You can import and use the docmd build engine directly from your Node.js applications. This is ideal for custom CI/CD pipelines, automated documentation generation, and pre-rendering docs in monorepos.

Installation

Ensure @docmd/core is installed in your project:

npm install @docmd/core

Core Functions

buildSite(configPath, options)

The primary build function. Handles configuration loading, Markdown parsing, and asset generation.

import { buildSite } from "@docmd/core";

async function runBuild() {
  await buildSite("./docmd.config.json", {
    "isDev": false,
    offline: false,
    zeroConfig: false
  });
}

buildLive(options)

Generates the browser-based Live Editor bundle.

import { buildLive } from "@docmd/core";

async function generateEditor() {
  await buildLive({
    "serve": false,
    port: 3000
  });
}

Workspace Management

For managing workspaces programmatically, use the dedicated workspace functions.

isWorkspace(config)

Returns true if the provided configuration object follows the Workspace schema.

detectWorkspace(configPath)

Detects and loads a workspace configuration file. Returns a normalised WorkspaceRootConfig or null.

buildWorkspace(config, options)

Builds all projects within a workspace. Handles shared assets and project-specific prefixing.

devWorkspace(config, options)

Starts the workspace dev server. Watches all projects for changes and performs targeted rebuilds.

import { detectWorkspace, buildWorkspace } from "@docmd/core";

async function buildAll() {
  const config = await detectWorkspace("./docmd.config.json");
  if (config) {
    await buildWorkspace(config, { quiet: false });
  }
}

Example: Custom Pipeline

Wrap docmd to compose complex documentation workflows — generate dynamic content, build, then move the output to your final location.

import { buildSite } from '@docmd/core';
import fs from 'fs-extra';

async function deploy() {
  // 1. Generate dynamic content
  await fs.writeFile('./docs/dynamic.md', '# Generated Content');

  // 2. Execute build
  await buildSite('./docmd.config.json');

  // 3. Move output
  await fs.move('./site', './public/docs');
}

What’s Next

• Plugins — extend docmd without touching the engine.
• CLI Commands — the recommended path for most CI/CD.
• Workspaces — multi-project configuration reference.