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Documentation Prompts

This page documents the prompts used to create the MkDocs documentation.

Documentation Request

Prompt: 

create a Zensical MkDocs website that (1) describes how to use the pages,
(2) explains how they are created and how to pull them from GitHub and
rebuild them, (3) documents all of the prompts that were used to generate
them. Add the docs page as a hyperlink to the Map navigation pane

Result: Claude created a complete MkDocs documentation site with:

  • Material theme (interpreted from "Zensical")
  • User guide section
  • Development/setup section
  • Prompts documentation section
  • Navigation link in the map sidebar

Files Created

Configuration

  • mkdocs.yml - MkDocs configuration with Material theme

Documentation Structure

docs/
├── index.md                    # Home page
├── guide/
│   ├── getting-started.md      # Basic usage
│   ├── map-features.md         # Feature details
│   └── search-filter.md        # Search/filter guide
├── development/
│   ├── setup.md                # Installation guide
│   ├── building.md             # Build instructions
│   └── data-sources.md         # Data documentation
└── prompts/
    ├── overview.md             # Prompts introduction
    ├── map-development.md      # Map creation prompts
    ├── data-processing.md      # Data processing prompts
    └── documentation.md        # This file

MkDocs Configuration

Theme Selection: 

theme:
  name: material
  palette:
    - scheme: default
      primary: green
      accent: orange

Features Enabled: 

features:
  - navigation.tabs
  - navigation.sections
  - navigation.expand
  - navigation.top
  - search.highlight
  - content.code.copy

Markdown Extensions: 

markdown_extensions:
  - admonition
  - pymdownx.details
  - pymdownx.superfences
  - pymdownx.highlight
  - pymdownx.tabbed
  - tables
  - attr_list

Site Name Update

Prompt: 

update the site name and author to M-580 2026 (include this year's cohort)

Result: Updated mkdocs.yml: 

site_name: M-580 2026 Cohort Map
site_description: Documentation for the M-580 Fire in Ecosystem Management
                  January 2026 cohort interactive map
site_author: M-580 January 2026 Cohort


nav:
  - Home: index.md
  - User Guide:
    - Getting Started: guide/getting-started.md
    - Map Features: guide/map-features.md
    - Searching & Filtering: guide/search-filter.md
  - Development:
    - Setup & Installation: development/setup.md
    - Building from Source: development/building.md
    - Data Sources: development/data-sources.md
  - Prompts:
    - Overview: prompts/overview.md
    - Map Development: prompts/map-development.md
    - Data Processing: prompts/data-processing.md
    - Documentation: prompts/documentation.md

Map Integration

The documentation link was added to both map versions:

<div class="sidebar-footer">
    <p>
        <a href="https://www.wildlandfirelearningportal.net/mod/facetoface/view.php?id=166502" target="_blank">About M-580</a>
        |
        <a href="docs/" target="_blank">Documentation</a>
    </p>
</div>

Building Documentation

Commands for local development:

# Install dependencies
pip install mkdocs mkdocs-material mkdocs-minify-plugin

# Local preview with live reload
mkdocs serve

# Build static files
mkdocs build

# Deploy to GitHub Pages
mkdocs gh-deploy

Documentation Principles

The documentation follows these principles:

  1. Completeness: Cover all features and use cases
  2. Clarity: Use clear language and examples
  3. Structure: Organize logically with navigation
  4. Code Examples: Include runnable code snippets
  5. Tables: Summarize information visually
  6. Admonitions: Highlight tips, warnings, and notes

Self-Documentation

This prompts section serves as:

  1. Transparency: Shows how AI was used in development
  2. Reproducibility: Allows others to recreate similar projects
  3. Learning: Demonstrates effective prompt engineering
  4. Attribution: Credits the AI assistance used