# Sphinx autodoc

Problem:
* You have added docstrings to a `*.py` file, and you want them included in this documentation.


Solution: Jupyterbook is a frontend to Sphinx. We simply have to tell Sphinx to autodoc our Python file. Happily sphinx autodoc is already installed by default.


(1) Extend the config-file `_config.py`:

```
sphinx:
  extra_extensions:
    - sphinx.ext.autodoc
  local_extensions:
    add-dot-to-path : '.'
```

(2) Problem left over: How to tell Sphinx the location of the `*.py` file? (We have to update the `sys.path` variable. We assume for simplicity that the `*.py` file resides in the `.` (DOT) directory.)

Simply put the follwing trivial file `add-dot-to-path.py` (yes, indeed only one line) to the `.` (DOT) directory:

```
def setup(app): ...
```

This extension does nothing - but as a side effect this "will [...] update the sys.path so the local extension can be found." <https://jupyterbook.org/advanced/sphinx.html#local-sphinx-extensions>. For an explanation in detail see {doc}`d_add-dot-to-path`.


(3) To ask Sphinx do autodoc a module:

````
```{eval-rst}
.. automodule:: hello
   :members:
```
````

Result: c.f. {doc}`ar_autodoc`.