sphinx-doc/sphinx

Provide a better error message if the master document is not included in project documents

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#11,873 opened on Jan 12, 2024

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 (3 comments) (4 reactions) (0 assignees)Python (5,625 stars) (1,985 forks)batch import
good first issuehelp wanted

Description

If index.rst does not appear in the pattern of a custom {include,exclude}_patterns, the error message is less than helpful. Instead, we should check that the master doc appears in the Project documents, and provide a better error if it doesn’t.

Inspiration from https://github.com/sphinx-doc/sphinx/issues/11722#issuecomment-1886157588

Contributor guide

Tech stack
python
Domain
documentation
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
2
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
under 1 hour
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
fresh
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
mostly clear
Prerequisites
Basic PythonFamiliarity with Sphinx project structure
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
65
Research direction
The issue involves checking that the master document (index.rst) appears in the project documents after pattern application. The relevant code likely resides in sphinx/project/ init .py where document discovery happens. The goal is to add a validation step after discovering documents and raise a clear error if the master doc is missing. Review the existing error handling and the referenced issue #11722 for context.