numpy / numpy/numpydoc

Support subsections in main description or in notes

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Dominant language
Python
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1d 9h
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Description

It would be nice if it was possible to have subsections either in the "main" description or in the Notes section. Right now Matplotlib just uses bold to delineate such sections (e.g. in https://matplotlib.org/devdocs/api/_as_gen/matplotlib.axes.Axes.plot.html#matplotlib.axes.Axes.plot "plotting labeled data"), which is not so nice semantically.

In theory, rst supports any kind of underlining to mark subsections (and sections), but numpydoc can probably mandate e.g. using ~~~ (or whatever looks nice to the devs). Also, rst just creates the section hierarchy following the order in which the various kinds of underlines occur, so I guess this may be problematic (assuming we want to keep compatibility with plain rst, which I think is nice to have) for subsections in the main description (but fine for the Notes section, at least).

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Research direction

Start by reviewing how numpydoc handles the main description and Notes section, along with reStructuredText's underline-based section hierarchy. Decide how a subsection marker such as ~~~ could work while preserving plain rst compatibility. Done means subsections render semantically in the supported locations and their hierarchy is unambiguous.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
documentation
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
25/100

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