mirror of https://github.com/zulip/zulip.git
239 lines
10 KiB
Markdown
239 lines
10 KiB
Markdown
# Documenting an integration
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Every Zulip integration must be documented in
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`zerver/webhooks/mywebhook/doc.md` (or
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`templates/zerver/integrations/<integration_name>.md`, for non-webhook
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integrations).
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Usually, this involves a few steps:
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* Add text explaining all of the steps required to set up the
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integration, including what URLs to use, etc. See
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[Writing guidelines](#writing-guidelines) for detailed writing guidelines.
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Zulip's pre-defined Markdown macros can be used for some of these steps.
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See [Markdown macros](#markdown-macros) for further details.
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* Make sure you've added your integration to
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`zerver/lib/integrations.py`; this results in your integration
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appearing on the `/integrations` page.
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* You'll need to add a SVG graphic
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of your integration's logo under the
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`static/images/integrations/logos/<name>.svg`, where `<name>` is the
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name of the integration, all in lower case; you can usually find them in the
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product branding or press page. Make sure to optimize the SVG graphic by
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running `svgo -f path-to-file`.
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If you cannot find a SVG graphic of the logo, please find and include a PNG
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image of the logo instead.
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* Run `tools/setup/generate_integration_bots_avatars.py` to generate a smaller
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version of the image added in the previous step. This smaller image will be
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used as the bot avatar in the documentation screenshot that will be generated
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in the next step.
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* Finally, generate a message sent by the integration and take a screenshot of
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the message to provide an example message in the documentation.
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If your new integration is an incoming webhook integration, you can generate
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the screenshot using `tools/generate-integration-docs-screenshot`:
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```sh
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./tools/generate-integration-docs-screenshot \
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zerver/webhooks/pingdom/fixtures/imap_down_to_up.json
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```
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If you have trouble using this tool, you can also manually generate the
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screenshot using `send_webhook_fixture_message`. When generating the
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screenshot of a sample message using this method, give your test bot a nice
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name like "GitHub Bot", use the project's logo as the bot's avatar, and take
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the screenshot showing the stream/topic bar for the message, not just the
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message body.
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## Markdown macros
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**Macros** are elements in the format of `{!macro.md!}` that insert common
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phrases and steps at the location of the macros. Macros help eliminate
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repeated content in our documentation.
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The source for macros is the Markdown files under
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`templates/zerver/help/include` in the
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[main Zulip server repository](https://github.com/zulip/zulip). If you find
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multiple instances of particular content in the documentation, you can
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always create a new macro by adding a new file to that folder.
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Here are a few common macros used to document Zulip's integrations:
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* `{!create-stream.md!}` macro - Recommends that users create a dedicated
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stream for a given integration. Usually the first step in setting up an
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integration or incoming webhook. For an example rendering, see **Step 1** of
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[the docs for Zulip's GitHub integration][GitHub].
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* `{!create-bot-construct-url.md!}` macro - Instructs users to create a bot
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for a given integration and construct a webhook URL using the bot API key
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and stream name. The URL is generated automatically for every incoming webhook
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by using attributes in the [WebhookIntegration][1] class.
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This macro is usually used right after `{!create-stream!}`. For an example
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rendering, see **Step 2** of [the docs for Zulip's GitHub integration][GitHub].
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**Note:** If special configuration is
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required to set up the URL and you can't use this macro, be sure to use the
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`{{ api_url }}` template variable, so that your integration
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documentation will provide the correct URL for whatever server it is
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deployed on. If special configuration is required to set the `SITE`
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variable, you should document that too.
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* `{!append-stream-name.md!}` macro - Recommends appending `&stream=stream_name`
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to a URL in cases where supplying a stream name in the URL is optional.
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Supplying a stream name is optional for most Zulip integrations. If you use
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`{!create-bot-construct-url.md!}`, this macro need not be used.
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* `{!append-topic.md!}` macro - Recommends appending `&topic=my_topic` to a URL
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to supply a custom topic for webhook notification messages. Supplying a custom
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topic is optional for most Zulip integrations. If you use
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`{!create-bot-construct-url.md!}`, this macro need not be used.
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* `{!congrats.md!}` macro - Inserts congratulatory lines signifying the
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successful setup of a given integration. This macro is usually used at
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the end of the documentation, right before the sample message screenshot.
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For an example rendering, see the end of
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[the docs for Zulip's GitHub integration][GitHub].
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* `{!download-python-bindings.md!}` macro - Links to Zulip's
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[API page](https://zulip.com/api/) to download and install Zulip's
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API bindings. This macro is usually used in non-webhook integration docs under
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`templates/zerver/integrations/<integration_name>.md`. For an example
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rendering, see **Step 2** of
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[the docs for Zulip's Codebase integration][codebase].
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* `{!change-zulip-config-file.md!}` macro - Instructs users to create a bot and
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specify said bot's credentials in the config file for a given non-webhook
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integration. This macro is usually used in non-webhook integration docs under
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`templates/zerver/integrations/<integration_name>.md`. For an example
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rendering, see **Step 4** of
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[the docs for Zulip's Codebase integration][codebase].
