bpo-47086: Remove .chm from Windows installer and add HTML docs (GH-32038)

Author: zooba

.azure-pipelines/windows-release.yml

@@ -43,13 +43,17 @@ parameters:
 # Eventually when we stop releasing anything that old, we can drop this
 # argument (and make it implicitly always 'true')
 - name: ARM64TclTk
-  displayName: "Use Tcl/Tk for ARM64"
+  displayName: "Use Tcl/Tk for ARM64 (3.11 and later)"
   type: boolean
   default: true
 - name: DoPGO
   displayName: "Run PGO"
   type: boolean
   default: true
+- name: DoCHM
+  displayName: "Produce compiled help document (pre-3.11)"
+  type: boolean
+  default: false
 - name: DoLayout
   displayName: "Produce full layout artifact"
   type: boolean
@@ -86,6 +90,7 @@ variables:
   ${{ if ne(parameters.SigningCertificate, 'Unsigned') }}:
     SigningCertificate: ${{ parameters.SigningCertificate }}
   SigningDescription: ${{ parameters.SigningDescription }}
+  DoCHM: ${{ parameters.DoCHM }}
   DoLayout: ${{ parameters.DoLayout }}
   DoMSIX: ${{ parameters.DoMSIX }}
   DoNuget: ${{ parameters.DoNuget }}

.azure-pipelines/windows-release/gpg-sign.yml

@@ -3,12 +3,14 @@ parameters:
   GPGPassphrase: $(GPGPassphrase)
   Files: '*'
   WorkingDirectory: $(Build.BinariesDirectory)
+  Condition: succeeded()
 
 steps:
 - task: DownloadSecureFile@1
   name: gpgkey
   inputs:
     secureFile: ${{ parameters.GPGKeyFile }}
+  condition: ${{ parameters.Condition }}
   displayName: 'Download GPG key'
 
 - powershell: |
@@ -18,6 +20,7 @@ steps:
         gpg/gpg2.exe -ba --batch --passphrase ${{ parameters.GPGPassphrase }} $_
         "Made signature for $_"
     }
+  condition: ${{ parameters.Condition }}
   displayName: 'Generate GPG signatures'
   workingDirectory: ${{ parameters.WorkingDirectory }}
 

.azure-pipelines/windows-release/msi-steps.yml

@@ -21,8 +21,6 @@ steps:
     inputs:
       sourceFolder: $(Build.BinariesDirectory)\doc
       targetFolder: $(Build.SourcesDirectory)\Doc\build
-      contents: |
-        htmlhelp\*.chm
 
   - task: DownloadPipelineArtifact@1
     displayName: 'Download artifact: bin_win32'

.azure-pipelines/windows-release/stage-build.yml

@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ jobs:
 - job: Build_Docs
   displayName: Docs build
   pool:
-    #name: 'Windows Release'
     vmImage: windows-2022
 
   workspace:
@@ -21,14 +20,10 @@ jobs:
 
   - script: Doc\make.bat htmlhelp
     displayName: 'Build CHM docs'
+    condition: and(succeeded(), eq(variables['DoCHM'], 'true'))
     env:
       BUILDDIR: $(Build.BinariesDirectory)\Doc
 
-  #- powershell: |
-  #    mkdir -Force "$(Build.BinariesDirectory)\Doc\htmlhelp"
-  #    iwr "https://www.python.org/ftp/python/3.8.0/python380.chm" -OutFile "$(Build.BinariesDirectory)\Doc\htmlhelp\python390a0.chm"
-  #  displayName: 'Cheat at building CHM docs'
-
   - task: CopyFiles@2
     displayName: 'Assemble artifact: Doc'
     inputs:
@@ -44,6 +39,7 @@ jobs:
       targetPath: $(Build.ArtifactStagingDirectory)\Doc
       artifactName: doc
 
+
 - job: Build_Python
   displayName: Python build
 

.azure-pipelines/windows-release/stage-publish-pythonorg.yml

@@ -87,7 +87,13 @@ jobs:
   - template: ./gpg-sign.yml
     parameters:
       GPGKeyFile: 'python-signing.key'
-      Files: 'doc\htmlhelp\*.chm, msi\*\*, embed\*.zip'
+      Files: 'msi\*\*, embed\*.zip'
+
+  - template: ./gpg-sign.yml
+    parameters:
+      GPGKeyFile: 'python-signing.key'
+      Files: 'doc\htmlhelp\*.chm'
+      Condition: and(succeeded(), eq(variables['DoCHM'], 'true'))
 
   - powershell: >
       $(Build.SourcesDirectory)\Tools\msi\uploadrelease.ps1

Misc/NEWS.d/next/Windows/2022-03-21-20-45-01.bpo-47086.bIuKlF.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+The installer for Windows now includes documentation as loose HTML files
+rather than a single compiled :file:`.chm` file.

