PSLab Documentation Build and Deployment Guide

What the pslab-documentation Repository Contains

This repository is the documentation source for the PSLab project rather than the implementation of a measurement application. Its published target is `https://docs.pslab.io`, while the PSLab project itself is linked separately through `https://pslab.io/`. That distinction matters for engineers deciding what to clone. A contributor working on documentation, experiment instructions, or the presentation of the PSLab site needs this repository. Someone looking only for PSLab device interaction code may find that the repository addresses a different part of the project.

Based on the repository layout, the documentation sources are under `docs/`, while `mkdocs.yml` controls site configuration and `requirements.txt` declares the Python packages needed to build the site. A `Dockerfile`, `CNAME`, GitHub configuration, and license file are also present. This is a static documentation pipeline: MkDocs reads the repository's content and configuration, applies Material for MkDocs, and produces HTML files in `site/`.

The repository is not archived. Its last push was on 2026-09-05, so its recorded development activity is recent, although that fact alone does not establish the responsiveness of maintainers or the stability of every page. The GitHub repository has no GitHub releases, which means release notes and versioned artifacts are not available through that release channel.

How MkDocs Builds the PSLab Site

The build mechanism is conventional MkDocs. The root `mkdocs.yml` file provides the configuration, the `docs/` tree holds the content, and the dependencies listed in `requirements.txt` install MkDocs and the Material theme. During a local build or preview, MkDocs processes those inputs. The static build writes the resulting site to `site/`, whereas `mkdocs serve` starts a development server with live reloading.

The project uses Material for MkDocs, and the README describes that theme as implementing Material UI. This affects presentation rather than the content model. It does not imply that the repository includes application logic for controlling PSLab hardware. The source structure instead centers on authoring and rendering the PSLab documentation site.

The repository also defines a GitHub Actions deployment workflow. The README states that pull requests are checked to ensure the documentation builds successfully and that merged changes are deployed to GitHub Pages. This separates validation from publication: the build check can reject a broken documentation change before it reaches the published branch. The repository's default branch is `master`, but the README says deployment occurs when changes are merged to the main branch. That inconsistency should be checked in the workflow configuration before anyone assumes which branch controls production.

Local Python Setup for First-Time Contributors

The README recommends using a Python virtual environment before installing the documentation dependencies. This isolates MkDocs and Material for MkDocs from system-wide Python packages. On Windows, the activation path differs from Unix-like systems.

Create and activate the environment with the documented command:

python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate  # On Windows use: .venv\Scripts\activate

The `.venv` directory becomes the location for local Python packages. After activation, install the dependencies declared by the repository:

pip install -r requirements.txt

The complete dependency list is short and contains `mkdocs` and `mkdocs-material`. The repository does not pin versions in the supplied `requirements.txt`, so the build environment resolves compatible releases of those packages through pip. That makes setup straightforward, but it also means the exact package versions can change unless another mechanism outside the visible file provides constraints.

This first use is for contributors with a compatible Python environment and access to the repository files. The README does not document a minimum Python version for the local build, even though the Dockerfile uses `python:3.8`.

Previewing and Generating PSLab Documentation Locally

After installing the requirements, start MkDocs' development server:

mkdocs serve

The documentation states that the local output is available at `http://127.0.0.1:8000/`. Opening that address should show the site served from the repository. The command enables live reloading, so contributors can check page changes in a browser while editing the source.

For a static output, run:

mkdocs build

The generated files are written to the `site/` directory. This step is the closest documented local equivalent to producing deployable static HTML. It is also a practical syntax and configuration check before opening a pull request. However, a successful local build does not by itself confirm the remote GitHub Actions result or publication, because the repository delegates those checks to its hosted workflow.

The README links to the general Markdown Guide and directs contributors to `collaborate/Readme.md` for PSLab-specific contribution details. It does not reproduce those collaboration rules in the build instructions, so the local tutorial establishes how to render the site, not the complete process for accepting or reviewing contributions.

