Quick Start Guide¶
System Requirements¶
Before installing CodeViewX, ensure your system meets the following requirements:
Core Requirements¶
- Python: 3.8 or higher
- pip: Python package manager (included with Python)
- Operating System: Windows 10+, macOS 10.14+, or Linux (Ubuntu 18.04+)
External Dependencies¶
- ripgrep (rg): High-performance code search tool
- Anthropic API Key: Required for AI-powered analysis
Recommended System Resources¶
- RAM: 4GB minimum, 8GB recommended for large projects
- Storage: 1GB free space for installation and documentation output
- Network: Internet connection for AI API calls
Installation¶
Step 1: Clone the Repository¶
# Clone the CodeViewX repository
git clone https://github.com/dean2021/codeviewx.git
# Navigate to the project directory
cd codeviewx
Step 2: Install ripgrep¶
macOS (using Homebrew):
brew install ripgrep
Ubuntu/Debian:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install ripgrep
Windows (using Chocolatey):
choco install ripgrep
Other Systems: Download from ripgrep releases
Step 3: Install Python Dependencies¶
Development Mode (Recommended):
pip install -e .
Standard Installation:
pip install .
With Development Dependencies:
pip install -e ".[dev]"
Step 4: Configure Anthropic API Key¶
Set Environment Variable (Linux/macOS):
# Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
export ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN='your-api-key-here'
# Apply changes immediately
source ~/.bashrc # or ~/.zshrc
Set Environment Variable (Windows):
# Command Prompt
set ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="your-api-key-here"
# PowerShell
$env:ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN="your-api-key-here"
Get Your API Key: Visit Anthropic Console to create an account and obtain your API key.
Basic Usage¶
Command Line Interface¶
Generate Documentation for Current Directory¶
codeviewx
Specify Project and Output Directories¶
codeviewx -w /path/to/your/project -o /path/to/output/docs
Generate Documentation in Specific Language¶
# Generate English documentation
codeviewx -l English
# Generate Chinese documentation
codeviewx -l Chinese
Advanced Options¶
# Verbose output for debugging
codeviewx --verbose
# Custom recursion limit for complex projects
codeviewx --recursion-limit 2000
# Specify UI language
codeviewx --ui-lang en
Python API Usage¶
Basic Documentation Generation¶
from codeviewx import generate_docs
# Generate documentation with default settings
generate_docs()
# Generate with custom settings
generate_docs(
working_directory="/path/to/project",
output_directory="docs",
doc_language="English",
verbose=True
)
Start Documentation Web Server¶
from codeviewx import start_document_web_server
# Start server for generated documentation
start_document_web_server("docs")
Complete Example¶
from codeviewx import generate_docs, start_document_web_server
# Generate documentation
generate_docs(
working_directory="./my_project",
output_directory="./documentation",
doc_language="English",
verbose=True
)
# Start web server to view documentation
start_document_web_server("./documentation")
Documentation Web Server¶
Start the Server¶
# Generate and serve documentation
codeviewx --serve -o docs
Access Documentation¶
Open your web browser and navigate to:
http://localhost:5000
Server Features¶
- Interactive Navigation: Browse documentation with a clean, modern interface
- Search Functionality: Quick search across all documentation
- Code Highlighting: Syntax-highlighted code examples
- Mermaid Diagrams: Interactive architecture and flow diagrams
- Responsive Design: Works on desktop and mobile devices
Stop the Server¶
Press Ctrl+C in the terminal to stop the web server.
Command Line Options Reference¶
| Option | Short | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
--working-dir |
-w |
Project directory to analyze | -w /path/to/project |
--output-dir |
-o |
Documentation output directory | -o docs |
--language |
-l |
Documentation language | -l English |
--ui-lang |
UI language (en/zh) | --ui-lang en |
|
--serve |
Start web server | --serve |
|
--verbose |
-v |
Show detailed logs | --verbose |
--recursion-limit |
Agent recursion limit | --recursion-limit 1500 |
|
--version |
-V |
Show version information | --version |
Supported Documentation Languages¶
CodeViewX supports generating documentation in 8 languages:
- Chinese (中文)
- English
- Japanese (日本語)
- Korean (한국어)
- French (Français)
- German (Deutsch)
- Spanish (Español)
- Russian (Русский)
Example usage:
codeviewx -l French
codeviewx -l Japanese
codeviewx -l German
Example Projects¶
Analyze a Python Web Application¶
# Analyze a Flask/Django project
codeviewx -w ./my_web_app -o ./web_app_docs -l English
Document a CLI Tool¶
# Analyze a command-line tool
codeviewx -w ./my_cli_tool -o ./cli_docs --verbose
Multi-Language Project¶
# Analyze a project with multiple programming languages
codeviewx -w ./multi_lang_project -o ./docs --recursion-limit 2000
Generate Documentation in Multiple Languages¶
# English documentation
codeviewx -w ./project -o ./docs/en -l English
# Chinese documentation
codeviewx -w ./project -o ./docs/zh -l Chinese
# Japanese documentation
codeviewx -w ./project -o ./docs/ja -l Japanese
Troubleshooting Common Issues¶
Installation Issues¶
Problem: pip install fails with permission errors
# Solution: Use user installation
pip install --user -e .
Problem: Python version too old
# Check Python version
python --version
# Update Python (example for Ubuntu)
sudo apt update
sudo apt install python3.9
API Key Issues¶
Problem: Invalid Anthropic API key
# Verify API key is set
echo $ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN
# Test API key (using curl)
curl -X POST https://api.anthropic.com/v1/messages \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "x-api-key: $ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN" \
-d '{"model": "claude-3-haiku-20240307", "max_tokens": 10, "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hi"}]}'
ripgrep Issues¶
Problem: rg command not found
# Check if ripgrep is installed
rg --version
# Install ripgrep if missing
# macOS
brew install ripgrep
# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install ripgrep
Performance Issues¶
Problem: Analysis takes too long for large projects
# Increase recursion limit
codeviewx --recursion-limit 3000
# Use verbose mode to monitor progress
codeviewx --verbose
Documentation Issues¶
Problem: Generated documentation is incomplete
# Use verbose mode to see detailed analysis
codeviewx --verbose
# Check for specific errors in the output
codeviewx --verbose 2>&1 | tee analysis.log
Next Steps¶
After successfully generating your first documentation:
- Review Generated Documentation: Check the quality and completeness of generated docs
- Customize Prompts: Modify prompt templates for project-specific needs
- Integrate with CI/CD: Add documentation generation to your build pipeline
- Explore Advanced Features: Learn about custom tools and extensions
- Contribute: Consider contributing to the CodeViewX project
For more advanced usage, see the Development Guide and API Reference.