Use ReadTheDocs theme for GitHub Pages documentation

[Copilot]

Switch documentation theme from Alabaster to sphinx_rtd_theme for GitHub Pages and add ReadTheDocs.io deployment instructions.

Changes

• Theme configuration (docs/conf.py): Set html_theme = "sphinx_rtd_theme" with appropriate navigation options
• Dependencies: Added sphinx_rtd_theme to docs/requirements.txt and .github/workflows/docs.yml
• ReadTheDocs config (.readthedocs.yml): Updated to v2 format with build section specifying Ubuntu 22.04 and Python 3.10
• Deployment docs (CONTRIBUTING.rst): Added "Deploying Documentation to ReadTheDocs" section with step-by-step instructions

Screenshot

Note

Actual deployment to readthedocs.io requires a maintainer to import the project at readthedocs.org - the configuration is ready for this.

Warning

Firewall rules blocked me from connecting to one or more addresses (expand for details)

I tried to connect to the following addresses, but was blocked by firewall rules:

• docs.python.org
  • Triggering command: /home/REDACTED/.local/bin/sphinx-build sphinx-build -M html . _build (dns block)
• docs.scipy.org
  • Triggering command: /home/REDACTED/.local/bin/sphinx-build sphinx-build -M html . _build (dns block)
• matplotlib.org
  • Triggering command: /home/REDACTED/.local/bin/sphinx-build sphinx-build -M html . _build (dns block)
• numpy.org
  • Triggering command: /home/REDACTED/.local/bin/sphinx-build sphinx-build -M html . _build (dns block)
• pandas.pydata.org
  • Triggering command: /home/REDACTED/.local/bin/sphinx-build sphinx-build -M html . _build (dns block)
• pyscaffold.org
  • Triggering command: /home/REDACTED/.local/bin/sphinx-build sphinx-build -M html . _build (dns block)
• scikit-learn.org
  • Triggering command: /home/REDACTED/.local/bin/sphinx-build sphinx-build -M html . _build (dns block)
• setuptools.pypa.io
  • Triggering command: /home/REDACTED/.local/bin/sphinx-build sphinx-build -M html . _build (dns block)
• www.sphinx-doc.org
  • Triggering command: /home/REDACTED/.local/bin/sphinx-build sphinx-build -M html . _build (dns block)

If you need me to access, download, or install something from one of these locations, you can either:

• Configure Actions setup steps to set up my environment, which run before the firewall is enabled
• Add the appropriate URLs or hosts to the custom allowlist in this repository's Copilot coding agent settings (admins only)

Original prompt

use the theme of readthedocs for the github pages documentation

Can you give also instructions on how to deploy the docs in the readthedocs.io website?

---

💬 We'd love your input! Share your thoughts on Copilot coding agent in our 2 minute survey.