Dockerfile Support and Its Operational Boundary

The root `Dockerfile` prepares a Python environment for the documentation dependencies. It starts from `python:3.8`, copies `requirements.txt` into `/docs`, installs the listed packages with pip, and removes pip's temporary directory:

FROM python:3.8

WORKDIR /docs
COPY requirements.txt ./
RUN pip3 install --disable-pip-version-check --no-cache-dir -r requirements.txt\
    && rm -rf /tmp/pip-tmp

This confirms that a containerized dependency setup is possible. It also exposes a limitation: the Dockerfile does not copy the documentation sources or `mkdocs.yml`, does not build the site, and does not specify a container entry point. It is therefore not documented as a complete one-command site builder.

The repository also does not document a complete `docker run` workflow, a published container image, or a port mapping. The local development address, `http://127.0.0.1:8000/`, belongs to `mkdocs serve`, not to a documented container command. Engineers can infer that additional image build and execution steps would be required, but the README does not authorize inventing those steps as supported instructions.

The Python 3.8 base image also differs from the unspecified local Python version. That difference is not inherently wrong, since the image supplies its own interpreter, but contributors should avoid assuming that the local and container build environments are identical.

Validation, Deployment, and Branch Ambiguity

Continuous integration is part of the documented workflow rather than an optional afterthought. The deploy workflow has a status badge, and the README says every pull request is checked for a successful documentation build. Once a change is merged, the deployment workflow publishes the site through GitHub Actions to GitHub Pages.

This arrangement gives contributors a clear local and hosted sequence: use `mkdocs serve` for interactive review, use `mkdocs build` to generate `site/`, and let pull request checks validate the build before publication. The source and deployment policy still contains one visible ambiguity. The repository's default branch is `master`, while the README says merged changes reach the main branch. The workflow files are the authoritative place to resolve that conflict, but no workflow content beyond the badge reference is documented in the supplied repository files.

There are also no GitHub releases. Upgrade work therefore concerns changes in `requirements.txt`, theme configuration, source content, workflow configuration, and the unversioned Docker base rather than installation of a published documentation release. Contributors should inspect the diff produced by a dependency update because the requirements file does not declare version pins.

Documentation Changes Versus a Full PSLab Software Stack

A real alternative for maintaining technical documentation is a general MkDocs repository with the same core pipeline but content and deployment rules owned by another project. The practical difference is scope. `pslab-documentation` defines the documentation site for PSLab and includes PSLab-specific experiment material, whereas a general MkDocs repository may serve multiple products or an organization. That distinction is meaningful for navigation, contribution ownership, and review policy, but the repository does not enumerate every experiment page or every supported PSLab workflow.

Another alternative is editing only the generated `site/` output. That approach is the wrong choice here because `site/` is build output, while `mkdocs.yml`, `docs/`, and the declared requirements form the documented source workflow. Direct edits to generated files can be overwritten by the next build and would bypass the source repository's intended contribution process.

The project also should not be mistaken for a self-contained experimentation environment. Although the repository title includes experiments and the content may document them, the visible build instructions create a static website. They do not describe sensor acquisition, device control, experiment execution, or an application programming interface. Those tasks require materials outside this repository.

License handling is simple at the policy level. The repository is identified as `Apache-2.0`, and its root `LICENSE` file is part of the source tree. This statement identifies the declared license, not legal advice about particular reuse, attribution notices, or modifications.

Editorial conclusion

Contributors should adopt this repository when their work changes the PSLab documentation, experiment pages, theme configuration, or generated site. Hardware users looking for measurement software or device setup instructions should start with the published documentation instead. Before submitting changes, verify the documentation under `mkdocs serve`, confirm that `mkdocs build` completes, and inspect `collaborate/Readme.md` for the repository's contribution process.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

1. fossasia/pslab-documentation on GitHub
2. Issues
3. License: Apache-2.0
4. README