Layouts & Styles¶

Sphinx-Needs provides functions to manipulate the layout and the style of a need.

Layouts are defined by a preconfigured table grid and the data, which shall be shown inside specific grid cells. Styles define mostly the color of a need.

Both features can be set directly during need-configuration or inside the sphinx conf.py file.

Sphinx-Needs provides some preconfigured, ready-to-use standard layouts:

• clean

• complete

• focus

Layouts¶

Layouts are using a predefined grid system and define which data shall be shown in which grid-cells.

There can be multiple layouts using the same grid system, but maybe showing different data. E.g. a layout for bugs and one for specifications.

Sphinx-Needs comes with some predefined layouts. But the user is free to create own layouts and use only them.

Most useful layouts are:

Examples

Requirement: CLEAN layout EX_CLEAN

status: open tags: a, b, c, example layout: clean links outgoing: EX_COMPLETE, EX_FOCUS links incoming: EX_COMPLETE, EX_FOCUS

This is a need using CLEAN layout.

There are also some extensions for the layouts above available:

The layouts clean_l, clean_r, clean_lp and clean_rp are using the value from the field image as source for the image in the side element. This field must made available via needs_extra_options. If you need another field as source, you must create your own layout.

Examples

	Requirement: CLEAN_L layout EX_CLEAN_L
	status: open tags: a, b, c, example layout: clean_l image: _images/needs_logo.png
	This is a need using CLEAN_L layout.

Requirement: CLEAN_R layout EX_CLEAN_R
status: open tags: a, b, c, example layout: clean_r image: _images/needs_logo.png
This is a need using CLEAN_R layout.

	Requirement: CLEAN_LP layout EX_CLEAN_LP
	status: open tags: a, b, c, example layout: clean_lp image: _images/needs_logo.png
This is a need using CLEAN_LP layout.

Requirement: CLEAN_RP layout EX_CLEAN_RP
status: open tags: a, b, c, example layout: clean_rp image: _images/needs_logo.png
This is a need using CLEAN_RP layout.

Special layouts:

Examples

Using layouts¶

There are two ways of setting a layout for a need:

Set it globally via needs_default_layout in your conf.py file:

# conf.py
needs_default_layout = 'complete'

Or set it locally for each need by using layout option:

.. req:: My requirement
   :layout: complete

Defining own layouts¶

Own layouts can be defined by using the the config parameter needs_layouts in your conf.py file.

needs_layouts must be a dictionary and each key represents a layout. A layout must define the used grid-system and a layout-structure. Example:

needs_layouts = {
    'my_layout': {
        'grid': 'simple',
        'layout': {
            'head': ['my custom head']
            'meta': [ 'my first meta line',
                      'my second meta line']
        }
    }
}

The layout-structure must also be a dictionary, where each key reference an area in the used grid system. By default these can be: head, meta, footer and more. If the layout-structure is using a not supported key by the current grid-system, the entry gets ignored. E.g. grid simple is not supporting footer area.

The values of a specific layout-structure area definition must be a list, where each entry must be a string and represents a single line in the later need representation. This line can contain Layout functions, which care about getting need-data or adding links.

Layout line¶

A layout line may look like this:

**style**: my_<<meta('status')>>_style

This line contains:

• a rst text, which supports common inline roles (bold, italic): **style**: _my_

• a layout function, which gets executed and returns a string: <<meta('status')>>

• another rst text: _style

When executed, the line will result in the following for a status like open:

style: my_open_style

You can combine as many Layout functions and text elements as you want for a line.

The head-line for the default Sphinx-Needs layout clean looks like this:

<<meta("type_name")>>: **<<meta("title")>>** <<meta_id()>>  <<collapse_button("meta", collapsed="icon:arrow-down-circle", visible="icon:arrow-right-circle", initial=False)>>

You are free to surround a layout function with a rst role. Like **<<meta("title")>>** to get a bold printed title.

Sometimes an argument for a layout function shall be based on a given need option. In this cases the option name can be surrounded by {{ .. }}. As example, there may be an author option in a bug-need and you want to show a picture of the author in the grid simple_side_right_partial.

The line for the side area could look like:

'<<image("_images/{{author}}.png", align="center")>>'

My test spec for daniel
status: open author: daniel
This example shows an image based on the author option. The used layout takes the value from author and puts some image-path related information around it.

