UI Reference

Teleport uses Next.js to generate its static documentation site. Next.js uses Markdown with React, hence the .mdx filename suffix.

This section briefly describes some of the features that are most relevant when writing documentation.

Code blocks

You will often need to illustrate documentation with examples of commands, code, or configuration files. You can do this by adding a code block. Code blocks begin and end with three backticks. A label after the first row of backticks configures the way the block will be rendered:

```yaml
key: value
array:
- val1
- val2
- val3
```

If a code block's label is code or bash, the block will be optimized for example commands. Readers will be able to copy individual lines that begin with $. Comments and output will be highlighted differently than commands.

Here is an example of a code block:

```code
# Comment
$ tsh login
Output
```

Here is the same block after rendering:

Comment
tsh login
Output

Variables, templating, and interpolation

Many documentation teams struggle with maintaining the vast number of articles and resources that are eventually created and consumed. Links and images have to be rechecked for accuracy and relevance.

To ease this burden, we can replace links and code examples with variables so we don't have to constantly update everything after each release.

Variables are stored in the docs/config.json file under the key variables.

To insert a variable into a page, use the (\= path.to.variable \=) syntax (remove backslashes in the actual Markdown).

Variables will be linted when a PR is created as part of our CI/CD process. If a variable does not exist in the config, you will see an error that you must remedy in order to merge your PR.

Partials

To prevent content duplication, it's useful to include code examples or Markdown content from a partial file into the current page. This allows our documentation to reduce maintenance overhead so we can focus on writing new articles.

To include a partial, use the following syntax: (\!path-to-file.mdx\!) syntax (remove the backslashes in an actual page).

Paths are resolved from the root of the repository.

Partials will be linted when a PR is created as part of our CI/CD process. If a partial does not exist in the repository, our system will throw an error. Incorrect placement of include statements will also throw errors.

Partials will only be included in these two cases:

Surrounded by newlines

Some text.

(\! include.mdx \!)

Some other text.

If the partial is an .mdx file, it will be parsed and rendered as Markdown. In other cases it will be included as-is.

Inside code blocks

```code
# Code example below

(\!include.sh\!)

```

These will be inserted as-is, even in the case of .mdx files.

Image pixel density markers

Browsers can't distinguish between images that are suitable for Apple's Retina display and images that are not. Because of this, screenshots taken on Retina screens may look large on the page.

To hint to browsers that an image is meant for a Retina display, we can add the suffix @Nx to the image's file name. For example, screenshots made on MacOS should have the suffix [email protected]. This will tell the browser to scale images down twice to show them in their actual size.

Scopes

There are three versions of Teleport: oss, enterprise, and cloud. Readers can switch the scope of the documentation using a dropdown menu at the top of the page.

Based on the selector's value, some .mdx components can hide or show different content sections. Check the components' descriptions below to see which component can be affected by this selector. These components will include the scope property.

If scope is set, the component will be only shown if the scope is selected via the dropdown menu. scope can be either a single string or an array of strings. Possible values are oss, enterprise, and cloud. For an array of strings, use this syntax: scope={["oss", "cloud"]}.

Notices

If you want to add notice like the one above to the page, use this syntax:

<Notice type="tip">
  Notice content.
</Notice>

type can be one of the following values: warning, tip, note, danger. The default is tip. Different types will result in different background colors and icons.

scope is an optional property that specifies the component's scope.

Admonitions

Admonitions are similar to notices, but are intended for longer content that looks better against a white background. Use this syntax:

<Admonition title="Admonition title" type="tip">
 Admonition content.
</Admonition>

type can be one of the following values: warning, tip, note, danger. Different types will result in different colors for the header. Omitting the type or using some other value will result in resetting it to the tip.

If title is omitted, type will be used instead as the title value.

scope is an optional property that specifies the component's scope. If the scopeOnly property is provided and the user-selected scope is not included in scope, the Admonition will be hidden.

Tabs

To insert a tabs block like the one above, use this syntax:

<Tabs>
  <TabItem label="First label">
    First tab.
  </TabItem>
  <TabItem label="Second label">
    Second tab.
  </TabItem>
</Tabs>

scope is an optional property that specifies the component's scope. Selecting a scope via the dropdown menu at the top of the page switches the Tabs component to the tab associated with that scope.

Details

To insert a details block like the one above, use this syntax:

<Details title="Details title" min="7.0" opened>
  Details content
</Details>

scope is an optional property that specifies the component's scope.

If scopeOnly is assigned to {true}, the component will only be visible in the provided scope and invisible in all other scopes.

Figures

The Figure component can help with using images, figures, and diagrams:

<Figure
  align="center"
  bordered
  caption="Example"
>
  ![Example](../../../img/overview.png)
</Figure>

ScopedBlock

Use the ScopedBlock component if you want to render some Markdown only for users of open source Teleport, Teleport Cloud, or Teleport Enterprise.

ScopedBlock has a single property, scope, that works the same as it does for other components we use in the documentation. See our explanation of how to use the scope property.

Use this instead of the Tabs component when:

• You want to conceal details that aren't relevant to the reader's scope.
• The components you use don't look presentable within a TabItem, e.g., you're including a separate Tabs component for each scope.

Any Markdown and MDX components can be included within a ScopedBlock.

<ScopedBlock scope={["oss", "enterprise"]}>

  Here are some options for installing the Teleport Auth and Proxy Services on
  your own infrastructure.

  <Tabs>
  {/* TabItems that vary between scopes */}
  </Tabs>

</ScopedBlock>

Videos

To embed a video in a docs page, use the video tag:

<video autoPlay loop muted playsInline>
  <source src="../../img/database-access/dbaccessdemo.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
  <source src="../../img/database-access/dbaccessdemo.webm" type="video/webm" />
Your browser does not support the video tag.
</video>