# Install ford with Homebrew, Nix Automatic documentation generator for modern Fortran programs. Version 7.0.13 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:ford ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install ford ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#ford ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/fo/ford/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:ford - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 7.0.13 - **Source summary:** Automatic documentation generator for modern Fortran programs - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-3.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-10T07:20:53+00:00 ## Executables - ford (cli) - ford (alias) ## Dependencies - graphviz - python@3.14 ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-10 - Package-manager version: 7.0.13 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/Fortran-FOSS-Programmers/ford - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. - info: No cached GitHub release or tag data was available. ## Project history and usage FORD is an automatic documentation generator for modern Fortran programs. The README expands the name as FORtran Documenter and frames the project as a Fortran-oriented alternative to Doxygen and other documentation generators. ### Project history FORD was written because the maintainer found Doxygen's Fortran handling poor and other alternatives limited, proprietary, unattractive, or difficult to extend. The README specifically compares it with ROBODoc, f90doc, and Doxygen and states the goal of producing modern Fortran documentation that is informative, attractive, easy to write, and non-obtrusive. The documentation site later formalized the user guide around project files, Markdown metadata, fpm.toml integration, command-line options, generated pages, and API documentation. The changelog shows an active 6.x and 7.x period, including Sphinx/Read the Docs documentation work and a v7.0.0 breaking-change release. ### Adoption history The README documents pip as the simplest installation path, Homebrew as a macOS package-manager route, and additional system package availability. It also displays badges for PyPI, Homebrew, package status, downloads, GitHub license, and Zenodo, indicating packaging and citation concerns common in scientific Fortran projects. ### How it is used Users write a Markdown project file, optionally put settings in fpm.toml, and run ford against the project file. FORD extracts documentation from Fortran comments, supports Markdown, MathJax, search, Bootstrap-based output, source links, static pages, and external project references. ### Why package nerds care FORD matters to package and scientific-computing maintainers because it fills a language-specific documentation gap for modern Fortran while fitting normal Python packaging and Homebrew workflows. It also bridges Fortran Package Manager projects through fpm.toml support. ### Timeline - 2022: changelog entry v6.1.17 includes adding Sphinx docs and a Read the Docs website. - 2023: v6.2.5 released with fixes around bound procedure declarations and call graphs. - v7.0.0: changelog records a breaking release updating Bootstrap to 5.3 and changing project-file metadata behavior. ### Related projects - The README discusses Doxygen, ROBODoc, and f90doc as related documentation tools. The user guide also connects FORD to fpm.toml, Markdown, MathJax, Lunr Search, Bootstrap, and external FORD documentation projects. ### Sources - - - - - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Configuration and credential file locations These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval. ## Configuration files - Unix: ./*.md ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** ford - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 1 - **Head Version:** HEAD - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Nix - ford: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/fo/ford/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Source-control packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/source-control-tools/) - Belongs to a source-control command family. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [Developer build packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/developer-build-tools/) - Matched build, compiler, generator, or developer workflow metadata. - [graphviz](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/graphviz/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [python@3.14](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/python-3-14/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [doxygen](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/doxygen/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation, generator. - [action-docs](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/action-docs/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation. - [adr-tools](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/adr-tools/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation. - [adr-viewer](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/adr-viewer/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation. - [asciidoctor](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/asciidoctor/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation. - [asciidoctorj](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/asciidoctorj/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation. - [cargo-docset](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cargo-docset/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation. - [cheat](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cheat/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, documentation. - [fobis](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fobis/) - Both packages touch the same language runtime or ecosystem. Shared terms: cli, developer, developer-tools, fortran, graphviz. - [fprettify](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fprettify/) - Both packages touch the same language runtime or ecosystem. Shared terms: cli, developer, developer-tools, fortran, modern. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/ford.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/ford.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated configuration and credential file locations - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph