Once you have docmd installed, creating a beautiful documentation site takes only a few minutes. This guide walks you through the standard workflow.

1. Initialize the Project

Create a new folder for your documentation and navigate into it using your terminal.

mkdir my-docs
cd my-docs

Run the initialization command:

docmd init

docmd will scaffold a ready-to-use project. Your directory will now look like this:

my-docs/
├── assets/                 # Place custom images, CSS, and JS here
├── docs/                   # Your Markdown files live here
│   └── index.md            # The homepage of your documentation
├── docmd.config.js         # The main configuration file
└── package.json            # Contains helpful NPM scripts

2. Start the Development Server

You don’t need to build the site blindly. docmd includes a blazing-fast development server that updates your browser the moment you save a file.

Run the dev command:

docmd dev

Open your browser to http://localhost:3000. You will see your newly generated documentation site. Keep this server running in your terminal while you work.

3. Write Your Content

Open the docs/ folder in your favorite code editor (like VS Code).

docmd uses standard Markdown. Any .md file you create inside the docs/ folder will automatically be converted into a web page.

Try opening docs/index.md and changing the # Welcome text. When you save the file, your browser will instantly refresh to show the change.

4. Configure the Sidebar

By default, docmd doesn’t guess what your navigation should look like. You define it explicitly to maintain perfect control over your users’ experience.

Open docmd.config.js and locate the navigation array. You can add new links, create dropdown categories, and assign SVG icons here.

navigation:[
  { title: 'Home', path: '/', icon: 'home' },
  {
    title: 'Guides',
    icon: 'book',
    collapsible: true,
    children:[
      { title: 'Quick Start', path: '/quick-start' },
      { title: 'Advanced', path: '/advanced' }
    ]
  }
]

5. Build for Production

When you are ready to share your documentation with the world, stop the development server (press Ctrl + C in your terminal) and run the build command:

docmd build

docmd will process all your Markdown, generate an offline search index, minify your assets, and output a highly optimized static website into a new folder called site/.

You can now upload the contents of that site/ folder to any web host (GitHub Pages, Netlify, Vercel, or a traditional server). See our Deployment Guide for specific instructions.