ShellDocs.CLI 0.1.9-alpha

ShellDocs

The docs framework for .NET. Markdown-driven documentation sites with live Blazor component previews, versioned docs, Cmd+K search, and a static export. Styled with shadcn-shaped design tokens and composable with any Blazor component library. The fumadocs / shadcn pattern, ported to .NET.

— alpha: APIs may change between minor versions. See the CHANGELOG and ROADMAP.

Quick start

# Install the CLI (once)
dotnet tool install -g ShellDocs.CLI --prerelease

# From your repo root: scaffold a Blazor Web App in docs/<RepoFolder>.Docs
shelldocs init
cd docs/<RepoFolder>.Docs

# Add pages (or drop .md files into content/docs/)
shelldocs add component Button
shelldocs add guide getting-started

# Run with hot reload on http://localhost:5000
shelldocs dev

# Prerender a static site into publish/
shelldocs build

Already have a Blazor project? Run shelldocs init --attach inside it: it adds the packages and content, and writes SHELLDOCS_SETUP.md with the Program.cs / App.razor snippets instead of editing your code.

What you get

• Markdown-first authoring. YAML frontmatter, Shiki-highlighted code fences, live razor:preview examples, inline component tags mid-prose.
• File-based navigation. Drop a .md in content/docs/ and it's a page. Sidebar, breadcrumb, prev/next and TOC come from the folder tree; meta.json controls order, dividers, subsections and hidden pages.
• Cmd+K search across titles, headings and page text, with body snippets. The index is built in memory at startup, so there's no external service; search needs a running Blazor app (it isn't available in the static export).
• Blazor-native. Your components render as real Razor components, not iframes.
• Composable. Bring your own component library (ShellUI, MudBlazor, Radzen, hand-rolled) and register it in one line:

  o.RegisterComponentsFromAssembly<MyLib.Button>();
  

  Your components win name collisions with ShellDocs' built-ins, which stay available as <DocsCard>, <DocsCallout>, <DocsTabs>, and so on.
• Content primitives. Callout, Card / CardGrid / LinkCard, Steps, FileTree, Tabs, CodeGroup, TypeTable / AutoTypeTable, ComponentPreview, DemoPreview.
• Static export. shelldocs build prerenders every page to static HTML for GitHub Pages, Cloudflare Pages, Netlify or S3. Optional flags rewrite <base href> (--base-href), add a SPA 404.html (--spa-fallback), and write sitemap / robots / og: meta (--site-url). Navigation, sidebar sections, the mobile menu, selectors, tabs, preview toolbars, the TOC and code copy work there through shelldocs.js. Search, the theme-toggle button, desktop sidebar collapse and stateful demos need a running Blazor app.

Versioned docs

Put each version in its own content folder with the same sub-structure (content/docs/v0.3/..., content/docs/v0.2.1/...; dots in folder names are fine) and register them:

o.AddVersion("v0.3",   "v0.3.0", "/docs/v0.3",   "Current stable", latest: true);
o.AddVersion("v0.2.1", "v0.2.1", "/docs/v0.2.1", "Previous release");

// "{version}" in a package root resolves to the current version's Id.
o.AddPackage("shellui.cli", "ShellUI.CLI", "Command line", "/docs/{version}/cli", icon);

The current version is the one whose RootUrl prefixes the path (segment-aware), otherwise the latest one. With 2+ versions a <VersionSelector /> renders under the package selector (and in the mobile drawer; in the TopNav layout it sits in the header).

• Switching versions keeps the same page when it exists, else the current package's root, else the version's first page.
• Switching packages keeps the version.
• Inside a version, the sidebar shows only that version's tree, prev/next never crosses into another version, and search shows the current version plus pages outside every version.
• Outside a version, the sidebar leaves the version folders to the selector.
• Breadcrumbs leave out the version folder.

It's all server-rendered links plus shelldocs.js, so it works on static hosts.

Routes declared as /docs/{*Path:nonfile} don't match a URL whose last segment has a dot (/docs/v0.2.1). Pages below it (/docs/v0.2.1/introduction) are fine, and the selectors never link to a bare version root unless it has an index.md. If you add one, drop :nonfile from the route.

Component previews

• Preview | Code toolbar on every example, with copy and a ⋯ menu: Open in new tab, Report a bug, Suggest something. The issue links go to https://github.com/{GitHubRepo}/issues/new, pre-filled with the example and page URL; point them elsewhere with o.IssueTrackerUrl.

• razor:preview fences render everything. Several sibling components, HTML wrappers (<div class="flex gap-2">…</div>) and text render in order inside one frame, and the Code tab shows the whole fence.

• Razor-shaped attribute values work: Variant="ButtonVariant.Destructive", @ButtonVariant.Destructive, @true, @42, [Flags] values as Bold | Italic.

• Attributes a static preview can't evaluate are skipped, not fatal: OnClick="HandleClick", @onclick, @bind-*, @ref, non-primitive parameter types, unparseable values. Each logs a warning and the component still renders.

• Inline code stays code. `<Button>` in prose renders as literal code, not a component.

• Stateful demos from real files. For demos that need @code (dialogs, bound selects, toasts, charts with data), write a .razor component, register it, and drop <DemoPreview Component="ButtonClickDemo" Title="Optional" /> into markdown. The Code tab shows {DemoSourceRoot}/**/ButtonClickDemo.razor:

  o.RegisterComponentsFromAssembly<App>("MyDocs.Demos");
  o.DemoSourceRoot = Path.Combine(builder.Environment.ContentRootPath, "Demos");
  

  The Razor SDK drops .razor files from build/publish output, so ship them explicitly. Use a None item, because Content Update doesn't survive publish:

  <None Include="Demos/**/*.razor" CopyToOutputDirectory="PreserveNewest" CopyToPublishDirectory="PreserveNewest" />
  

Package family

Docs

• shelldocs.dev : full documentation site (built with ShellDocs itself)
• docs/ARCHITECTURE.md : how it works: packages, pipeline, rendering, navigation, search, client-side chrome, CLI
• docs/TOKENS.md : the design-token contract and how to override it
• docs/DESIGN.md : original product design and positioning
• docs/ROADMAP.md : branch-by-branch plan and what has shipped
• docs/RELEASING.md : how a maintainer cuts a NuGet release (Trusted Publishing)
• examples/ShellDocs.Preview : the example site used for development, with versions, previews and demos

Related

• shellui-dev/shellui : the Blazor component library ShellDocs' authors are building alongside
• shellui-dev/shelldocs-docs : source for shelldocs.dev, consuming ShellDocs from NuGet like any other user

Contributing

The alpha is API-fluid: we're taking freedom to break minor versions until 1.0. Bug reports and dogfood-driven fixes are welcome via issues. A proper CONTRIBUTING.md lands with the 0.2.0-alpha cut.

License

MIT. Do whatever you want, no warranty.