert block to suggest an exercise to the reader.

Important¶

.. important::
   Use this alert block to notify the reader about important information.

Warning¶

.. warning::
   Use this alert block to require the reader to proceed with caution with what is described in the warning.

Danger¶

.. danger::
   Use this alert block to bring the reader's attention to a serious threat.

Custom¶

.. 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 |
+-----------------------+--------------+---------------+

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¶

.. spoiler:: Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything

   **42**

Content tabs¶

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.

.. 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.

.. 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.

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.

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.

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`.