Epydoc is a documentation generator

Documentation generator

A documentation generator is a programming tool that generates documentation intended for programmers or end users , or both, from a set of specially commented source code files, and in some cases, binary files....

 that processes its own lightweight markup language

Lightweight markup language

A lightweight markup language is a markup language with a simple syntax, designed to be easy for a human to enter with a simple text editor, and easy to read in its raw form....

 Epytext for Python

Python (programming language)

Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Python claims to "[combine] remarkable power with very clear syntax", and its standard library is large and comprehensive...

 documentation strings. As opposed to freeform Python docstring

Docstring

In programming, a docstring is a string literal specified in source code that is used, like a comment, to document a specific segment of code. Unlike conventional source code comments, or even specifically formatted comments like Javadoc documentation, docstrings are not stripped from the source...

s, reStructured Text (both also supported) and other markup languages for docstrings, Epytext supports linking between different pieces of documentation.

There are several tools for rendering Epytext. Most commonly, the epydoc program is used to render Epytext as a series of HTML

HTML

HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....

 documents for display on the Internet

Internet

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...

, or as a PDF

Portable Document Format

Portable Document Format is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems....

 document for printing. Epydoc also supports viewing the rendered documentation within Python using a GUI

Gui

Gui or guee is a generic term to refer to grilled dishes in Korean cuisine. These most commonly have meat or fish as their primary ingredient, but may in some cases also comprise grilled vegetables or other vegetarian ingredients. The term derives from the verb, "gupda" in Korean, which literally...

. The syntax is uncomplicated enough for the programmer to read the raw Epytext docstrings embedded in the source code directly.