Next versions: v0.28 and v1 #727

0.28.0 - 2025-01-12

Compare with 0.27.0

Breaking Changes

Although the following changes are "breaking" in terms of public API, we didn't find any public use of these classes and methods on GitHub.

• mkdocstrings.extension.AutoDocProcessor.__init__(parser): Parameter was removed
• mkdocstrings.extension.AutoDocProcessor.__init__(md): Positional parameter was moved
• mkdocstrings.extension.AutoDocProcessor.__init__(config): Parameter was removed
• mkdocstrings.extension.AutoDocProcessor.__init__(handlers): Parameter kind was changed: positional or keyword -> keyword-only
• mkdocstrings.extension.AutoDocProcessor.__init__(autorefs): Parameter kind was changed: positional or keyword -> keyword-only
• mkdocstrings.extension.MkdocstringsExtension.__init__(config): Parameter was removed
• mkdocstrings.extension.MkdocstringsExtension.__init__(handlers): Positional parameter was moved
• mkdocstrings.extension.MkdocstringsExtension.__init__(autorefs): Positional parameter was moved
• mkdocstrings.handlers.base.Handlers.__init__(config): Parameter was removed
• mkdocstrings.handlers.base.Handlers.__init__(theme): Parameter was added as required
• mkdocstrings.handlers.base.Handlers.__init__(default): Parameter was added as required
• mkdocstrings.handlers.base.Handlers.__init__(inventory_project): Parameter was added as required
• mkdocstrings.handlers.base.Handlers.__init__(tool_config): Parameter was added as required

Similarly, the following parameters were renamed, but the methods are only called from our own code, using positional arguments.

• mkdocstrings.handlers.base.BaseHandler.collect(config): Parameter was renamed options
• mkdocstrings.handlers.base.BaseHandler.render(config): Parameter was renamed options

Finally, the following method was removed, but this is again taken into account in our own code:

• mkdocstrings.handlers.base.BaseHandler.get_anchors: Public object was removed

For these reasons, and because we're still in v0, we do not bump to v1 yet. See following deprecations.

Deprecations

mkdocstrings 0.28 will start emitting these deprecations warnings:

The handler argument is deprecated. The handler name must be specified as a class attribute.

Previously, the get_handler function would pass a handler (name) argument to the handler constructor. This name must now be set on the handler's class directly.

class MyHandler:
    name = "myhandler"

The domain attribute must be specified as a class attribute.

The domain class attribute on handlers is now mandatory and cannot be an empty string.

class MyHandler:
    domain = "mh"

The theme argument must be passed as a keyword argument.

This argument could previously be passed as a positional argument (from the get_handler function), and must now be passed as a keyword argument.

The custom_templates argument must be passed as a keyword argument.

Same as for theme, but with custom_templates.

The mdx argument must be provided (as a keyword argument).

The get_handler function now receives a mdx argument, which it must forward to the handler constructor and then to the base handler, either explicitly or through **kwargs:

=== "Explicitly"

```python
def get_handler(..., mdx, ...):
    return MyHandler(..., mdx=mdx, ...)


class MyHandler:
    def __init__(self, ..., mdx, ...):
        super().__init__(..., mdx=mdx, ...)
```

=== "Through **kwargs"

```python
def get_handler(..., **kwargs):
    return MyHandler(..., **kwargs)


class MyHandler:
    def __init__(self, ..., **kwargs):
        super().__init__(**kwargs)
```

In the meantime we still retrieve this mdx value at a different moment, by reading it from the MkDocs configuration.

The mdx_config argument must be provided (as a keyword argument).

Same as for mdx, but with mdx_config.

mkdocstrings v1 will stop handling 'import' in handlers configuration. Instead your handler must define a get_inventory_urls method that returns a list of URLs to download.

