docs/README.md

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This is the public documentation site for Superset, built using
[Docusaurus 3](https://docusaurus.io/). See the
[Developer Docs](https://superset.apache.org/developer-docs/contributing/development-setup#documentation)
for documentation on contributing to documentation.

## Version Management

The Superset documentation site uses Docusaurus versioning with four independent sections:

- **User Documentation** (`/user-docs/`) - End-user guides and tutorials
- **Admin Documentation** (`/admin-docs/`) - Installation, configuration, and security
- **Developer Docs** (`/developer-docs/`) - Developer guides, contributing, and extensions
- **Component Playground** (`/components/`) - Interactive component examples (currently disabled)

Each section maintains its own version history and can be versioned independently.

### Creating a New Version

To create a new version for any section, use the Docusaurus version command with the appropriate plugin ID or use our automated scripts:

#### Before You Cut

The cut snapshots whatever's on disk into a frozen historical version, including auto-generated content (database pages from `superset/db_engine_specs/`, API reference from `static/resources/openapi.json`, component pages from Storybook stories). The cut script refreshes these via `generate:smart` before snapshotting, but the **`databases.json` diagnostics file** needs special care to capture full detail:

1. **Canonical release cut**: download the `database-diagnostics` artifact from a green `Python-Integration` run on master, place it at `docs/src/data/databases.json`, then run the cut script with `--skip-generate` to preserve it. This is what the production deploy uses and includes full Flask-context diagnostics (driver versions, feature support matrix, etc.).
2. **Local dev cut**: just run the script normally. `generate:smart` will regenerate `databases.json` using your local Flask environment — accurate to whatever drivers/extras you have installed, but typically less complete than the CI artifact.
3. **No Flask available**: also fine — the database generator falls back to AST parsing of engine spec files. The MDX pages are still correct; only the diagnostics JSON is leaner.

Also: confirm `master` CI is green, and that your local checkout matches the SHA you intend to cut from.

#### Using Automated Scripts (Required)

**⚠️ Important:** Always use these custom commands instead of the native Docusaurus commands. These scripts ensure that both the Docusaurus versioning system AND the `versions-config.json` file are updated correctly, AND that auto-generated content is refreshed before snapshotting.

```bash
# Main Documentation
yarn version:add:user_docs 1.2.0

# Admin Docs
yarn version:add:admin_docs 1.2.0

# Developer Docs
yarn version:add:developer_docs 1.2.0

# Component Playground
yarn version:add:components 1.2.0
```

What the script does:
1. Refreshes auto-generated content via `generate:smart` (database pages, API reference, component pages).
2. Calls `yarn docusaurus docs:version` (or the per-section equivalent) to snapshot the section.
3. Freezes any data-file imports (`@site/static/*.json`, `../../data/*.json`) into a snapshot-local `_versioned_data/` dir so the historical version doesn't silently mutate when the source files change.
4. Adjusts relative import paths (`../../src/...` → `../../../src/...`) for files now one directory deeper.
5. Updates `versions-config.json` and `<section>_versions.json`.

**Do NOT use** the native Docusaurus commands directly (`yarn docusaurus docs:version`), as they will:
- ❌ Create version files but NOT update `versions-config.json`
- ❌ Skip auto-gen refresh, freezing whatever was on disk
- ❌ Skip data-import freezing, leaving the snapshot pointed at live data
- ❌ Cause versions to not appear in dropdown menus
- ❌ Require manual fixes to synchronize the configuration

### Managing Versions

#### With Automated Scripts
The automated scripts handle all configuration updates automatically. No manual editing required!

#### Manual Configuration
If creating versions manually, you'll need to:

1. **Update `versions-config.json`** (or `docusaurus.config.ts` if not using dynamic config):
   - Add version to `onlyIncludeVersions` array
   - Add version metadata to `versions` object
   - Update `lastVersion` if needed

2. **Files Created by Versioning**:
   When a new version is created, Docusaurus generates:
   - **Versioned docs folder**: `[section]_versioned_docs/version-X.X.X/`
   - **Versioned sidebars**: `[section]_versioned_sidebars/version-X.X.X-sidebars.json`
   - **Versions list**: `[section]_versions.json`

   All four sections (`user_docs`, `admin_docs`, `developer_docs`, `components`) follow this naming pattern uniformly.

