Overview¶
This section is for anyone new to prodockit. It explains what the package adds to Zensical, how to install it, and how to build a first local site before you choose authoring or publishing features.
prodockit adds the document features that professional and academic Zensical projects (Zensical website) commonly need: numbered sections, cross-references, citations, glossaries, richer tables, and a printable PDF. Install one Python package, then enable only the parts your project uses.
If you want to see it working before reading the reference pages, follow Build your first site. It starts with a new Zensical project and ends at a live local preview.
Choose what you need¶
Authoring extensions¶
These are standard Python-Markdown extensions configured in zensical.toml:
| Extension | Use it for |
|---|---|
prodockit.headings |
Numbered headings |
prodockit.refs |
Cross-references to headings, figures, and tables |
prodockit.citations |
A small, Markdown-defined reference list |
prodockit.glossary |
Acronyms and glossary terms |
prodockit.tables |
Widths, merged cells, dense tables, and richer headers |
prodockit.tree |
Readable directory trees |
prodockit.steps |
Procedures presented as numbered steps |
prodockit.bibliography |
BibTeX/BibLaTeX citations formatted with CSL |
prodockit.index |
A PDF-only back-of-book index |
Every extension is independent. Start with one; add another when the document needs it.
Publishing and project tools¶
prodockit also provides commands and integrations rather than Markdown syntax:
| Feature | Use it for |
|---|---|
prodockit pdf |
Build a standalone PDF from the same navigation as the site |
prodockit source-bundle |
Package the underlying Markdown and configuration as a PDF |
prodockit.zensical_macros |
Word counts, repository data, and document-wide numbering in templates |
prodockit.testing |
Check the built website and PDF with pytest |
| Maintain prodockit | Maintain the package repository, build pins, automation, and releases |
Go to the Authoring reference when you want to add document features. Go to Publish a document when you are ready to use the template, build a PDF, or publish with continuous integration. The command-line reference says which commands change files and which only report.
Project status¶
prodockit is early but functional. All nine extensions, the PDF and source bundle builders, website macros, testing support, and project-management commands are implemented and tested. See Support and compatibility for maturity, PyMdown Blocks and other required versions, platform coverage, and known constraints. Read the release notes before upgrading.