Previously, mkdocstrings would pop the import key from a handler's configuration to download each item (URLs). Items could be strings, or dictionaries with a url key. Now mkdocstrings gives back control to handlers, which must store this inventory configuration within them, and expose it again through a get_inventory_urls method. This method returns a list of tuples: an URL, and a dictionary of options that will be passed again to their load_inventory method. Handlers have now full control over the "inventory" setting.

from copy import deepcopy


def get_handler(..., handler_config, ...):
    return MyHandler(..., config=handler_config, ...)


class MyHandler:
    def __init__(self, ..., config, ...):
        self.config = config

    def get_inventory_urls(self):
        config = deepcopy(self.config["import"])
        return [(inv, {}) if isinstance(inv, str) else (inv.pop("url"), inv) for inv in config]

Changing the name of the key (for example from import to inventories) involves a change in user configuration, and both keys will have to be supported by your handler for some time.

def get_handler(..., handler_config, ...):
    if "inventories" not in handler_config and "import" in handler_config:
        warn("The 'import' key is renamed 'inventories'", FutureWarning)
        handler_config["inventories"] = handler_config.pop("import")
    return MyHandler(..., config=handler_config, ...)

Setting a fallback anchor function is deprecated and will be removed in a future release.

This comes from mkdocstrings and mkdocs-autorefs, and will disappear with mkdocstrings v1.

mkdocstrings v1 will start using your handler's get_options method to build options instead of merging the global and local options (dictionaries).

Handlers must now store their own global options (in an instance attribute), and implement a get_options method that receives local_options (a dict) and returns combined options (dict or custom object). These combined options are then passed to collect and render, so that these methods can use them right away.

def get_handler(..., handler_config, ...):
    return MyHandler(..., config=handler_config, ...)


class MyHandler:
    def __init__(self, ..., config, ...):
        self.config = config

    def get_options(local_options):
        return {**self.default_options, **self.config["options"], **local_options}

The update_env(md) parameter is deprecated. Use self.md instead.

Handlers can remove the md parameter from their update_env method implementation, and use self.md instead, if they need it.

No need to call super().update_env() anymore.

Handlers don't have to call the parent update_env method from their own implementation anymore, and can just drop the call.

The get_anchors method is deprecated. Declare a get_aliases method instead, accepting a string (identifier) instead of a collected object.

Previously, handlers would implement a get_anchors method that received a data object (typed CollectorItem) to return aliases for this object. This forced mkdocstrings to collect this object through the handler's collect method, which then required some logic with "fallback config" as to prevent unwanted collection. mkdocstrings gives back control to handlers and now calls get_aliases instead, which accepts an identifier (string) and lets the handler decide how to return aliases for this identifier. For example, it can replicate previous behavior by calling its own collect method with its own "fallback config", or do something different (cache lookup, etc.).

class MyHandler:
    def get_aliases(identifier):
        try:
            obj = self.collect(identifier, self.fallback_config)
            # or obj = self._objects_cache[identifier]
        except CollectionError:  # or KeyError
            return ()
        return ...  # previous logic in `get_anchors`

Most of these warnings will disappear with the next version of mkdocstrings-python.

Other Impactful Changes

The config_file_path argument is not passed to get_handler functions anymore. If you used it to compute a "base directory", you can now use the tool_config argument instead, which is the configuration of the SSG tool in use (here MkDocs):

base_dir = Path(tool_config.config_file_path or "./mkdocs.yml").parent

Bug Fixes

• Fix broken table of contents when nesting autodoc instructions (12c8f82 by Timothée Mazzucotelli). Issue-348

Code Refactoring

• Give back inventory control to handlers (b84653f by Timothée Mazzucotelli). Issue-719
• Give back control to handlers on how they want to handle global/local options (c00de7a by Timothée Mazzucotelli). Issue-719
• Deprecate base handler's get_anchors method in favor of get_aliases method (7a668f0 by Timothée Mazzucotelli).
• Register all identifiers of rendered objects into autorefs (434d8c7 by Timothée Mazzucotelli).
• Use mkdocs-get-deps' download utility to remove duplicated code (bb87cd8 by Timothée Mazzucotelli).
• Clean up data passed down from plugin to extension and handlers (b8e8703 by Timothée Mazzucotelli). PR-726