automate docs discovery of iris and python versions

docs/src/conf.py

@@ -95,17 +95,12 @@ def autolog(message):
 
 # Create a variable that can be inserted in the rst "|copyright_years|".
 # You can add more variables here if needed.
-rst_epilog = """
-.. |copyright_years| replace:: {year_range}
-.. |python_version| replace:: {python_version}
-.. |iris_version| replace:: {iris_version}
-.. |build_date| replace:: {build_date}
-""".format(
-    year_range=f"2010 - {upper_copy_year}",
-    python_version=".".join([str(i) for i in sys.version_info[:3]]),
-    iris_version=f"v{version}",
-    build_date=f"({datetime.datetime.now().strftime('%d %b %Y')})",
-)
+rst_epilog = f"""
+.. |copyright_years| replace:: {2010 - upper_copy_year}
+.. |python_version| replace:: {'.'.join([str(i) for i in sys.version_info[:3]])}
+.. |iris_version| replace:: v{version}
+.. |build_date| replace:: ({datetime.datetime.now().strftime('%d %b %Y')})
+"""
 
 # Add any Sphinx extension module names here, as strings. They can be
 # extensions coming with Sphinx (named 'sphinx.ext.*') or your custom

docs/src/developers_guide/release.rst

@@ -126,9 +126,8 @@ These steps assume a release for ``v1.9`` is to be created.
 Release Steps
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
-#. Create the branch ``1.9.x`` on the main repo, not in a forked repo, for the
-   release candidate or release.  The only exception is for a point/bugfix
-   release as it should already exist
+#. Create the release feature branch ``1.9.x`` on `SciTools/iris`_.
+   The only exception is for a point/bugfix release, as it should already exist
 #. Update the ``iris.__init__.py`` version string e.g., to ``1.9.0``
 #. Update the what's new for the release:
 
@@ -175,4 +174,5 @@ Post Release Steps
 
 
 .. _Read The Docs: https://readthedocs.org/projects/scitools-iris/builds/
+.. _SciTools/iris: https://github.com/SciTools/iris
 .. _tag on the SciTools/Iris: https://github.com/SciTools/iris/releases