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* `{!git-append-branches.md!}` and `{!git-webhook-url-with-branches.md!}` -
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These two macros explain how to specify a list of branches in the webhook URL
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to filter notifications in our Git-related webhooks. For an example rendering,
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see the last paragraph of **Step 2** in
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[the docs for Zulip's GitHub integration][GitHub].
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* `{!webhook-url.md!}` - Used internally by `{!create-bot-construct-url.md!}`
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to generate the webhook URL.
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* `{!zulip-config.md!}` - Used internally by `{!change-zulip-config-file.md!}`
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to specify the lines in the config file for a non-webhook integration.
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* `{!webhook-url-with-bot-email.md!}` - Used in certain non-webhook integrations
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to generate URLs of the form:
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```
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https://bot_email:bot_api_key@yourZulipDomain.zulipchat.com/api/v1/external/beanstalk
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```
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For an example rendering, see
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[Zulip's Beanstalk integration](https://zulip.com/integrations/doc/beanstalk).
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[GitHub]: https://zulip.com/integrations/doc/github
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[codebase]: https://zulip.com/integrations/doc/codebase
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[beanstalk]: https://zulip.com/integrations/doc/beanstalk
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[1]: https://github.com/zulip/zulip/blob/708f3a4bb19c8e823c9ea1e577d360ac4229b199/zerver/lib/integrations.py#L78
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## Writing guidelines
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For the vast majority of integrations, you should just copy the docs for a
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similar integration and edit it. [Basecamp][basecamp] is a good one to copy.
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[basecamp]: https://zulip.com/integrations/doc/basecamp
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### General writing guidelines
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At at high level, the goals are for the instructions to feel simple, be easy to
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follow, and be easy to maintain. Easier said than done, but here are a few
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concrete guidelines.
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##### Feel simple
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- Use simple language.
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- Use the imperative tense.
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- Only describe things as much as necessary. For example: "Select **Project settings**."
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is better than "Select **Project settings** from the dropdown."
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- Cut unnecessary words. For example, do not start steps with transition words
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like "Next", "First", "Now", etc. Each step should be structurally
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independent.
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##### Be easy to follow
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- Actions should appear in order, including implicit ones. So "Under
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**Webhooks**, click **Add Webhook**." not "Click **Add Webhook** in the
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**Webhooks** section." "Under **Webhooks**" is an action, since it’s basically
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the same as "Find the Webhooks section".
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- UI elements in third-party websites should be **bolded**.
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- Trailing punctuation can be stripped from bolded elements. For example,
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"**Enable this checkbox**" instead of "**Enable this checkbox?**".
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Starting punctuation such as the "**+**" in "**+ New Notification**" should
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be preserved.
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- You can use a screenshot if a step is particularly complicated
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(see [Screenshots](#screenshots) below).
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##### Be easy to maintain
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- Follow the organization and wording of existing docs as much as possible.
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### Guidelines for specific steps
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Most doc files should start with a generic sentence about the
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integration, for example, "Get `webhook name` notifications in Zulip!"
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A typical doc will then have the following steps.
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##### "Create the stream" step
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- Use the `create-stream` macro. This step should be omitted if the
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integration only supports notifications via PMs.
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##### "Create the bot" step
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- Typically, use the `create-bot-construct-url` macro.
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- [Existing macros](#markdown-macros) should be used for this if they exist, but if the macro
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defaults don’t work, it may make sense to write something custom for the
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integration in question. This step is mandatory for all integrations.
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##### "Navigate to this screen" step
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- In general, this should be one step, even if it takes multiple clicks.
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- Begin by mentioning the third-party service being documented with language
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such as "Go to your Taiga project", "Go to your GitHub repository",
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"On your X project", etc. Assume the user is already logged in to their
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account.
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- If a UI element is difficult to spot, you can use additional cues like
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"Click on **Settings** in the top-right corner" or "On the left, click
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**Webhooks**.". Only do this if the element is actually difficult to spot.
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- If this step includes more than 5 sentences, it may need to be split up
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into multiple steps.
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##### "Fill out form and save" step
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- Filling out a form and clicking **Save** should generally be one step, even if
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there are multiple fields to fill out.
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- It’s fine to say things like "Follow the on-screen instructions to create an
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app" if they have a sequence of steps they guide you through that are pretty
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clear.
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Lastly, end with the `congrats.md` macro and a screenshot of a sample message
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within Zulip.
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### Screenshots
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Screenshots are hard to maintain, so we generally err on the side of not
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including screenshots. That being said, screenshots may be used to aid the
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process if the third-party UI is confusing or a specific UI element is hard
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to find. A few things to keep in mind:
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- Screenshots should be small and should mainly include the third-party UI that
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the text is referring to that is difficult to locate.
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- Screenshots should never include the entirety of a third-party website’s page.
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- Each screenshot should come after the step that refers to it.
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