Today, we’re excited to announce a new, improved experience for Python library reference documentation on Microsoft Learn, formerly Microsoft Docs. The new experience is now available for all Microsoft Python libraries on Learn, such as the Azure SDK for Python. In this blog post, we take a closer look at the specific changes made and how they improve the overall experience and accessibility of Python reference documentation on Learn.
Change Summary
The key changes made to Python reference documentation on Learn were improving the navigation experience with the table of contents (TOC), the organization of in-page content, and in-page navigation via the right rail. When combined, these three key changes greatly improve the experience of finding information in Python reference on Learn.
Table of Contents (TOC)
If you’ve used reference documentation before, you’ll know that the TOC serves as a uniquely pivotal tool for navigation between pages. Reference documentation, unlike conceptual articles and tutorials, rarely links together in an easy-to-follow way. This means that the TOC is often the only way for cross-page navigation in reference documentation, making it a key priority for us to get right.
TOC – Before
Previously, the table of contents for Python Reference documentation on Learn had a redundant layer of navigation for package names (in the screenshot below, the azure-storage-blob node), which added confusion for users looking to navigate deeper into the documentation. In addition, the table of contents had package prefixes attached to every item. This led to a cluttered experience, with some items in the TOC taking up two lines of space, further impacting readability and accessibility.
