# Installed documentation

**URL:** <https://forum.ansible.com/t/installed-documentation/26767>\
**Category:** Ansible Project\
**Created:** [February 16, 2018, 9:43pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/installed-documentation/26767 "2018-02-16T21:43:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![John\_Oliver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/97f17d/32.png) [@John\_Oliver](https://forum.ansible.com/u/John_Oliver)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 9:43pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/installed-documentation/26767/1 "2018-02-16T21:43:21Z")

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For everyone who’s about to reply, “[docs.ansible.com](http://docs.ansible.com)”, please don’t… I’m asking about docs actually installed and available on the local system, with no Internet connectivity.

ansible-doc has lots of great info for modules. I’m aware of and use it.

But what about documentation for core ansible functionality? If I need help with the syntax of a playbook, exactly how to implement a conditional or loop or variables or whatever… where is that?

No, ‘man ansible’ is not what I’m looking for. Nor is ‘man ansible-playbook’

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**Author:** ![sivel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/sivel/32/1198_2.png) [@sivel](https://forum.ansible.com/u/sivel)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 9:51pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/installed-documentation/26767/2 "2018-02-16T21:51:06Z")

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There is no installed copy of the full docs, and there is no downloadable copy of the rendered docs.

You can clone the git repo, or download the source tarball, and build the docs. Or just use the `rst` files provided there without building with sphinx.

The `rst` files live in docs/docsite/rst within the source tarball or the git repo.

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/original/1X/1882d9a01da5d8996a862359b0913cc568a39b84.svg) [@system](https://forum.ansible.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 10:20pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/installed-documentation/26767/3 "2018-02-16T22:20:54Z")

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FYI, ansible-doc does more than modules, it now documents other  
plugins also, i.e ansible-doc -t lookup nested

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**Author:** ![Varun\_Chopra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/54ee81/32.png) [@Varun\_Chopra](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Varun_Chopra)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 7:58am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/installed-documentation/26767/4 "2018-02-19T07:58:45Z")

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How’s the day to day user supposed to know this? 😕

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/original/1X/1882d9a01da5d8996a862359b0913cc568a39b84.svg) [@system](https://forum.ansible.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2018, 6:28pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/installed-documentation/26767/5 "2018-02-19T18:28:34Z")

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Manpage, ansible-doc --help and online docs  
([http://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/ansible-doc.html](http://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/ansible-doc.html)) show these  
options, it was also added to the changelog.

Unsure of where else we need to put this info, open to suggestions.