API¶

Sphinx-Needs provides an open API for other Sphinx-extensions to provide specific need-types, create needs or make usage of the filter possibilities.

The API allows the injection of extra configuration into it. The API does not support the overall manipulation (e.g remove need types) to keep the final configuration transparent for the Sphinx project authors.

For some implementation ideas, take a look into the Sphinx extension Sphinx-Test-Reports and its source code.

Configuration¶

API to get or add specific sphinx needs configuration parameters.

All functions here are available under sphinxcontrib.api. So do not import this module directly.

add_dynamic_function(app: Sphinx, function: Callable[[Sphinx, Any, Any], str, int, float, list[str, int, float]], name: str | None = None) → None¶

Registers a new dynamic function for sphinx-needs.

If name is not given, the name to call the function is automatically taken from the provided function. The used name must be unique.

Usage:

from sphinx_needs.api import add_dynamic_function

def my_function(app, need, needs, *args, **kwargs):
    # Do magic here
    return "some data"

add_dynamic_function(app, my_function)

Read Dynamic functions for details about how to use dynamic functions.

Parameters¶:

app: Sphinx¶: Sphinx application object
function: Callable[[Sphinx, Any, Any], str, int, float, list[str, int, float]]¶: Function to register
name: str | None = None¶: Name of the dynamic function as string

Returns¶:

None

add_extra_option(app: Sphinx, name: str) → None¶

Adds an extra option to the configuration. This option can then later be used inside needs or add_need.

Same impact as using needs_extra_options manually.

Usage:

from sphinx_needs.api import add_extra_option

add_extra_option(app, 'my_extra_option')

Parameters¶:

app: Sphinx¶: Sphinx application object
name: str¶: Name as string of the extra option

Returns¶:

None

add_need_type(app: Sphinx, directive: str, title: str, prefix: str, color: str = '#ffffff', style: str = 'node') → None¶

Adds a new need_type to the configuration.

The given directive must no exist, otherwise NeedsApiConfigException gets raised.

Same impact as using needs_types manually.

Usage:

from sphinx_needs.api import add_need_type

add_need_type(app, 'awesome', 'Awesome', 'AW_', '#000000', 'cloud')

Parameters¶:

app: Sphinx¶: Sphinx application object
directive: str¶: Name of the directive, e.g. ‘story’
title: str¶: Long, human-readable title, e.g. ‘User-Story’
prefix: str¶: Prefix, if IDs get automatically generated. E.g.: 'US_'
color: str = '#ffffff'¶: Hex-color code used in needflow representation. Default: '#ffffff'
style: str = 'node'¶: Plantuml-style for needflow representation. Default: ‘node’

Returns¶:

None

add_warning(app: Sphinx, name: str, function: Callable[[Any, SphinxLoggerAdapter], bool] | None = None, filter_string: str | None = None) → None¶

Registers a warning.

A warning can be based on the result of a given filter_string or an own defined function.

Parameters¶:

app: Sphinx¶: Sphinx app object
name: str¶: Name as string for the warning
function: Callable[[Any, SphinxLoggerAdapter], bool] | None = None¶: function to execute to check the warning
filter_string: str | None = None¶: filter_string to use for the warning

Returns¶:

None

get_need_types(app: Sphinx) → list[str]¶

Returns a list of directive-names from all configured need_types.

Usage:

from sphinx_needs.api import get_need_types

all_types = get_need_types(app)

Parameters¶:

app: Sphinx¶: Sphinx application object

Returns¶:

list of strings

Need¶

add_external_need(app: Sphinx, need_type, title: str | None = None, id: str | None = None, external_url: str | None = None, external_css: str = 'external_link', content: str = '', status: str | None = None, tags: str | None = None, constraints: str | None = None, links_string: str | None = None, **kwargs: Any)¶

Adds an external need from an external source. This need does not have any representation in the current documentation project. However, it can be linked and filtered. It’s reference will open a link to another, external sphinx documentation project.

It returns an empty list (without any nodes), so no nodes will be added to the document.