3. **Important**: After adding a version, restart the development server to see changes:
   ```bash
   yarn stop
   yarn start
   ```

### Removing a Version

#### Using Automated Scripts (Recommended)
```bash
# Main Documentation
yarn version:remove:user_docs 1.0.0

# Admin Docs
yarn version:remove:admin_docs 1.0.0

# Developer Docs
yarn version:remove:developer_docs 1.0.0

# Component Playground
yarn version:remove:components 1.0.0
```

#### Manual Removal
To manually remove a version:

1. **Delete the version folder** from the appropriate location:
   - User Docs: `user_docs_versioned_docs/version-X.X.X/`
   - Admin Docs: `admin_docs_versioned_docs/version-X.X.X/`
   - Developer Docs: `developer_docs_versioned_docs/version-X.X.X/`
   - Components: `components_versioned_docs/version-X.X.X/`

2. **Delete the version metadata file**:
   - User Docs: `user_docs_versioned_sidebars/version-X.X.X-sidebars.json`
   - Admin Docs: `admin_docs_versioned_sidebars/version-X.X.X-sidebars.json`
   - Developer Docs: `developer_docs_versioned_sidebars/version-X.X.X-sidebars.json`
   - Components: `components_versioned_sidebars/version-X.X.X-sidebars.json`

3. **Update the versions list file**:
   - User Docs: `user_docs_versions.json`
   - Admin Docs: `admin_docs_versions.json`
   - Developer Docs: `developer_docs_versions.json`
   - Components: `components_versions.json`

4. **Update configuration**:
   - If using dynamic config: Update `versions-config.json`
   - If using static config: Update `docusaurus.config.ts`

5. **Restart the server** to see changes

### Version Configuration Examples

#### Main Documentation (default plugin)
```typescript
docs: {
  includeCurrentVersion: true,
  lastVersion: 'current',  // Makes /docs/ show Next version
  onlyIncludeVersions: ['current', '1.1.0', '1.0.0'],
  versions: {
    current: {
      label: 'Next',
      path: '',  // Empty path for default routing
      banner: 'unreleased',
    },
    '1.1.0': {
      label: '1.1.0',
      path: '1.1.0',
      banner: 'none',
    },
  },
}
```

#### Developer Docs & Components (custom plugins)
```typescript
{
  id: 'developer_docs',
  path: 'developer_docs',
  routeBasePath: 'developer-docs',
  includeCurrentVersion: true,
  lastVersion: '1.1.0',  // Default version
  onlyIncludeVersions: ['current', '1.1.0', '1.0.0'],
  versions: {
    current: {
      label: 'Next',
      path: 'next',
      banner: 'unreleased',
    },
    '1.1.0': {
      label: '1.1.0',
      path: '1.1.0',
      banner: 'none',
    },
  },
}
```

### Best Practices

1. **Version naming**: Use semantic versioning (e.g., 1.0.0, 1.1.0, 2.0.0)
2. **Version banners**: Use `'unreleased'` for development versions, `'none'` for stable releases
3. **Limit displayed versions**: Use `onlyIncludeVersions` to show only relevant versions
4. **Test locally**: Always test version changes locally before deploying
5. **Independent versioning**: Each section can have different version numbers and release cycles

### Troubleshooting

#### Version Not Showing After Creation

If you accidentally used `yarn docusaurus docs:version` instead of `yarn version:add`:
1. **Problem**: The version files were created but `versions-config.json` wasn't updated
2. **Solution**: Either:
   - Revert the changes: `git restore user_docs_versions.json && rm -rf user_docs_versioned_docs/ user_docs_versioned_sidebars/`
   - Then use the correct command: `yarn version:add:user_docs <version>`

For other issues:
- **Restart the server**: Changes to version configuration require a server restart
- **Check config file**: Ensure `versions-config.json` includes the new version
- **Verify files exist**: Check that versioned docs folder was created

#### Broken Links in Versioned Documentation
When creating a new version, links in the documentation are preserved as-is. Common issues:
- **Cross-section links**: Links between sections (e.g., from developer_docs to docs) need to be version-aware
- **Absolute vs relative paths**: Use relative paths within the same section
- **Version-specific URLs**: Update hardcoded URLs to use version variables

To fix broken links:
1. Use `type: 'doc'` with `docId` for version-aware navigation in navbar
2. Use relative paths within the same documentation section
3. Test all versions after creation to identify broken links