Using make with docs

[David T.]

Hello,

The recently-updated Documentation Update Instructions page on the wiki—as detailed as they are—nonetheless leave something to be desired when one reaches step 10. You see, up until this point, a great deal of energy is put into showing how one can use “make check” in different ways to test either the Guide, or the Help, or the different translations. 

Once you get to actually compiling these docs, though, the directions dry up and just tell the user to "make html” in "the appropriate directory within the build directory structure.” (ADWTBDS) 

Two points:

1) when I issue “make check”, I am in the working directory, and if you’re stupid or inattentive (both of which apparently apply to me), you issue the “make html” command without first changing to the ADWTBDS. This results in the docs being built right there in the working directory. Not horrible, but potentially messy (especially if you forget to remove the folder before going back to git).

2) If I change to my build directory, “make html” builds all the docs, which is a collossal waste of time when all I want to do is compile the Guide in (say) English—which is all I worked on in the first place. I personally don’t plan on ever editing the Portugese, German, Italian, or Japanese translations.

So, two questions:

1) Is there a way to configure the make command to use my build directory as its destination, while running from the working directory?
2) Is there a way to make just the html of one portion of the docs, without making all docs in all languages?

TIA,
David