Quick Reference: Writing RST

Quick Reference: Writing RST#

RST is very powerful and flexible. Below, we provide a quick guide for how you can use it to write Open edX documentation.

Headings#

Heading 1
#########

There should be only 1 Heading 1 per topic, as the topic title.
The underline must match the length of the text above it.

Heading 2
*********

Heading 2s denote the main sections of a topic.

Heading 3
=========

Heading 3s denote subsections under Heading 2s.

Heading 4
---------

Heading 4s denote subsections under Heading 3s.

Heading 5
~~~~~~~~~

Heading 5s denote subsections under Heading 4s.
If you are this deep, consider splitting your document into multiple topics.

Tip

Here’s a way to remember the symbols for heading levels: # has four lines, * has three lines, = has two lines, - has one line, and ~ has zero lines.

Note

RST allows you to use almost any symbol to underline headings as long as you’re consistent between heading levels. However, the abovementioned way is how headings should be defined in all Open edX documentation.

How To Use Sections Effectively#

You can nest sections in the topic as needed to structure it and break it into discrete parts.

Copy the Topic and Section Structure below as needed.

Topic Title
###########

Introduce the topic

If this is a long topic with multiple sections, use the **contents** directive below:

.. contents:: Contents
   :depth: 1
   :local:

Section 1
*********

Introduce Section One

Subsection 1
++++++++++++

Content for Section 1/Subsection 1

Subsection 2
++++++++++++

Content for Section 1/Subsection 2

Section 2
*********

Introduce Section Two

Subsection 1
++++++++++++

Content for Section 2/Subsection 1

Subsection 2
++++++++++++

Content for Section 2/Subsection 2

Inline Markup#

RST supports bold, italic, and mono-spaced characters. You can also make GUI elements appear as GUI elements.

Use double asterisks for **bold** text.

Use single asterisks for *italic* text.

Use double backticks for ``mono-spaced`` text.

Use the guilabel role for :guilabel:`GUI elements`

Lists#

You can make numbered, and bulleted lists that can nest arbitrarily, using the # symbol for ordered lists and * for unordered lists.

#. Item 1
                        # Need this blank line between items and sub-items
   * Sub-item 1         # Sub-items of ordered lists need to be indented by
   * Sub-item 2         # 3 spaces

#. Item 2

* Item 1

  #. Sub-item 1         # Sub-items of unordered lists need to be indented
  #. Sub-item 2         # by exactly 2 spaces

* Item 2

This codeblock is used for the following published list:

Item 1
- Sub-item 1
- Sub-item 2
Item 2

Item 1
1. Sub-item 1
2. Sub-item 2
Item 2

See the RST guide on lists for more detail.

Linking#

Links off-site#

You can have `inline links <https://example.com>`_

`Indirect links`_ can be useful if you want to link to the same thing
multiple times, or if the url is really long and you want things to read more
cleanly.

.. _Indirect links: http://example.com/?lorem=Lorem%20ipsum%20dolor%20sit

Links within a document#

.. _some_location:

New Subsection Title
--------------------

Some text at this location.

Some other stuff that links back to :ref:`some_location`.

Links between rst documents#

Link to :doc:`file_b` in the same folder or :doc:`../file_c` in a different
folder or doc:`/file_d` relative to the root of the project.

By default it will use the title of the doc as the link text but you can
override that with doc:`other text </file_d>` if you want.

Directives#

RST can do a lot of things via directives. Here are some common ones:

.. warning::  This is a warning.

   It will be styled to stand-out in the documentation.

.. note:: This is a note.

   It will stand-out but not as much as a warning.

.. image:: path/to/image.png
   :alt: Alternative text for accessibility.

.. code-block:: python

   Some python code.

.. seealso::

   `Link to a thing <https://example.com>`_
      A brief description of the thing

   `Link to another thing <https://example.com/other>`_
      A brief description of another thing.

Tables#

To add a table in RST like the following example:

Code Number	#1
Title	Table Example
Last-Modified	2024-11-08
Documents	Open edX Documentors Style Guide Open edX Diataxis Criteria Example 3 Example 4 Example 5

Use the following code:

+---------------+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| Code Number   | #1                                                           |
+---------------+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| Title         | Table Example                                                |
+---------------+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| Last-Modified | 2024-11-08                                                   |
+---------------+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| Documents     | - Open edX Documentors Style Guide                           |
|               | - Open edX Diataxis Criteria                                 |
|               | - Example 3                                                  |
|               | - Example 4                                                  |
|               | - Example 5                                                  |
+---------------+--------------------------------------------------------------+

Add a Substitution#

In RST, a substitution serves as a variable which you can set a value for once, then use repeatedly. This is useful for words or phrases that are used often, as it enables you to edit the value once and change it everywhere.

You also need to use substitutions for inline images, as explained below.

Substitutions are all kept in the source/substitutions.txt file in the documentation project on GitHub.

Copy the format for the substitution as needed.

.. |variable name| replace:: value

.. |Platform name| replace:: Open edX

You then add the variable name inline in the topic.

A line of text with an |variable name| inserted.

Add an Image to a Topic#

You can add an image on its separate line, inline, or in a sidebar.

You can also add an image directly or add a thumbnail of a larger image, which, when clicked on, will open the full image.

You must save images in the source/_images directory before adding a reference to it in a topic.

Add an Image on its Own Line#

Copy this codeblock to an image on its own line.

Line of content, followed by a line with an image.

.. image:: /_images/image-file-name

Or, a line of content, followed by a clickable thumbnail of a large image.

.. thumbnail:: /_images/image-file-name

Add an Image Inline#

To add an image inline, you must first create a substitution for the image in the substitutions.txt file.