# Zensical Features and Configuration Patterns

Use this reference when deciding which Zensical features to enable and why.

## Project Bootstrap

Always start a new docs project with `uv run zensical new`.

- It creates the baseline scaffolding for configuration, docs structure, and theme integration.
- Treat this as the default starting point rather than manually assembling files.

## High-Value Feature Groups

### Navigation and Discoverability

- `navigation.indexes`: lets sections have index pages for overview content.
- `navigation.path`: adds breadcrumb-like context.
- `navigation.sections`: groups top-level sections for large doc sets.
- `navigation.instant`: enables instant internal navigation.
- `navigation.instant.prefetch`: prefetches likely next pages.
- `navigation.top`: shows a back-to-top affordance.
- `navigation.tracking`: keeps URL anchors in sync with active section.

!!! info "Source links"
    - [Zensical navigation setup](https://zensical.org/docs/setup/navigation/)

### Code-Heavy Documentation

- `content.code.copy`: copy button in code blocks.
- `content.code.select`: line range selection support.
- `content.code.annotate`: inline code annotations.
- Prefer mkdocstrings for generated API reference pages when documenting Python code.
- Keep generated API pages linked from hand-authored task and concept docs.

!!! info "Source links"
    - [Zensical code blocks](https://zensical.org/docs/authoring/code-blocks/)
    - [mkdocstrings](https://mkdocstrings.github.io/)

### Cross-Page UX Consistency

- `content.tabs.link`: keeps same-named tabs synchronized.
- `content.tooltips`: improves tooltip behavior for links.
- `content.footnote.tooltips`: inline footnote previews.

!!! info "Source links"
    - [Zensical content tabs](https://zensical.org/docs/authoring/content-tabs/)
    - [Zensical tooltips](https://zensical.org/docs/authoring/tooltips/)
    - [Zensical footnotes](https://zensical.org/docs/authoring/footnotes/)

### Search and Content Actions

- `search.highlight`: highlights matches after search navigation.
- `content.action.edit` and `content.action.view` (if repository integration is configured).

!!! info "Source links"
    - [Zensical search setup](https://zensical.org/docs/setup/search/)
    - [Zensical repository setup](https://zensical.org/docs/setup/repository/)

## Styling and Extensibility

Use site-level customization when docs need stronger visual affordances.

- `extra_css`: add targeted style overrides.
- `extra_javascript`: add behavior enhancements.
- Theme override directory (`custom_dir`) for template-level changes.

!!! info "Source links"
    - [Zensical customization overview](https://zensical.org/docs/customization/)
    - [Additional CSS](https://zensical.org/docs/customization/#additional-css)
    - [Additional JavaScript](https://zensical.org/docs/customization/#additional-javascript)
    - [Extending the theme](https://zensical.org/docs/customization/#extending-the-theme)

## Practical Feature Selection Rules

1. Start with discoverability and clarity features first.
2. For code-heavy docs, add copy/select/annotate first, then define mkdocstrings coverage for API reference.
3. Avoid enabling many features at once without measurement.
4. Track user success metrics (search success, time-to-answer, support deflection) after each change.