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Introduction

Welcome to the Prodcat User Guide! This guide is designed to help you understand and use Prodcat effectively.

Overview​

What is Prodcat?​

Prodcat is a powerful tool for generating and managing software product documentation websites. It allows you to take a simple list of software products and generate a beautiful, feature-rich Docusaurus website. Prodcat automatically creates a software product directory page and dedicated software product landing pages for each of your software products. This helps companies that use Docusaurus-powered sites to quickly and accurately allow visitors access to their software product catalog. Furthermore, Prodcat updates the navigation bar with a link to the software product directory page, helping content creators and technical writers to seamlessly integrate the directory into the site navigation. Prodcat is perfect for businesses and individuals who want to create professional-looking software product catalogs and documentation with minimal effort.

Key features and benefits​

  • Automatic Site Generation: Prodcat automates the creation of a Docusaurus website, saving you time and effort.
  • Software Product Management: Easily manage your software products through a simple products.js file.
  • Customizable: Prodcat is highly customizable, allowing you to tailor the look and feel of your website to match your brand.
  • Search Engine Optimized: The generated website is SEO-friendly, helping your software products get discovered by search engines.
  • Markdown Support: Write your documentation in Markdown, a simple and intuitive markup language.

Target audience​

This documentation is intended for anyone who uses Prodcat, including:

  • Technical Writers: Individuals responsible for writing and managing software product documentation.
  • Developers: Those who want to customize and extend the functionality of Prodcat.
  • Product Managers: Users who are responsible for the overall product strategy and documentation.

Getting Started​

Quick start guide​

Follow these steps to quickly set up and view your first Prodcat-generated website:

# 1. Install Prodcat globally
npm install -g prodcat

# 2. Create a new directory for your project and navigate into it
mkdir my-prodcat-project
cd my-prodcat-project

# 3. Initialize Prodcat in your new project
# This creates a basic Docusaurus project and a prodcat.config.js file
prodcat init

# 4. Create a products.js file with your first software product
#    (Open the file products.js and add the following content)
echo 'module.exports = [
  {
    name: "My First Product",
    id: "my-first-product",
    title: "My First Product Page",
    description: "This is a brief description of my very first software product.",
    frontMatter: {
      sidebar_label: "First Product",
    },
  },
];' > products.js

# 5. Generate your Prodcat website
prodcat generate

# 6. Navigate to the generated Docusaurus website directory
cd website

# 7. Start the Docusaurus development server
npm start

Your browser should automatically open to http://localhost:3000 (or a similar address) displaying your new Prodcat documentation website. Look for "First Product" in the sidebar!

This documentation is divided into three main sections:

  • User Guide: For those who are new to Prodcat and want to learn the basics.
  • Developer Guide: For developers who want to customize and extend Prodcat.
  • Administrator Guide: For users who need to install, deploy, and manage Prodcat.

Where to find help​

If you need help, you can: