Ruamel Yaml Doc preprocessor
Project description
ryd ( /rɑɪt/, pronounced like the verb “write” ) is a preprocessor for text based documents, that builds upon the multi-document capabilities of YAML files/streams.
The use of multi-document in ryd allows for clear separation between document text and any programs referenced in those text. Thereby making it possible to run (c.q. compile) the program parts of a document, e.g. to check whether they are syntactically correct. It can also capture the actual output of those programs to be included in the document.
This allows for easier maintenance of (correct) program sources, in document source texts like reStructuredText, LaTeX, etc.
Example
A “normal” .ryd file consists of multiple YAML documents in one file.
The first of these documents has, at the top-level, a mapping. This mapping is used to define ryd document version used, output and other configuration information.
The documents following the first document are usually block style literal scalars with an optional tag. The tag influences how the scalar string is processed within the selected output system:
--- version: 0.1 output: rst fix_inline_single_backquotes: true --- | Example Python program ++++++++++++++++++++++ This is an example of a python program --- !python | n = 7 print(n**2 - n) --- !stdout | The answer is::
this will generate (using: ryd convert test.ryd) the following test.rst:
Example Python program ++++++++++++++++++++++ This is an example of a Python program :: n = 7 print(n**2 - n) The answer is:: 42
which can then be converted to PDF using rst2pdf or HTML using rst2html.
RST
The output to .rst expects non-code YAML documents to be valid reStructuredText. Any non-tagged documents, i.e. those starting with:
--- |
are assumed to be text input.
Section underlining
Because of the special meaning of --- (and ...) at the beginning of a line, followed by newline or space, the section under/over-line characters used in .ryd files that are source for .rst should not use - or . sequences if a any of those section names consist of three letters (e.g. a section named API or RST). It is recommended to use the following scheme:
Sections, subsections, etc. in .ryd files # with over-line, for parts * with over-line, for chapters =, for sections +, for subsections ^, for sub-subsections ", for paragraphs
Single backquotes
The fix_inline_single_backquotes: true tells ryd to indicate lines that have single backquotes, that need fixing (by replacing them with double backquotes):
README.ryd 47: this will generate (`ryd convert test.ryd`) the following --^ --^
(If you are used to other inline code markup editing e.g. on Stack Overflow, that uses single backquotes, you’ll come to appreciate this.)
Python
Python code is indicated by:
--- !python |
The document is inserted into the .rst with a two space indent. If the previous block does not end in :: this double colon, and a newline, are explicitly inserted before the program. The difference being that a text block ending in :: will have a single : rendered, a :: on a line of its own will not. An empty line between the preceding text and the code is inserted when needed.
If your program relies on specific packages, those packages, need to be available in the environment in which ryd is started (which can e.g. be a specifically set up virtualenv)
It is possible to have “partial programs” by preceding a python document with e.g.:
--- !python-pre | from __future__ import print_function import sys import ruamel.yaml from ruamel.std.pathlib import Path, pushd, popd, PathLibConversionHelper pl = PathLibConversionHelper()
Such a block is pre-pended to all following --- !python | documents (until superseded by another --- !python-pre | block)
Captured output
The output from the last program that was run (--- !python |) is stored and can be post-pended to a reStructuredText document by tagging it with !stdout (i.e. --- !stdout |)
non-running code
A document tagged !code will be represented as one tagged !python, but the code will not be run (and hence the output used for !stdout not changed).
History
ryd grew out of a in-house solution where sections of reStructuredText files were updated, in-place, by running Python programs specified in separate files. Also allowing the inclusion of the (error) output.
An example of this can be seen in this old version of the example.rst file of the ruamel.yaml package:
Basic round trip of parsing YAML to Python objects, modifying and generating YAML:: import sys from ruamel.yaml import YAML inp = """\ # example name: # details family: Smith # very common given: Alice # one of the siblings """ yaml = YAML() code = yaml.load(inp) code['name']['given'] = 'Bob' yaml.dump(code, sys.stdout) .. example code small.py Resulting in :: # example name: # details family: Smith # very common given: Bob # one of the siblings .. example output small.py
The program was inserted before the .. example code line and its output before .. example output, replacing all the text starting after the previous ::
The small.py referenced a separate file for this piece of code. This resulted in multiple source files that were associated with a single .rst file. There was no mechanism to have partial programs that could be tested by execution, which precluded getting output from such program as well.
Although the code could have been edited in place, and used to get the output, this would force one to use the extra indentation required for lines following reST’s ::.
Once this system came under review, the solution with a structured YAML header, as used with various file formats, combined with multiple document consisting of (tagged) top level, non-indented, block style literal scalars, was chosen instead.
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Comments
Block style literal scalars do not allow YAML comments. To insert comments in a text, either use the format acceptable by the output, e.g. when generating .rst use:
Alternatively you can create a comment YAML document (--- !comment |), for which the text will not be represented in the output file format at all.