Sphinx AppleHelp Extension

2.0.0 verified Tue May 12 auth: no python install: verified

sphinxcontrib-applehelp is a Sphinx extension which outputs Apple Help Books. It is maintained by the Sphinx project and has an irregular but generally active release cadence, with version 2.0.0 released in July 2024.

pip install sphinxcontrib-applehelp

Common errors

error ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'sphinxcontrib.applehelp' ↓

cause The `sphinxcontrib-applehelp` package is not installed in your Python environment.

fix

pip install sphinxcontrib-applehelp

error WARNING: unknown extension 'sphinxcontrib.applehelp' ↓

cause The `sphinxcontrib.applehelp` extension is not listed in the `extensions` variable within your Sphinx `conf.py` file.

fix

Add 'sphinxcontrib.applehelp' to the extensions list in your conf.py, e.g., extensions = ['sphinxcontrib.applehelp'].

error ConfigError: applehelp_bundle_id is not set in conf.py. It is a required setting. ↓

cause The `applehelp_bundle_id` configuration variable, which is mandatory for building Apple Help, is missing from your Sphinx `conf.py` file.

fix

Add a unique, valid bundle identifier to your conf.py, e.g., applehelp_bundle_id = 'org.example.MyProject.Help'.

Warnings

breaking sphinxcontrib-applehelp 2.0.0 (and recent 1.x versions) requires Sphinx v5.0 or later. Building with older Sphinx versions will result in a `sphinx.errors.VersionRequirementError`. ↓

fix Upgrade your Sphinx installation to version 5.0 or newer (e.g., `pip install -U Sphinx`). If compatibility with older Sphinx versions is required, pin `sphinxcontrib-applehelp` to an older version (e.g., `==1.0.4`).

deprecated Older versions of sphinxcontrib-applehelp (e.g., 1.0.2, 1.0.7) may produce `RemovedInSphinx80Warning` due to deprecated aliases like `sphinx.util.SkipProgressMessage` and `sphinx.util.progress_message`. ↓

fix Upgrade sphinxcontrib-applehelp to the latest version (2.0.0 or newer) to resolve these warnings.

gotcha The builder name 'applehelp' was moved from `sphinx.builders` to `sphinxcontrib.applehelp` in Sphinx 2.0. While this is a Sphinx core change, it solidifies the usage pattern for this extension. ↓

fix Ensure you are using a compatible Sphinx version (>=2.0) and that the extension is correctly added to `extensions` in `conf.py`.

gotcha Historically, there have been issues with package naming conventions (hyphens vs. dots in `setup_requires` lists) that could lead to build failures with older setuptools versions when Sphinx implicitly depended on `sphinxcontrib-applehelp`. ↓

fix Ensure modern packaging practices (e.g., `pyproject.toml`) and up-to-date `setuptools` are used. For older environments, explicitly pin `sphinxcontrib-applehelp` to a compatible version if build issues related to dependency resolution occur.

Install compatibility verified last tested: 2026-05-12

python os / libc status wheel install import disk

3.10 alpine (musl) wheel - 0.00s 18.6M

3.10 alpine (musl) - - 0.00s 18.6M

3.10 slim (glibc) wheel 1.5s 0.00s 19M

3.10 slim (glibc) - - 0.00s 19M

3.11 alpine (musl) wheel - 0.00s 20.4M

3.11 alpine (musl) - - 0.00s 20.4M

3.11 slim (glibc) wheel 1.6s 0.00s 21M

3.11 slim (glibc) - - 0.00s 21M

3.12 alpine (musl) wheel - 0.00s 12.3M

3.12 alpine (musl) - - 0.00s 12.3M

3.12 slim (glibc) wheel 1.4s 0.00s 13M

3.12 slim (glibc) - - 0.00s 13M

3.13 alpine (musl) wheel - 0.00s 12.1M

3.13 alpine (musl) - - 0.00s 12.0M

3.13 slim (glibc) wheel 1.4s 0.00s 13M

3.13 slim (glibc) - - 0.00s 12M

3.9 alpine (musl) wheel - 0.00s 18.1M

3.9 alpine (musl) - - 0.00s 18.1M

3.9 slim (glibc) wheel 1.8s 0.00s 19M

3.9 slim (glibc) - - 0.00s 19M

Imports

applehelp
```
extensions = ['sphinxcontrib.applehelp']
```
To enable the extension in Sphinx, add 'sphinxcontrib.applehelp' to the 'extensions' list in your conf.py.

Quickstart last tested: 2026-04-24

After installing, enable the extension by adding 'sphinxcontrib.applehelp' to the `extensions` list in your Sphinx `conf.py`. Then, build the documentation using the 'applehelp' builder.

# conf.py
project = 'My Project'
copyright = '2026, My Team'
extensions = [
    'sphinxcontrib.applehelp'
]

# To build from your documentation root:
# sphinx-build -b applehelp . _build/applehelp