Here is the complete used code

# conf.py
# -------

# Make the author option valid
needs_extra_options = ["author"]

# Define own layout
needs_layouts = {
    'example': {
        'grid': 'simple_side_right_partial',
        'layout': {
            'head': ['**<<meta("title")>>** for *<<meta("author")>>*'],
            'meta': ['**status**: <<meta("status")>>',
                     '**author**: <<meta("author")>>'],
            'side': ['<<image("_images/{{author}}.png", align="center")>>']
        }
    }
}

rst-code of the above need
--------------------------

.. spec:: My test spec
   :author: daniel
   :status: open
   :layout: example
   :tags: example
   :style: yellow, blue_border

Layout functions¶

To get custom data into your layout the usage of layout function is needed. A layout function may look like <<meta(arg1, arg2, kwarg=data)>>

Available layout functions are:

• meta

• meta_all

• meta_links

• meta_links_all

• meta_id

• image

• link

• permalink

• collapse_button

meta(name, prefix=None, show_empty=False)¶

Returns the specific metadata of a need inside docutils nodes. Usage:

<<meta('status', prefix='\*\*status\*\*: ', show_empty=True)>>

Note

You must escape all rst_content in your function strings! E.g. to get ** one must use \*\*.

Parameters:¶

name¶

name of the need item

prefix=None¶

string as rst-code, will be added infront of the value output

show_empty=False¶

If false and requested need-value is None or ‘’, no output is returned. Default: false

Returns:¶

docutils node

meta_id()¶

Returns the current need id as clickable and linked reference.

Usage:

<<meta_id()>>

Returns:¶

docutils node

meta_all(prefix='', postfix='', exclude=None, no_links=False, defaults=True, show_empty=False)¶

meta_all() excludes by default the output of: docname, lineno, refid, content, collapse, parts, id_parent, id_complete, title, full_title, is_part, is_need, type_prefix, type_color, type_style, type, type_name, id, hide, sections, section_name.

To exclude further need-data, use exclude, like exclude=['status', 'tags']

To exclude nothing, set defaults to False.

Usage:

<<meta_all(prefix='\*\*', postfix='\*\*', no_links=True)>>

Note

You must escape all rst_content in your function strings! E.g. to get ** one must use \*\*.

Parameters:¶

prefix=''¶

postfix=''¶

exclude=None¶

List of value names, which are excluded from output

no_links=False¶

excludes all incoming and outgoing extra link types from output

defaults=True¶

If True, default excludes are added. This filters out all internal data, which is normally not relevant for the user.

show_empty=False¶

If true, also need data with no value will be printed. Mostly useful for debugging.

Returns:¶

docutils nodes

meta_links(name, incoming=False)¶

Documents the set links of a given link type. The documented links are all full clickable links to the target needs.

Parameters:¶

name¶

link type name

incoming=False¶

If False, outcoming links get documented. Use True for incoming

Returns:¶

docutils nodes

meta_links_all(prefix='', postfix='', exclude=None)¶

Documents all used link types for the current need automatically.

Parameters:¶

prefix=''¶

prefix string

postfix=''¶

postfix string

exclude=None¶

list of extra link type names, which are excluded from output

Returns:¶

docutils nodes

image(url, height=None, width=None, align=None, no_link=False, prefix='', is_external=False, img_class='')¶

See https://docutils.sourceforge.io/docs/ref/rst/directives.html#images

If url starts with icon: the following string is taken as icon-name and the related icon is shown. Example: icon:activity will show:

For all icons, see https://feathericons.com/.

Examples:

'<<image("_images/useblocks_logo.png", height="50px", align="center")>>',
'<<image("icon:bell", height="20px", align="center")>>'
'<<image("field:url", height="60px", align="center")>>'  # Get url from need['url']

If url starts with :field the URL value is taken from the defined field of the current need object.

Hint

Relative URLs

If a relative path for the URL parameter is given, it must be relative to the documentation root folder and not relative to the current need location, for which it gets executed.

Example: <<image("_static/picture.png")>>,

Parameters:¶

url¶

Relative path to the project folder or an absolute path

height=None¶

width=None¶

align=None¶

no_link=False¶

prefix=''¶

Prefix string in front of the image

is_external=False¶

If True url references an external image, which needs to be downloaded

img_class=''¶

Custom class name for image element

Returns:¶

An inline docutils node element

Return type:¶

class:

docutils.nodes.inline

link(url, text=None, image_url=None, image_height=None, image_width=None, prefix='', is_dynamic=False)¶

Shows a link. Link can be a text, an image or both

Parameters:¶

url¶

text=None¶

image_url=None¶

image_height=None¶

image_width=None¶

prefix=''¶

Additional string infront of the string

is_dynamic=False¶

if True, url is not static and gets read from need

Returns:¶

Examples:

<<link('http://sphinx-docs.org', 'Sphinx')>>
<<link('url', 'Link', is_dynamic=True)>>  # Reads url from need[url]

permalink(image_url=None, image_height=None, image_width=None, text=None, prefix='')¶

Shows a permanent link to the need. Link can be a text, an image or both

Parameters:¶

image_url=None¶

image for an image link

image_height=None¶

None

image_width=None¶

None

text=None¶

text for a text link

prefix=''¶

Additional string infront of the string

Returns:¶

Examples:

<<permalink()>>
<<permalink(image_url="icon:link")>>
<<permalink(text='¶')>>

collapse_button(target='meta', collapsed='Show', visible='Close', initial=False)¶

To show icons instead of text on the button, use collapse_button() like this:

<<collapse_button("icon:arrow-down-circle", visible="icon:arrow-right-circle", initial=False)>>

For the builders latex and latexpdf no output is returned, as their build results are really static and collapse-feature can not be implemented..

