🎉 StrictDoc's New Year 2027 Deprecations Removal Party 🧹

[stanislaw]

What

We plan to remove all currently deprecated features from StrictDoc by the end of 2026. If you still use any of these features, migrate by December 31, 2026.

Why

StrictDoc keeps many old code paths for backward compatibility. These code paths no longer match the development strategy of StrictDoc and add maintenance overhead to our development. After the removal, the team can spend the saved time on new features and fixes.

A less obvious reason is AI-assisted development. The old code and documentation confuse AI agents, which keep suggesting deprecated patterns. We want the StrictDoc code and documentation to show only the current patterns, so that AI agents follow them in future work.

How

We will remove all deprecations in one dedicated release. The work will go in as a series of small, focused pull requests. If you have questions or need help migrating, reply to this thread or contact us at strictdoc.project@gmail.com.

Planned time window: 20 to 31 December 2026.

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Deprecations to be removed

Please check your projects against the list below. Migrate each affected project before the removal. For most items, StrictDoc prints a DEPRECATION warning when it runs.

1. The strictdoc.toml configuration file will be removed

Replace it with strictdoc_config.py.

Migration guide: https://strictdoc.readthedocs.io/en/stable/?a=SECTION-UG-MIGRATE-CONFIG-2025-Q4

2. MATHJAX and MERMAID in project_features are no longer needed

MathJax and Mermaid are now on by default. Delete both entries from project_features in strictdoc_config.py.

3. REQUIREMENT_STYLE in [DOCUMENT] options is renamed to VIEW_STYLE

Rename it to VIEW_STYLE. The values stay the same.

4. REQUIREMENT_IN_TOC in [DOCUMENT] options is renamed to NODE_IN_TOC

Rename it to NODE_IN_TOC. The values stay the same.

5. Old Python import paths

This item affects users of the Python API or custom generators.

Old module	New module
strictdoc.core.actions.export_action	strictdoc.features.export.export_action
strictdoc.core.statistics.metric	strictdoc.features.project_statistics.metric
strictdoc.export.html.generators.project_statistics	strictdoc.features.project_statistics.generator
strictdoc.export.html.generators.view_objects.project_statistics_view_object	strictdoc.features.project_statistics.view_object
strictdoc.export.html.generators.view_objects.project_tree_stats	strictdoc.features.project_statistics.models.project_tree_stats

6. SOURCE_FILE_LANGUAGE_PARSERS in project_features

This feature is now on by default, and the flag does nothing. Delete it from project_features in strictdoc_config.py.

7. Old fields in File relations: VALUE, FUNCTION and CLASS

Use PATH instead of VALUE. Use ELEMENT and ID instead of FUNCTION and CLASS.

Before:

- TYPE: File
  VALUE: file.py
  FUNCTION: hello_world

After:

- TYPE: File
  PATH: file.py
  ELEMENT: function
  ID: hello_world

For a class, use ELEMENT: class.

Note

StrictDoc does not print a warning for these fields yet.

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Deprecations that were already removed

• [SECTION]: use [[SECTION]] instead. See the migration guide.
• REQ_PREFIX: use PREFIX instead.
• REFS: use RELATIONS instead.
• The passthrough command: use strictdoc export --formats=sdoc instead.