How to install and run the script

Update your environment on Linux:

sudo apt-get install libxml2-dev git-all

sudo perl -MCPAN -e shell

install XML::LibXML

exit

Update your environment on Windows:

Install: Perl from ActiveState

Run: Perl Package Manager
Search and install: XML-LibXML

Get Primer3Docs:

git clone https://github.com/primer3-org/primer3docs.git primer3docs

cd primer3docs

Run the script:

./create_tag_files_and_docs.pl

Guide to use Primer3 docs

The motivation to start this documentation script originated from the
need to keep the readme files in Primer3 and the helpfiles in
Primer3Web and Primer3Plus in sync. With Primer3 getting more input
tags this also helps to keep the overview.

It works rather simple. All information is stored in XML files. Then
a script is run which generates the html and txt files from it. This
end up in the folder script_output. Old and tested documents are in
reference_docs. Compare your new output to them to avoid loosing
information or other unwanted effects.

Of course there would be better ways, but I (A. Untergasser) know perl
and wanted fast results. That does of course not mean we should keep
it like that for ever.

There are three xml files:

primer3_command_line.xml
A list of all possible command line flags. New flags are automatically
added to all generated files.

primer3_tag_definitions.xml
A list of all possible input tags. New tags are automatically added
to all generated files.

primer3_output_tags.xml
A list of all possible output tags. New tags are automatically added
to all generated files.

primer3_textblocks.xml
A alphabetical list of textblocks. The script reads them in and puts
them into order. New textblocks needed to be added to the
@textblocksOrder array to be addet to the generated files.

In the <description> field of the tags and the <text> field of the
textblocks the following html-like elements are allowed. The script
will remove them for the txt files and modify them for html files:</text></description>

<p3_version>
will be replaced by the version, for example 1.1.4
<p3_year>
will be replaced by the years,
for example: 1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2004,2006,2007,2008


a html newline, it will be removed in txt files (not replaced
by a \n)
<p3t>.....</p3t>
Will be turned into a link to the anchor. All tag descriptions
Are automatically anchors. Like that it will link to its
description (or be removed in txt files).
<link>webpage.htm
Will be turned into a www-link to webpage.htm (or be plain text
in txt files).</p3_year></p3_version>