latest NI-DAQmx Python API documentation is empty

[matthias-tischler-ni]

when going to https://nidaqmx-python.readthedocs.io/, you are automatically forwarded to https://nidaqmx-python.readthedocs.io/en/latest/

the individual pages like https://nidaqmx-python.readthedocs.io/en/latest/physical_channel.html are empty

nevertheless, the stable one is showing content, e.g. https://nidaqmx-python.readthedocs.io/en/stable/physical_channel.html

[zhindes]

FYI @bkeryan - mainline documentation isn't working quite right. The latest release (0.7.0) is fine. CONTRIBUTING.md details how to built it locally to check into it.

[bkeryan]

I'll look into it. I wouldn't be surprised if #338 fixes it. It seems like we should add a doc generation check to tox.ini and possibly the PR build.

[bkeryan]

Yes, the problem seems to be caused by importing grpc when it's not installed.

Running sphinx-build in a clean Python 3.7 venv prints a lot of import warnings and generates empty docs:

(.venv-docs) PS D:\dev\nidaqmx-python> sphinx-build -b html docs docs\_build
Running Sphinx v4.5.0
making output directory... done
building [mo]: targets for 0 po files that are out of date
building [html]: targets for 49 source files that are out of date
updating environment: [new config] 49 added, 0 changed, 0 removed
reading sources... [100%] watchdog
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module '_task_modules.channels.ai_channel' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module '_task_modules.ai_channel_collection' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module '_task_modules.channels.ao_channel' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module '_task_modules.ao_channel_collection' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module '_task_modules.triggering.arm_start_trigger' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module '_task_modules.channels.channel' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module '_task_modules.channel_collection' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module '_task_modules.channels.ci_channel' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module '_task_modules.ci_channel_collection' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module '_task_modules.channels.co_channel' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module '_task_modules.co_channel_collection' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module 'constants' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module 'system.device' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module 'system._collections.device_collection' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module '_task_modules.channels.di_channel' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module '_task_modules.di_channel_collection' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module '_task_modules.channels.do_channel' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module '_task_modules.do_channel_collection' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module 'system._watchdog_modules.expiration_state' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module 'system._watchdog_modules.expiration_states_collection' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module '_task_modules.export_signals' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module '_task_modules.triggering.handshake_trigger' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module '_task_modules.in_stream' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module '_task_modules.out_stream' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module '_task_modules.triggering.pause_trigger' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module 'system.storage.persisted_channel' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module 'system._collections.persisted_channel_collection' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module 'system.storage.persisted_scale' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module 'system._collections.persisted_scale_collection' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module 'system.storage.persisted_task' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module 'system._collections.persisted_task_collection' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module 'system.physical_channel' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module 'system._collections.physical_channel_collection' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module '_task_modules.triggering.reference_trigger' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module 'scale' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module '_task_modules.triggering.start_trigger' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module 'stream_readers' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module 'stream_writers' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module 'system.system' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module 'task' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module '_task_modules.timing' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module '_task_modules.triggers' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module 'types' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module 'utils' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
WARNING: autodoc: failed to import module 'system.watchdog' from module 'nidaqmx'; the following exception was raised:
No module named 'grpc'
looking for now-outdated files... none found
pickling environment... done
checking consistency... done
preparing documents... done
writing output... [100%] watchdog
generating indices... genindex py-modindex done
highlighting module code... [100%] nidaqmx.errors
writing additional pages... search done
copying static files... done
copying extra files... done
dumping search index in English (code: en)... done
dumping object inventory... done
build succeeded, 45 warnings.

The HTML pages are in docs\_build.

With the users/bkeryan/make-grpc-optional branch, it prints one warning (which I will fix) and generates valid docs:

(.venv-docs) PS D:\dev\nidaqmx-python> sphinx-build -b html docs docs\_build
Running Sphinx v4.5.0
loading pickled environment... done
building [mo]: targets for 0 po files that are out of date
building [html]: targets for 49 source files that are out of date
updating environment: 0 added, 46 changed, 0 removed
reading sources... [100%] watchdog
d:\dev\nidaqmx-python\.venv-docs\lib\site-packages\nidaqmx\system\watchdog.py:docstring of nidaqmx.system.watchdog.WatchdogTask.expiration_states:7: WARNING: Definition list ends without a blank line; unexpected unindent.
looking for now-outdated files... none found
pickling environment... done
checking consistency... done
preparing documents... done
writing output... [100%] watchdog
generating indices... genindex py-modindex done
highlighting module code... [100%] nidaqmx.utils                               states_collection
writing additional pages... search done
copying static files... done
copying extra files... done
dumping search index in English (code: en)... done
dumping object inventory... done
build succeeded, 1 warning.

The HTML pages are in docs\_build.

[bkeryan]

https://nidaqmx-python.readthedocs.io/en/latest/physical_channel.html has the correct content now.