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nodejs/doc/STYLE_GUIDE.md
Rich Trott e4a3664fe9 doc: revise Style Guide
Most important change here is to point people to the YAML material in
the docs rather than the previous way we indicated versions that
introduced or deprecated APIs.

Remove contents about assets as we do not actually have any in the docs.

Otherwise, a bunch of stylistic changes, mostly to keep things concise
and direct.

PR-URL: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/26176
Reviewed-By: Richard Lau <riclau@uk.ibm.com>
Reviewed-By: Beth Griggs <Bethany.Griggs@uk.ibm.com>
2019-02-19 19:17:12 -08:00

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Markdown

# Style Guide
* Documentation is in markdown files with names formatted as
`lowercase-with-dashes.md`.
* Use an underscore in the filename only if the underscore is part of the
topic name (e.g., `child_process`).
* Some files, such as top-level markdown files, are exceptions.
* Documents should be word-wrapped at 80 characters.
* `.editorconfig` describes the preferred formatting.
* A [plugin][] is available for some editors to apply these rules.
* Check changes to documentation with `make lint-md`.
* Use American English spelling.
* OK: _capitalize_, _color_
* NOT OK: _capitalise_, _colour_
* Use [serial commas][].
* Avoid personal pronouns (_I_, _you_, _we_) in reference documentation.
* Personal pronouns are acceptable in colloquial documentation such as guides.
* Use gender-neutral pronouns and gender-neutral plural nouns.
* OK: _they_, _their_, _them_, _folks_, _people_, _developers_
* NOT OK: _his_, _hers_, _him_, _her_, _guys_, _dudes_
* When combining wrapping elements (parentheses and quotes), place terminal
punctuation:
* Inside the wrapping element if the wrapping element contains a complete
clause.
* Outside of the wrapping element if the wrapping element contains only a
fragment of a clause.
* Documents must start with a level-one heading.
* Prefer affixing links to inlining links — prefer `[a link][]` to
`[a link](http://example.com)`.
* When documenting APIs, update the YAML comment associated with the API as
appropriate. This is especially true when introducing or deprecating an API.
* Use [Em dashes][] ("—" or `Option+Shift+"-"` on macOS) surrounded by spaces,
as per [The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage][].
* For code blocks:
* Use language aware fences. ("```js")
* Code need not be complete. Treat code blocks as an illustration or aid to
your point, not as complete running programs. If a complete running program
is necessary, include it as an asset in `assets/code-examples` and link to
it.
* When using underscores, asterisks, and backticks, please use
backslash-escaping: `\_`, `\*`, and ``\` ``.
* Constructors should use PascalCase.
* Instances should use camelCase.
* Denote methods with parentheses: `socket.end()` instead of `socket.end`.
* Function arguments or object properties should use the following format:
* ``` * `name` {type|type2} Optional description. **Default:** `value`. ```
<!--lint disable maximum-line-length remark-lint-->
* For example: <code>* `byteOffset` {integer} Index of first byte to expose. **Default:** `0`.</code>
<!--lint enable maximum-line-length remark-lint-->
* The `type` should refer to a Node.js type or a [JavaScript type][].
* Function returns should use the following format:
* <code>* Returns: {type|type2} Optional description.</code>
* E.g. <code>* Returns: {AsyncHook} A reference to `asyncHook`.</code>
* Use official styling for capitalization in products and projects.
* OK: JavaScript, Google's V8
<!--lint disable prohibited-strings remark-lint-->
* NOT OK: Javascript, Google's v8
<!-- lint enable prohibited-strings remark-lint-->
* Use _Node.js_ and not _Node_, _NodeJS_, or similar variants.
* When referring to the executable, _`node`_ is acceptable.
See also API documentation structure overview in [doctools README][].
[Em dashes]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dash#Em_dash
[Javascript type]: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Guide/Grammar_and_types#Data_structures_and_types
[serial commas]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_comma
[The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_Manual_of_Style_and_Usage
[plugin]: http://editorconfig.org/#download
[doctools README]: ../tools/doc/README.md