pyrox.dev
1# Contributing to this manual {#chap-contributing}
2
3The sources of the NixOS manual are in the [nixos/doc/manual](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/tree/master/nixos/doc/manual) subdirectory of the [Nixpkgs](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs) repository.
4This manual uses the [Nixpkgs manual syntax](https://nixos.org/manual/nixpkgs/unstable/#sec-contributing-markup).
5
6You can quickly check your edits with the following:
7
8```ShellSession
9$ cd /path/to/nixpkgs
10$ $EDITOR doc/nixos/manual/... # edit the manual
11$ nix-build nixos/release.nix -A manual.x86_64-linux
12```
13
14If the build succeeds, the manual will be in `./result/share/doc/nixos/index.html`.
15
16There's also [a convenient development daemon](https://nixos.org/manual/nixpkgs/unstable/#sec-contributing-devmode).
17
18The above instructions don't deal with the appendix of available `configuration.nix` options, and the manual pages related to NixOS. These are built, and written in a different location and in a different format, as explained in the next sections.
19
20## Testing redirects {#sec-contributing-redirects}
21
22Once you have a successful build, you can open the relevant HTML (path mentioned above) in a browser along with the anchor, and observe the redirection.
23
24Note that if you already loaded the page and *then* input the anchor, you will need to perform a reload. This is because browsers do not re-run client JS code when only the anchor has changed.
25
26## Contributing to the `configuration.nix` options documentation {#sec-contributing-options}
27
28The documentation for all the different `configuration.nix` options is automatically generated by reading the `description`s of all the NixOS options defined at `nixos/modules/`. If you want to improve such `description`, find it in the `nixos/modules/` directory, and edit it and open a pull request.
29
30To see how your changes render on the web, run again:
31
32```ShellSession
33$ nix-build nixos/release.nix -A manual.x86_64-linux
34```
35
36And you'll see the changes to the appendix in the path `result/share/doc/nixos/options.html`.
37
38You can also build only the `configuration.nix(5)` manual page, via:
39
40```ShellSession
41$ cd /path/to/nixpkgs
42$ nix-build nixos/release.nix -A nixos-configuration-reference-manpage.x86_64-linux
43```
44
45And observe the result via:
46
47```ShellSession
48$ man --local-file result/share/man/man5/configuration.nix.5
49```
50
51If you're on a different architecture that's supported by NixOS (check file `nixos/release.nix` on Nixpkgs' repository) then replace `x86_64-linux` with the architecture. `nix-build` will complain otherwise, but should also tell you which architecture you have + the supported ones.
52
53## Contributing to `nixos-*` tools' manpages {#sec-contributing-nixos-tools}
54
55The manual pages for the tools available in the installation image can be found in Nixpkgs by running (e.g for `nixos-rebuild`):
56
57```ShellSession
58$ git ls | grep nixos-rebuild.8
59```
60
61Man pages are written in [`mdoc(7)` format](https://mandoc.bsd.lv/man/mdoc.7.html) and should be portable between mandoc and groff for rendering (except for minor differences, notably different spacing rules.)
62
63For a preview, run `man --local-file path/to/file.8`.
64
65Being written in `mdoc`, these manpages use semantic markup. This following subsections provides a guideline on where to apply which semantic elements.
66
67### Command lines and arguments {#ssec-contributing-nixos-tools-cli-and-args}
68
69In any manpage, commands, flags and arguments to the *current* executable should be marked according to their semantics. Commands, flags and arguments passed to *other* executables should not be marked like this and should instead be considered as code examples and marked with `Ql`.
70
71- Use `Fl` to mark flag arguments, `Ar` for their arguments.
72- Repeating arguments should be marked by adding an ellipsis (spelled with periods, `...`).
73- Use `Cm` to mark literal string arguments, e.g. the `boot` command argument passed to `nixos-rebuild`.
74- Optional flags or arguments should be marked with `Op`. This includes optional repeating arguments.
75- Required flags or arguments should not be marked.
76- Mutually exclusive groups of arguments should be enclosed in curly brackets, preferably created with `Bro`/`Brc` blocks.
77
78When an argument is used in an example it should be marked up with `Ar` again to differentiate it from a constant. For example, a command with a `--host name` option that calls ssh to retrieve the host's local time would signify this thusly:
79```
80This will run
81.Ic ssh Ar name Ic time
82to retrieve the remote time.
83```
84
85### Paths, NixOS options, environment variables {#ssec-contributing-nixos-tools-options-and-environment}
86
87Constant paths should be marked with `Pa`, NixOS options with `Va`, and environment variables with `Ev`.
88
89Generated paths, e.g. `result/bin/run-hostname-vm` (where `hostname` is a variable or arguments) should be marked as `Ql` inline literals with their variable components marked appropriately.
90
91 - When `hostname` refers to an argument, it becomes `.Ql result/bin/run- Ns Ar hostname Ns -vm`
92 - When `hostname` refers to a variable, it becomes `.Ql result/bin/run- Ns Va hostname Ns -vm`
93
94### Code examples and other commands {#ssec-contributing-nixos-tools-code-examples}
95
96In free text names and complete invocations of other commands (e.g. `ssh` or `tar -xvf src.tar`) should be marked with `Ic`, fragments of command lines should be marked with `Ql`.
97
98Larger code blocks or those that cannot be shown inline should use indented literal display block markup for their contents, i.e.
99
100```
101.Bd -literal -offset indent
102...
103.Ed
104```
105
106Contents of code blocks may be marked up further, e.g. if they refer to arguments that will be substituted into them:
107
108```
109.Bd -literal -offset indent
110{
111 config.networking.hostname = "\c
112.Ar hostname Ns \c
113";
114}
115.Ed
116```