Parameters¶:

app: Sphinx¶: Sphinx application object.
need_type¶: Name of the need type to create.
title: str | None = None¶: String as title.
id: str | None = None¶: ID as string. If not given, a id will get generated.
external_url: str | None = None¶: URL as string, which shall be used as link to the original need source
content: str = ''¶: Content as single string.
status: str | None = None¶: Status as string.
tags: str | None = None¶: Tags as single string.
constraints: str | None = None¶: constraints as single, comma separated string.
links_string: str | None = None¶: Links as single string.
external_css: str = 'external_link'¶: CSS class name as string, which is set for the <a> tag.
**kwargs: Any¶

Returns¶:

Empty list

add_need(app: Sphinx, state, docname: str, lineno: int, need_type, title: str, id: str | None = None, content: str = '', status: str | None = None, tags=None, constraints=None, constraints_passed=None, links_string: str | None = None, delete: bool = False, jinja_content: bool = False, hide: bool = False, hide_tags: bool = False, hide_status: bool = False, collapse=None, style=None, layout=None, template=None, pre_template: str | None = None, post_template: str | None = None, is_external: bool = False, external_url: str | None = None, external_css: str = 'external_link', **kwargs)¶

Creates a new need and returns its node.

add_need allows to create needs programmatically and use its returned node to be integrated in any docutils based structure.

kwags can contain options defined in needs_extra_options and needs_extra_links. If an entry is found in kwags, which is not specified in the configuration or registered e.g. via add_extra_option, an exception is raised.

If is_external is set to True, no node will be created. Instead, the need is referencing an external url. Used mostly for needs_external_needs to integrate and reference needs from external documentation.

Usage:

Normally needs get created during handling of a specialised directive. So this pseudocode shows how to use add_need inside such a directive.

from docutils.parsers.rst import Directive
from sphinx_needs.api import add_need

class MyDirective(Directive)
    # configs and init routine

    def run():
        main_section = []

        docname = self.state.document.settings.env.docname

        # All needed sphinx-internal information we can take from our current directive class.
        # e..g app, state, lineno
        main_section += add_need(self.env.app, self.state, docname, self.lineno,
                                 need_type="req", title="my title", id="ID_001"
                                 content=self.content)

        # Feel free to add custom stuff to main_section like sections, text, ...

        return main_section

Parameters¶:

app: Sphinx¶: Sphinx application object.
state¶: Current state object.
docname: str¶: documentation name.
lineno: int¶: line number.
need_type¶: Name of the need type to create.
title: str¶: String as title.
id: str | None = None¶: ID as string. If not given, an id will get generated.
content: str = ''¶: Content as single string.
status: str | None = None¶: Status as string.
tags=None¶: Tags as single string.
constraints=None¶: Constraints as single, comma separated, string.
constraints_passed=None¶: Contains bool describing if all constraints have passed
links_string: str | None = None¶: Links as single string.
delete: bool = False¶: boolean value (Remove the complete need).
hide: bool = False¶: boolean value.
hide_tags: bool = False¶: boolean value. (Not used with Sphinx-Needs >0.5.0)
hide_status: bool = False¶: boolean value. (Not used with Sphinx-Needs >0.5.0)
collapse=None¶: boolean value.
style=None¶: String value of class attribute of node.
layout=None¶: String value of layout definition to use
template=None¶: Template name to use for the content of this need
pre_template: str | None = None¶: Template name to use for content added before need
post_template: str | None = None¶: Template name to use for the content added after need
is_external: bool = False¶: Is true, no node is created and need is referencing external url
external_url: str | None = None¶: URL as string, which is used as target if is_external is True
external_css: str = 'external_link'¶: CSS class name as string, which is set for the <a> tag.

Returns¶:

node

del_need(app: Sphinx, id: str) → None¶

Deletes an existing need.

Parameters¶:

app: Sphinx¶: Sphinx application object.
id: str¶: Sphinx need id.

make_hashed_id(app: Sphinx, need_type: str, full_title: str, content: str, id_length: int | None = None) → str¶

Creates an ID based on title or need.

Also cares about the correct prefix, which is specified for each need type.

Parameters¶:

app: Sphinx¶: Sphinx application object
need_type: str¶: name of the need directive, e.g. req
full_title: str¶: full title of the need
content: str¶: content of the need
id_length: int | None = None¶: maximum length of the generated ID

Returns¶:

ID as string

Exceptions¶

exception NeedsApiConfigException¶

A configuration changes collides with the already provided configuration by the user.

Example: An extension wants to add an already existing needs_type.

exception NeedsApiConfigWarning¶

exception NeedsConstraintFailed¶

exception NeedsConstraintNotAllowed¶

exception NeedsDuplicatedId¶

exception NeedsInvalidException¶

exception NeedsInvalidFilter¶

exception NeedsInvalidOption¶

exception NeedsNoIdException¶

exception NeedsStatusNotAllowed¶

exception NeedsTagNotAllowed¶

exception NeedsTemplateException¶