add constants page to api reference

docs/source/conf.py

@@ -92,6 +92,24 @@
 #     app.connect("autodoc-skip-member", skip)
 
 
+def process_constants_docstring(app, what, name, obj, options, lines):
+    """
+    Function to remove the default docstring generated by autodoc for data objects and replace it with the type information.
+
+    Assuming that the constants are documented using the .. autodata:: directive, this function will remove the default docstring generated by autodoc and replace it with the type information.
+    The type information is directly inferred from the variable and thus does not need to be manually specified in the docstring.
+    The docstring in the .rst file will be appended to this type information.
+    """
+
+    if what == "data":
+        lines.clear()
+        # retrieve variable type directly from the object
+        lines.append(f":type: {type(obj).__name__}")
+
+
+def setup(app):
+    app.connect('autodoc-process-docstring', process_constants_docstring)
+
 # Add any paths that contain templates here, relative to this directory.
 templates_path = ["_templates"]
 

docs/source/constants.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,151 @@
+``constants``
+======
+This module contains constants that are used in the tudatpy library or commonly used in astrodynamic calculations.
+
+References
+----------
+.. [1] NASA SSD. Astrodynamic Parameters, http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/?constants#ref, 6th September, 2011, last accessed: 21st February, 2012.
+.. [2] Standish, E.M. (1995) "Report of the IAU WGAS Sub-Group on Numerical Standards", in Highlights of Astronomy (I. Appenzeller, ed.), Table 1, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht
+.. [3] IAU 2012, Resolution B2. https://www.iau.org/static/resolutions/IAU2012_English.pdf
+.. [4] Anderson, J.D. Jr. Hypersonic and High-Temperature Gas Dynamics, Second Edition, p469, 2006
+.. [5] NIST reference on constants, units and uncertainty. http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Constants/index.html, last accessed: 11th January, 2013
+.. [6] Wolfram Research, http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/physics/Stefan-BoltzmannLaw.html, last accessed: 11th January 2013.
+
+
+Constants
+---------
+.. currentmodule:: tudatpy.constants
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.SEA_LEVEL_GRAVITATIONAL_ACCELERATION
+
+    Standard gravitational acceleration at sea-level.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.JULIAN_DAY
+
+    Julian day in seconds [1]_.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.JULIAN_DAY_LONG
+
+    Julian day in seconds [1]_, in long double precision.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.JULIAN_YEAR_IN_DAYS
+
+    Julian year in Julian days [1]_.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.JULIAN_YEAR_IN_DAYS_LONG
+
+    Julian year in Julian days [1]_, in long double precision.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.JULIAN_YEAR
+
+    Julian year in seconds. Result of JULIAN_YEAR_IN_DAYS * JULIAN_DAY.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.SIDEREAL_DAY
+
+    Sidereal day in seconds [1]_.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.SIDEREAL_YEAR_IN_DAYS
+
+    Sidereal year in Julian days in quasar reference frame [1]_.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.SIDEREAL_YEAR
+
+    Sidereal year in quasar reference frame. Result of SIDEREAL_YEAR_IN_DAYS * JULIAN_DAY.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.SPEED_OF_LIGHT
+
+    Speed of light in meters per second [2]_.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.SPEED_OF_LIGHT_LONG
+
+    Speed of light in meters per second [2]_, in long double precision.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.GRAVITATIONAL_CONSTANT
+
+    Gravitational constant in :math:`\mathrm{m}^3/\mathrm{s}^2` [2]_.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.ASTRONOMICAL_UNIT
+
+    Astronomical Unit in meters [3]_.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.SPECIFIC_GAS_CONSTANT_AIR
+
+    The specific gas constant of air in :math:`\mathrm{J}/(\mathrm{kg} \, \mathrm{K})` [4]_.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.MOLAR_GAS_CONSTANT
+
+    The molar gas constant in :math:`\mathrm{J}/(\mathrm{mol} \, \mathrm{K})` [5]_.
+    Also known as universal gas constant.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.PLANCK_CONSTANT
+
+    Planck's constant in :math:`\mathrm{m}^{2} \, \mathrm{kg}/\mathrm{s}` [5]_.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.BOLTZMANN_CONSTANT
+
+    The Boltzmann constant (gas constant per particle) in  :math:`\mathrm{m}^{2} \, \mathrm{kg} / ( \mathrm{s}^{2} \, \mathrm{K} )`, [5]_.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.STEFAN_BOLTZMANN_CONSTANT
+
+    Stefan-Boltzmann constant, used for calculating black body radiation intensity in :math:`\mathrm{J} / (\mathrm{s} \, \mathrm{m}^{2} \, \mathrm{K}^{4} )` [6]_.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.INVERSE_SQUARE_SPEED_OF_LIGHT
+
+    Precomputed inverse-square of speed of light.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.INVERSE_CUBIC_SPEED_OF_LIGHT
+
+    Precomputed inverse 3rd power of speed of light.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.INVERSE_QUARTIC_SPEED_OF_LIGHT
+
+    Precomputed inverse 4th power of speed of light.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.INVERSE_QUINTIC_SPEED_OF_LIGHT
+
+    Precomputed inverse 5th power of speed of light.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.VACUUM_PERMEABILITY
+
+    Permeability of vacuum.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.VACUUM_PERMITTIVITY
+
+    Permittivity of vacuum.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.LG_TIME_RATE_TERM
+
+    Relative time rate difference between TCG and TT time scales.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.LG_TIME_RATE_TERM_LONG
+
+    Relative time rate difference between TCG and TT time scales, in long double precision.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.JULIAN_DAY_ON_J2000
+
+    Julian day at J2000, i.e. 01-01-2000, at 12:00 (in TT).
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.JULIAN_DAY_AT_0_MJD
+
+    Julian day at Modified Julian Date 0, i.e. Nov 17, 1858, 00:00.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.E
+
+    The constant E is base of the natural logarithm, and is also known as Napier's constant.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.GOLDEN_RATIO
+
+    The golden ratio, also known as the divine proportion, golden mean, or golden section, is a number often encountered when taking the ratios of distances in simple geometric figures such as the pentagon, pentagram, decagon and dodecahedron.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.COMPLEX_I
+
+    Independent root of -1, typically denoted :math:`i`.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.PI
+
+    The constant PI, denoted :math:`\pi`, is a real number defined as the ratio of a circle's circumference :math:`C` to its diameter, :math:`d = 2r`.
+
+.. autodata:: tudatpy.constants.TUDAT_NAN
+
+    Tudat Not-A-Number (NaN) value.
+

docs/source/index.rst

@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ astrodynamics.
    :caption: Modules
 
    astro
+   constants
    data
    interface
    math