Keep docs of previous Ocean versions available online

[randomir]

To consider:

• keep only last X versions
• list only major releases (pointing to latest minor/patch for each major)
• list only major.minor releases

See: RtD docs on versions and automation rules.

[randomir]

Added a simple rule for now to build and "activate" each new version (on tag).

[rosspeili]

Hey @randomir is this still open?

[randomir]

@rosspeili, yes it is.

[rosspeili]

Happy to pick this up @randomir. Anything I should keep in mind as a first time Contributor to the project besides rtd docs? Thanks.

[randomir]

Hi @rosspeili, you should check Ocean's contributing guide and the AI policy.

Regarding this issue, feel free to take a crack, but I believe you might need RtD admin access. Regardless, you're welcome to propose/argue for your solution. Thanks!

[rosspeili]

Hey @randomir, thanks a lot for the context. I've already read the contributing guide and AI policy.

I was thinking I could work on a small PR for the repo-side pieces, and leave the rtd work to someone with access.

My idea is to document a clear versioning policy and add a small maintainer utility that applies it (eg with dry-run), because the existing activate on tag rule handles new releases going forward, but older tags are likely still inactive by default, and there's no written policy yet for retention or what shows in the flyout menu.

I'd propose:

• activate stable semver release tags (X.Y.Z, no rc/dev)
• flyout menu: one entry per major.minor (latest patch), so older patches stay active but hidden so direct URLs still work
• keep the last 4 major versions active, and older ones hidden (not deactivated) so docs stay online without cluttering the selector

Short PR scope:

• user docs on how to access docs for a specific Ocean SDK version
• maintainer notes with the exact RtD automation rules to configure
• A scripts/rtd_versions.py helper (with tests) maintainers can run with READTHEDOCS_TOKEN to apply hide/retention in dry-run or live mode, I think useful for a one-time backfill and ongoing releases

Won't touch / done by rtd admin:

• One-time bulk activation of historical tags within the retention window
• Confirm/update the existing semver-tag automation rule (and if needed maybe also ordering)

Let me know if this makes sense, or if I'm missing something <3