ocaml-docs

OCaml Documentation (odoc) Skill

When to Use

Use this skill when fixing odoc documentation warnings, typically from dune build @doc.

Prerequisites: This skill covers odoc v3 syntax which is not yet in released versions of dune or odoc. You need:

• dune pinned to https://github.com/jonludlam/dune/tree/odoc-v3-rules-3.21
• odoc pinned to https://github.com/jonludlam/odoc/tree/staging

Reference Syntax

Use path-based disambiguation {!Path.To.kind-Name} rather than {!kind:Path.To.Name}:

(* Correct *)
{!Jsont.exception-Error}
{!Proto.Incoming.t.constructor-Message}
{!module-Foo.module-type-Bar.exception-Baz}

(* Incorrect *)
{!exception:Jsont.Error}
{!constructor:Proto.Incoming.t.Message}

This allows disambiguation at any position in the path.

Reference Kinds

• module- for modules
• type- for types
• val- for values
• exception- for exceptions
• constructor- for variant constructors
• field- for record fields
• module-type- for module types

Cross-Package References

When odoc cannot resolve a reference to another package, add a documentation dependency in dune-project:

(package
 (name mypackage)
 ...
 (documentation (depends other-package)))

Do NOT convert doc references {!Foo} to code markup [Foo] - this loses the hyperlink.

Cross-Library References (Same Package)

When referencing modules from another library in the same package, use the full path through re-exported modules.

Example: If claude.mli has module Proto = Proto, reference proto modules as {!Proto.Incoming} not {!Incoming}.

Missing Module Exports

If odoc reports "Couldn't find X" where X is the last path component:

1. Check if the module is re-exported in the parent module's .mli
2. Add module X = X to the parent's .mli if missing

Ambiguous References

When odoc warns about ambiguity (e.g., both an exception and module named Error):

{!Jsont.exception-Error}  (* for the exception *)
{!Jsont.module-Error}     (* for the module *)

@raise Tags

For @raise documentation tags, use the exception path with disambiguation:

@raise Jsont.exception-Error
@raise Tomlt.Toml.Error.exception-Error

Escaping @ Symbols

The @ character is interpreted as a tag marker in odoc. When you need a literal @ in documentation text (e.g., describing @-mentions), escape it with a backslash:

(* Correct - escaped @ *)
(** User was \@-mentioned *)
(** Mentioned via \@all/\@everyone *)

(* Incorrect - will produce "Stray '@'" or "Unknown tag" warnings *)
(** User was @-mentioned *)
(** Mentioned via @all *)

Hidden Fields Warning

When odoc warns about "Hidden fields in type 'Foo.Bar.t': field_name", it means a record field uses a type that odoc can't resolve in the documentation.

Diagnosis:

1. Find the field definition in the .mli file
2. Identify what type the field uses (e.g., uri : Uri.t)
3. Check if that type's module is re-exported in the wrapper .mli

Fix Option 1: Re-export the module in the wrapper .mli:

(** RFC 3986 URI parsing *)
module Uri = Uri

Fix Option 2: If you only want to expose the type (not the whole module), use @canonical:

1. Add a type alias in the wrapper .mli:

   type uri = Uri.t
   

2. Add @canonical to the original type's documentation:

   (* In uri.mli *)
   type t
   (** A URI. @canonical Requests.uri *)
   

This tells odoc to link Uri.t to Requests.uri in the generated documentation.

Interpreting Error Messages

Error Pattern	Meaning	Fix
unresolvedroot(X)	X not found as root module	Check library dependencies, add documentation depends
Couldn't find "Y" after valid path	Y doesn't exist at that location	Verify module structure, check exports
Reference to 'X' is ambiguous	Multiple items named X	Add kind qualifier (e.g., exception-X)
Hidden fields in type ... : field	Field's type not resolvable	Re-export the type's module in wrapper .mli

Debugging

1. Run dune clean before dune build @doc to ensure fresh builds
2. Check the library's .mli file to see what modules are exported
3. For cross-library refs, trace the module path through re-exports