Parameters:¶

target='meta'¶

css_name of row to collapse. Default is meta

collapsed='Show'¶

Text or image/icon string to show when target rows are collapsed

visible='Close'¶

Text or image/icon string to show when target rows are visible

initial=False¶

If True, initial status will hide rows after loading page.

Returns:¶

docutils nodes

Styles¶

Styles handle mostly colors for background, border and co. for a need. Their definition is done in css files, so that Sphinx-Needs only cares about setting the correct class in HTML output. This also means that styles do not have any impact to the need design in PDFs and other output formats.

Default styles are:

Examples

Requirement: Green background EX_STYLE_GREEN

tags: example style: green

Requirement: Red background EX_STYLE_RED

tags: example style: red

Requirement: Yellow background EX_STYLE_YELLOW

tags: example style: yellow

Requirement: Blue background EX_STYLE_BLUE

tags: example style: blue

Requirement: Discreet background EX_STYLE_DISCREET

tags: example style: discreet

Requirement: Clean style EX_STYLE_CLEAN

tags: example style: clean

Requirement: Green border EX_STYLE_GREEN_BORDER

tags: example style: green_border

Requirement: Red border EX_STYLE_RED_BORDER

tags: example style: red_border

Requirement: Yellow border EX_STYLE_YELLOW_BORDER

tags: example style: yellow_border

Requirement: Blue border EX_STYLE_BLUE_BORDER

tags: example style: blue_border

Requirement: Red bar EX_STYLE_RED_BAR

tags: example style: red_bar

Requirement: Orange bar EX_STYLE_ORANGE_BAR

tags: example style: orange_bar

Requirement: Yellow bar EX_STYLE_YELLOW_BAR

tags: example style: yellow_bar

Requirement: Green bar EX_STYLE_GREEN_BAR

tags: example style: green_bar

Requirement: Blue bar EX_STYLE_BLUE_BAR

tags: example style: blue_bar

Requirement: Discreet border EX_STYLE_DISCREET_BORDER

tags: example style: discreet_border

Different styles can also be combined by setting a comma-separated string: yellow, red_border.

Requirement: Yellow background + Red border EX_STYLE_YELLOW_RED

tags: example style: yellow, red_border

Requirement: Discreet view EX_STYLE_DISCREET_COMBI

tags: example style: discreet, discreet_border

Using styles¶

There are two ways of setting a style for a need:

Set it globally via needs_default_style in your conf.py file:

# conf.py
needs_default_style = 'red'

Or set it locally for each need by using style option:

.. req:: My requirement
   :style: red

By setting a style to None, no style is set and the normal Sphinx-Needs style is used.

Own style configuration¶

If you need to customize the css definitions, there are twi ways of doing it:

• Provide a css file by using needs_css

• Set own css on sphinx level

Sphinx-needs CSS option¶

A css file can be set in the conf.py file by setting needs_css. See needs_css on the configuration page for more information.

Sphinx-needs provides the following css styles:

blank.css

modern.css

dark.css

Own CSS file on sphinx level¶

If you want to use most of the sphinx-needs internal styles but only need some specific changes for single elements, you can provide your own CSS file by register it inside your conf.py:

html_css_files = ['css/my_custom.css']

See html_css_files for changing priority or media type.

HTML output¶

For html output the used layout and style names are added as css-class to the need table object. Beside this also the used grid system is added:

<table class="need needs_grid_simple needs_layout_complex needes_style_blue docutils" id="SPEC_1">

The above line contains the following css classes:

• need: Each html table, which represents a need has the need class

• needs_grid_simple: Used grid system of the layout

• needs_layout_complex: Used layout

• needs_style_needs_blue: Used style

Please note, that the classes added by Sphinx-Needs always contain a prefix: needs_grid_, needs_layout_, needs_style_. So if a user defined layout has the name specification_layout, the related css class is needs_layout_specification_layout

Grids¶

The following grids are available.

Simple grids¶

simple¶

This is the default layout used by Sphinx-Needs.

simple_footer¶

simple_side_left¶

simple_side_right¶

simple_side_left_partial¶

simple_side_right_partial¶

Complex grids¶

complex¶

Content focused grids¶

content¶

content_footer¶

content_side_left¶

content_side_right¶

content_footer_side_left¶

content_footer_side_right¶