Feature #584 linkcheck

[JohnHalleyGotway]

Closes #584

Summary

Moves the link check into the existing Documentation workflow and updates Sphinx to the versions METplus uses, as was done for MET (dtcenter/MET#3457) and METplus (dtcenter/METplus#3359). The broken links themselves were resolved in #585. With these changes, the Documentation workflow builds the docs with no warnings and all checked links pass.

Changes

Link Check Moved Into the Documentation Workflow

• .github/workflows/documentation.yaml now runs dtcenter/metplus-action-linkcheck@v1 (v1.6.0) as a Check links step after the docs build, with the same inputs linkcheck.yml used. The weekly schedule is dropped.
• A workflow_dispatch trigger is added so the workflow can be run manually.
• .github/workflows/linkcheck.yml is removed.

Sphinx Updated to Match METplus

Package	Before	After
sphinx	5.3.0	8.2.3
sphinx-design	0.3.0	0.6.1
sphinx-rtd-theme	1.3.0	3.0.1
sphinx-gallery	0.14.0	0.19.0
sphinxcontrib-bibtex	2.6.1	2.6.1 (unchanged; compatible with Sphinx 8)

• Sphinx 8.2 requires Python 3.11 or later, so the Documentation workflow now uses Python 3.12 (was 3.10). Read the Docs already used 3.12.
• The workflow no longer installs unpinned sphinx, sphinx-gallery, and sphinx_rtd_theme before docs/requirements.txt.

Links

• Venita Hagerty (index.rst): https://sites.gsl.noaa.gov/authors/365 returns 503 Service Unavailable. Her name is now shown in bold with no link, as in MET and METplus, since this section will be removed before the next release. (v1.6.0 of the link checker re-checks 503 responses, which Sphinx reports as ignored.)
• linkcheck_ignore in docs/conf.py is reduced to one pattern:
  • Removed https://doi\.org/.*: the link checker checks DOI links with the DOI API, so DOIs whose publishers block automated requests (e.g. Wiley) still pass, and a mistyped DOI fails.
  • Kept https://bmcnoldy\.rsmas\.miami\.edu/.* (incomplete TLS certificate chain, and often unreachable), with a shorter comment.
  • Removed the commented-out example patterns.

Consistent Spacing

Tabs in the .rst files (31 line(s) in 15 file(s), 4097779) are replaced with spaces, for consistent spacing that matches the formatting conventions used elsewhere in the docs:

• Tabs used for indentation are replaced with the same number of spaces docutils already used for them (tab stops every 8 columns), so continuation lines and code blocks still line up.
• Lines containing only whitespace are now empty, and trailing tabs are removed.
• Tabs between words in a sentence, or after a directive name, are replaced with a single space.

These are whitespace-only changes (git diff -w is empty), and the rendered docs are unchanged. Each changed line was checked to give docutils the same input as before (docutils expands tabs to 8-column tab stops and strips trailing whitespace when it reads a file), and the Documentation workflow builds the docs with no warnings.

Pull Request Template Updated

.github/pull_request_template.md is updated to prompt for a summary of each pull request and to make the template consistent across the METplus repositories. Since linkcheck PRs are open in 8 METplus repositories at once, they are used to make the same template changes everywhere (see also dtcenter/METplus#3359, dtcenter/MET#3457, dtcenter/METcalcpy#478, dtcenter/METdataio#432, dtcenter/METviewer#676, dtcenter/METexpress#199, dtcenter/METplus-Training#73). In this repository, the template changes:

• Adds a Change Summary section at the top, prompting the submitter to describe the changes proposed by the pull request. The template had no place for this before.
• Replaces the per-repository METplotpy-X.Y.Z Development project with METplus-X.Y Development, the single coordinated development project used for each release since METplus 6.1 (e.g. METplus-13.0 Development). The line now says and/or, since a change can be selected for both projects.
• Adds </br> after the SonarQube "please describe" prompt, to match the other prompts.
• Links the METplus Components Python Requirements table on /en/latest/ instead of /en/develop/, like the template's other documentation links.

Pull Request Testing

• Describe testing already performed for these changes:
  
  The Documentation workflow passed on this branch (run 37078013741): the docs build with no warnings, and all 74 checked links passed (including 4 DOIs checked with the DOI API), with 1 ignored (bmcnoldy.rsmas.miami.edu). The docs were also built and link checked locally with Sphinx 8.2.3 on Python 3.12, with no warnings. "Python 3.12 tests" also passed.

• Recommend testing for the reviewer(s) to perform, including the location of input datasets, and any additional instructions:
  
  Review the Linkcheck Results in the Documentation job summary for this PR.

• Do these changes include sufficient documentation updates, ensuring that no errors or warnings exist in the build of the documentation? [Yes]

• Do these changes include sufficient testing updates? [Yes]

• Will this PR result in changes to the test suite? [No]
  
  If yes, describe the new output and/or changes to the existing output:
  

• Do these changes introduce new SonarQube findings? [No]
  
  If yes, please describe:

• Please complete this pull request review by [Fill in date].
  

Pull Request Checklist

See the METplus Workflow for details.

• Add any new Python packages to the METplus Components Python Requirements table.
• Review the source issue metadata (required labels, projects, and milestone).
• Complete the PR definition above.
• Ensure the PR title matches the feature or bugfix branch name.
• Define the PR metadata, as permissions allow.
  Select: Reviewer(s) and Development issue
  Select: Milestone as the version that will include these changes
  Select: Coordinated METplus-X.Y Support project for bugfix releases or METplotpy-X.Y.Z Development project for official releases
• After submitting the PR, select the ⚙️ icon in the Development section of the right hand sidebar. Search for the issue that this PR will close and select it, if it is not already selected.
• After the PR is approved, merge your changes. If permissions do not allow this, request that the reviewer do the merge.
• Close the linked issue and delete your feature or bugfix branch from GitHub.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[JohnHalleyGotway]

Link changes in this PR

This PR corrects 1 link:

• 1 removed, listed below.

Most of the broken links listed in #584 were already fixed in #585 (merged on 2026-07-30), so this table shows only the links changed by this PR.

The table compares develop with this branch. Each line number links to that line, in its file, at this PR's current commit (4097779ce). Changes that only reformat a link without changing its target, such as wrapping a bare URL in RST link syntax, are not listed. The displayed URLs contain invisible line-break hints, so click a link (or copy the link address) rather than copying its text.

Line(s)		URL
25	Old URL	https:/​/​sites.​gsl.​noaa.​gov/​authors/​365
	New URL	(link removed; Venita Hagerty's name is shown in bold instead)

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[JohnHalleyGotway]

@jprestop there no actual link updates for METplotpy.

Marking this PR as ready for your review.

[jprestop]

Everything looks good to me. Thank you for your work on this task @JohnHalleyGotway. I approve.