PC/layout/support/filesets.py

@@ -93,6 +93,8 @@ def _return_true(f):
 
 
 def rglob(root, patterns, condition=None):
+    if not os.path.isdir(root):
+        return
     if isinstance(patterns, tuple):
         for p in patterns:
             yield from _rglob(root, p, condition or _return_true)

PC/layout/support/options.py

@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ def public(f):
             "venv",
             "dev",
             "symbols",
-            "chm",
+            "html-doc",
         ],
     },
     "embed": {

Tools/msi/README.txt

@@ -4,17 +4,16 @@ Quick Build Info
 For testing, the installer should be built with the Tools/msi/build.bat
 script:
 
-    build.bat [-x86] [-x64] [--doc]
+    build.bat [-x86] [-x64] [-ARM64] [--doc]
 
 For an official release, the installer should be built with the
 Tools/msi/buildrelease.bat script and environment variables:
 
-    set PYTHON=<path to Python 2.7 or 3.4>
+    set PYTHON=<path to Python 3.8 or later>
     set SPHINXBUILD=<path to sphinx-build.exe>
-    set PATH=<path to Git (git.exe)>;
-             <path to HTML Help Compiler (hhc.exe)>;%PATH%
+    set PATH=<path to Git (git.exe)>;%PATH%
 
-    buildrelease.bat [-x86] [-x64] [-D] [-B]
+    buildrelease.bat [-x86] [-x64] [-ARM64] [-D] [-B]
         [-o <output directory>] [-c <certificate name>]
 
 See the Building the Installer section for more information.
@@ -77,20 +76,17 @@ and Features | Turn Windows Features on or off) and ensure that the entry
 For testing, the installer should be built with the Tools/msi/build.bat
 script:
 
-    build.bat [-x86] [-x64] [--doc] [--test-marker] [--pack]
+    build.bat [-x86] [-x64] [-ARM64] [--doc] [--test-marker] [--pack]
 
 This script will build the required configurations of Python and
 generate an installer layout in PCbuild/(win32|amd64)/en-us.
 
-Specify -x86 and/or -x64 to build for each platform. If neither is
-specified, both platforms will be built. Currently, both the debug and
+Specify -x86, -x64 and/or -ARM64 to build for each platform. If none are
+specified, both x64 and x86 will be built. Currently, both the debug and
 release versions of Python are required for the installer.
 
-Specify --doc to build the documentation (.chm) file. If the file is not
-available, it will simply be excluded from the installer. Ensure
-%PYTHON% and %SPHINXBUILD% are set when passing this option. You may
-also set %HTMLHELP% to the Html Help Compiler (hhc.exe), or put HHC on
-your PATH or in externals/.
+Specify --doc to include the documentation files. Ensure %PYTHON% and
+%SPHINXBUILD% are set when passing this option.
 
 Specify --test-marker to build an installer that works side-by-side with
 an official Python release. All registry keys and install locations will
@@ -106,18 +102,18 @@ Tools/msi/buildrelease.bat script:
 
     set PYTHON=<path to Python 2.7 or 3.4>
     set SPHINXBUILD=<path to sphinx-build.exe>
-    set PATH=<path to Git (git.exe)>;
-             <path to HTML Help Compiler (hhc.exe)>;%PATH%
+    set PATH=<path to Git (git.exe)>;%PATH%
 
-    buildrelease.bat [-x86] [-x64] [-D] [-B]
+    buildrelease.bat [-x86] [-x64] [-ARM64] [-D] [-B]
         [-o <output directory>] [-c <certificate name>]
 
-Specify -x86 and/or -x64 to build for each platform. If neither is
-specified, both platforms will be built. Currently, both the debug and
+Specify -x86, -x64 and/or -ARM64 to build for each platform. If none are
+specified, both x64 and x86 will be built. Currently, both the debug and
 release versions of Python are required for the installer.
 
 Specify -D to skip rebuilding the documentation. The documentation is
 required for a release and the build will fail if it is not available.
+Ensure %PYTHON% and %SPHINXBUILD% are set if you omit this option.
 
 Specify -B to skip rebuilding Python. This is useful to only rebuild the
 installer layout after a previous call to buildrelease.bat.
@@ -129,10 +125,6 @@ Specify -c to choose a code-signing certificate to be used for all the
 signable binaries in Python as well as each file making up the
 installer. Official releases of Python must be signed.
 
-Ensure %PYTHON% and %SPHINXBUILD% are set when passing this option. You
-may also set %HTMLHELP% to the Html Help Compiler (hhc.exe), or put HHC
-on your PATH or in externals/. You will also need Git (git.exe) on
-your PATH.
 
 If WiX is not found on your system, it will be automatically downloaded
 and extracted to the externals/ directory.
@@ -366,7 +358,7 @@ Within this install directory is the following approximate layout:
 .\python3x.dll  The core interpreter
 .\python3.dll   The stable ABI reference
 .\DLLs          Stdlib extensions (*.pyd) and dependencies
-.\Doc           Documentation (*.chm)
+.\Doc           Documentation (*.html)
 .\include       Development headers (*.h)
 .\Lib           Standard library
 .\Lib\test      Test suite
@@ -421,7 +413,7 @@ a semicolon.
 
 When the documentation is installed, a key "Help" is created within the
 root key, with a subkey "Main Python Documentation" with its default
-value set to the full path to the installed CHM file.
+value set to the full path to the main index.html file.
 
 
 The py.exe launcher is installed as part of a regular Python install,

Tools/msi/build.bat

@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ if defined BUILDARM64 (
 )
 
 if defined BUILDDOC (
-    call "%PCBUILD%..\Doc\make.bat" htmlhelp
+    call "%PCBUILD%..\Doc\make.bat" html
     if errorlevel 1 exit /B %ERRORLEVEL%
 )
 
@@ -87,8 +87,8 @@ echo build.bat [-x86] [-x64] [-arm64] [--doc] [-h] [--test-marker] [--pack] [-r]
 echo.
 echo    -x86                Build x86 installers
 echo    -x64                Build x64 installers
-echo    -ARM64                Build ARM64 installers
-echo    --doc               Build CHM documentation
+echo    -ARM64              Build ARM64 installers
+echo    --doc               Build documentation
 echo    --test-marker       Build with test markers
 echo    --no-test-marker    Build without test markers (default)
 echo    --pack              Embed core MSIs into installer