linux-kernel - [PATCH] docs: Makefile: update SPHINXDIRS documentation

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Message-ID: <683469813350214da122c258063dd71803ff700b.1763031632.git.mchehab+huawei@kernel.org>
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2025 12:00:32 +0100
From: Mauro Carvalho Chehab <mchehab+huawei@...nel.org>
To: Linux Doc Mailing List <linux-doc@...r.kernel.org>,
	Jonathan Corbet <corbet@....net>
Cc: Mauro Carvalho Chehab <mchehab+huawei@...nel.org>,
	"Jani Nikula" <jani.nikula@...el.com>,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: [PATCH] docs: Makefile: update SPHINXDIRS documentation


Since the beginning, SPHINXDIRS was meant to be used by any
subdirectory inside Documentation/ that contains a file named
index.rst on it. The typical usecase for SPHINXDIRS is help
building subsystem-specific documentation, without needing to
wait for the entire building (with can take 3 minutes with
Sphinx 8.x and above, and a lot more with older versions).

Yet, the documentation for such feature was written back in
2016, where almost all index.rst files were at the first
level (Documentation/*/index.rst).

Update the documentation to reflect the way it works.

Signed-off-by: Mauro Carvalho Chehab <mchehab+huawei@...nel.org>
---
 Documentation/Makefile | 4 +++-
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/Makefile b/Documentation/Makefile
index d514ab6761dc..c66df29cf0a3 100644
--- a/Documentation/Makefile
+++ b/Documentation/Makefile
@@ -104,7 +104,9 @@ dochelp:
 	@echo  '  cleandocs       - clean all generated files'
 	@echo
 	@echo  '  make SPHINXDIRS="s1 s2" [target] Generate only docs of folder s1, s2'
-	@echo  '  valid values for SPHINXDIRS are: $(_SPHINXDIRS)'
+	@echo  '  top level values for SPHINXDIRS are: $(_SPHINXDIRS)'
+	@echo  '  you may also use a subdirectory like SPHINXDIRS=userspace-api/media,'
+	@echo  '  provided that there is an index.rst file at the subdirectory.'
 	@echo
 	@echo  '  make DOCS_THEME={sphinx-theme} selects a different Sphinx theme.'
 	@echo
-- 
2.51.1