How do I generate documentation for a project?

what is the most popular tool used to generate Python documentation?

• What is the most commonly used free or opensource tool to use to generate Python documentation? I have heard of Epydoc, Pydoc, and Happydoc, but I have no idea what is most popular. Also, for a bonus $2, is Pydoc already part of Python 2.3.3?

• Answer:

  PyDoc is the most popular documentation tool, by a long shot, as far as I can determine. Looking at the sourceforge pages for Epydoc and HappyDoc, they have 3,500 and 7,500 downloads total, respectively. PyDoc has been included in the core python release since 2.1, and is used to generate documentation for some of the largest python projects (including Python itself). PyDoc comprises not only an automatic documentation generator, but also a help system that can be used to search through standard documentation. This help system is built into the default Python editor (IDLE). For an example of PyDoc generated documentation, here are the docs for the standard modules in Python 2.3: http://pydoc.org/2.3/ For an introduction to PyDoc: http://www.onlamp.com/lpt/a/python/2001/04/18/pydoc.html PyDoc is a good tool, but in order to be fully effective, it is best to use it in combination with consistent naming conventions, and heavy use of docstrings. For more about docstrings: http://www.python.g2swaroop.net/byte/ch07s07.html This answer is a little scattered, I know. It's my first answer in two years, so I'm a little rusty. Please let me know if there are any problems with this answer, and I will endeavour to correct them.