cp_model python docs are bad

[MartinNFuller]

https://or-tools.github.io/docs/pdoc/ortools/sat/python/cp_model.html

• Many broken links: ".CpModel", ".CpSolver", "..CpSolverSolutionCallback", ".ObjectiveSolutionPrinter", ".VarArraySolutionPrinter", #boundedlinearexpression (all lower case), etc.
• Definitions add nothing: "class BoundedLinearExpression" = "A class to hold a linear expression with bounds." ; "def add_all_different(self, *expressions)" = "Adds AllDifferent(expressions)."
• Argument definitions try to be precise but are wrong. E.g. add_all_different: "*expressions: simple expressions of the form a * var + constant." But actually it accepts multi-variable sums, presumably any LinearExpr. So why not say that?
• only_enforce_if: same documentation is repeated 4 times
• Too much syntax, not enough examples. I shouldn't have to understand the internal workings of LinearExpr before I can use model.add_all_different, for instance.
• The table of contents on the left-hand side is useless because it is too long. Table of contents for the old docs had function names for CpModel and CpSolver, and only the class name for everything else.
• Many classes and methods are not documented: How to use search_strategy? How to use symmetry? If the solver returns MODEL_INVALID, how do I diagnose? When does it return OPTIMAL vs FEASIBLE?
• Smooth scrolling is annoying. Yes, it is possible to disable it within Edge flags, but why should I have to?

[Mizux]

devNote:

seems to come from:

or-tools/ortools/sat/python/cp_model.py

Lines 20 to 43 in 00cff82

	* [`CpModel`](#cp_model.CpModel): Methods for creating models, including
	variables and constraints.
	* [`CpSolver`](#cp_model.CpSolver): Methods for solving a model and evaluating
	solutions.
	The following methods implement callbacks that the
	solver calls each time it finds a new solution.
	* [`CpSolverSolutionCallback`](#cp_model.CpSolverSolutionCallback):
	A general method for implementing callbacks.
	* [`ObjectiveSolutionPrinter`](#cp_model.ObjectiveSolutionPrinter):
	Print objective values and elapsed time for intermediate solutions.
	* [`VarArraySolutionPrinter`](#cp_model.VarArraySolutionPrinter):
	Print intermediate solutions (variable values, time).
	* [`VarArrayAndObjectiveSolutionPrinter`]
	(#cp_model.VarArrayAndObjectiveSolutionPrinter):
	Print both intermediate solutions and objective values.
	Additional methods for solving CP-SAT models:
	* [`Constraint`](#cp_model.Constraint): A few utility methods for modifying
	constraints created by `CpModel`.
	* [`LinearExpr`](#cp_model.LinearExpr): Methods for creating constraints
	and the objective from large arrays of coefficients.

also ill parsed by doxygen: https://or-tools.github.io/docs/python/namespaceortools_1_1sat_1_1python_1_1cp__model.html

[lperron]

see:

• Useful CP-SAT resources #4237 .

In particular: https://github.com/google/or-tools/tree/stable/ortools/sat/docs

Please be constructive, ranting does not help.

[MartinNFuller]

It was intended as a list of specific targets for improvement (constructive!).

Do you have an archive of the old documentation? The old docs were much more readable.

[lperron]

Which old docs ? The code has only been patched, and we use pdoc to generate the doc. Laurent Perron | Operations Research | ***@***.*** | (33) 1 42 68 53 00 Le lun. 8 juin 2026 à 11:07, MartinNFuller ***@***.***> a écrit :

…

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[MartinNFuller]

"Which old docs ?" I don't know. I didn't need them for 90 days and they vanished from my browser history. And google search only finds your documentation. I assumed this was the same thing.

It was definitely API reference, not any kind of primer or guide. It was python. The list of functions was top-right. It used PascalCase not underscores.