grunt-literate

Generate docs from your source

Getting Started

This plugin requires Grunt ~0.4.1

If you haven't used Grunt before, be sure to check out the Getting Started guide, as it explains how to create a Gruntfile as well as install and use Grunt plugins.

Once you're familiar with that process, you may install this plugin with this command:

npm install grunt-literate --save-dev

Once the plugin has been installed, it may be enabled inside your Gruntfile with this line of JavaScript:

grunt.loadNpmTasks('grunt-literate');

The "literate" task

In your project's Gruntfile, add a section named literate to the data object passed into grunt.initConfig().

grunt.initConfig({
  literate: {
     "README.md": "lib/foobar.js"
  }
});

The source will be parsed as JavaScript, and /** ... comments extracted to the destination file. This example uses markdown, but you are free to use any format, or even just plain text.

Options

• boolean code = false, whether to include code parts or not

Directives

Comments starting with triple slash /// are directive comments. Currently supported directives are:

• include filename: include process filename here.
• plain filename: include filename here, without any processing, as is.

beautiful-docs

This package plays well with beautiful-docs and grunt-beautiful-docs especially.

It's easy to start, you only need to configure literate and bfdocs tasks:

grunt.initConfig({
  literate: {
     "README.md": ["lib/*.js"]
  },
  bfdocs: {
    docs: {
      options: {
        title: "My fabulous documentation",
        manifest: {
          files: [ "README.md" ],
        },
        dest: "doc/",
        theme: "default",
      }
    }
  },
});

or check Gruntfile.js in the repository for the real example.

Contributing

In lieu of a formal styleguide, take care to maintain the existing coding style. Add unit tests for any new or changed functionality. Lint and test your code using Grunt. Make a pull request, but don't commit README.md!

Release History

• 0.2.0 Split out
  • Library is in ljs package now
• 0.1.5 Maintenance release
  • Updated dependencies
  • Added note about beautiful docs
• 0.1.4 Usage as executable and library
  • run ljs
  • or require("grunt-literate")(filename)
  • also you may use glob patterns in directives
• 0.1.3 Directives
• 0.1.2 Newline improvements
  • Newline at the end of comment
  • Only one newline at the end of generated file
• 0.1.1 Fix issue with unindenting
• 0.1.0 Initial release

Copyright Oleg Grenrus 2013

All rights reserved.

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

* Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
  notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.

* Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above
  copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following
  disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided
  with the distribution.

* Neither the name of Oleg Grenrus nor the names of other
  contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived
  from this software without specific prior written permission.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT OWNER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.