adev-writing-guide

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• Use second person ("you"): Address the reader directly.

• Prefer active voice: Clearly state who or what is performing the action (e.g., "The system generates a token" vs "A token is generated").

• Standard American English: Use standard American spelling and punctuation.

• Conditional clauses first: Place "if" or "when" clauses before the instruction (e.g., "If you encounter an error, check the logs").

• Define terms: Introduce new or unfamiliar terms/acronyms upon first use.

• Consistent terminology: Use the same term for the same concept throughout the document.

• Conciseness: Aim for one idea per sentence. Keep sentences short.

Formatting and Organization

• Sentence case for headings: Capitalize only the first word and proper nouns in titles and headings.

• Lists:

• Numbered lists: Use for sequential steps or prioritized items.

• Bulleted lists: Use for unordered collections of items.

• Description lists: Use for term-definition pairs.

• Serial commas: Use the Oxford comma (comma before the last item in a list of three or more).

• Code formatting: Use code font for code-related text (filenames, variables, commands).

• UI Elements: formatting user interface elements in bold.

• Date formatting: Use unambiguous formats (e.g., "September 4, 2024" rather than "9/4/2024").

• Structure: Use logical hierarchy with clear introductions and navigation. Headings should be task-based where possible.

Images and Code Samples

• Images: Use simple, clear illustrations to enhance understanding.

• Captions: Write captions that support the image.

• Code Samples:

• Ensure code is correct and builds without errors.

• Follow language-specific conventions.

• Comments: Focus on why, not what. Avoid commenting on obvious code.

Reference Hierarchy

• Project-specific style guidelines (if any exist in CONTRIBUTING.md or similar).

• Google Developer Documentation Style Guide.

• Merriam-Webster (spelling).

• Chicago Manual of Style (non-technical).

• Microsoft Writing Style Guide (technical).

II. Angular Documentation Specifics

Code Blocks

Use the appropriate language identifier for syntax highlighting:

• TypeScript (Angular): Use angular-ts when TypeScript code examples contain inline templates.

• HTML (Angular): Use angular-html for Angular templates.

• TypeScript (Generic): Use ts for plain TypeScript.

• HTML (Generic): Use html for plain HTML.

• Shell/Terminal: Use shell or bash.

• Mermaid Diagrams: Use mermaid.

#### Attributes

You can enhance code blocks with attributes in curly braces {} after the language identifier:

• header="Title": Adds a title to the code block.

• linenums: Enables line numbering.

• highlight="[1, 3-5]": Highlights specific lines.

• hideCopy: Hides the copy button.

• prefer: Marks code as a preferred example (green border/check).

• avoid: Marks code as an example to avoid (red border/cross).

Example:

@Component({

selector: 'my-app',

template: '<h1>Hello</h1>',

})

export class App {}

#### Component

For more advanced code block features, use the <docs-code> component:

• path: Path to a source file (e.g., adev/src/content/examples/...).

• header: Custom header text.

• language: Language identifier (e.g., angular-ts).

• linenums: Boolean attribute.

• highlight: Array of line numbers/ranges (e.g., [[3,7], 9]).

• diff: Path to diff file.

• visibleLines: Range of lines to show initially (collapsible).

• region: Region to extract from source file.

• preview: Boolean. Renders a live preview (StackBlitz). Only works with standalone examples.

• hideCode: Boolean. Collapses code by default.

Multifile Example:

<docs-code-multifile path="..." preview>

  <docs-code path="..." />

  <docs-code path="..." />

</docs-code-multifile>

Alerts / Admonitions

Use specific keywords followed by a colon for alerts. These render as styled blocks.

• NOTE: For ancillary information.

• TIP: For helpful hints or shortcuts.

• IMPORTANT: For crucial information.

• CRITICAL: For warnings about potential data loss or severe issues.

• TODO: For incomplete documentation.

• QUESTION: To pose a question to the reader.

• SUMMARY: For section summaries.

• TLDR: For concise summaries.

• HELPFUL: For best practices.

Example:

TIP: Use `ng serve` to run your application locally.

Custom Components

• **Cards (<docs-card>):**

• Must be inside <docs-card-container>.

• Attributes: title, link, href.

• **Callouts (<docs-callout>):**

• Attributes: title, important, critical.

• **Pills (<docs-pill>):**

• Must be inside <docs-pill-row>.

• Attributes: title, href.

• **Steps / Workflow (<docs-step>):**

• Must be inside <docs-workflow>.

• Attributes: title.

• **Tabs (<docs-tab>):**

• Must be inside <docs-tab-group>.

• Attributes: label.

• **Videos (<docs-video>):**

• Attributes: src (YouTube embed URL), alt.

Images

Use standard markdown syntax with optional attributes for sizing and loading behavior.

• #small, #medium: Append to image URL for sizing.

• {loading: 'lazy'}: Add attribute for lazy loading.

Example:

![Alt Text](path/to/image.png#medium {loading: 'lazy'})

Headers

• Use markdown headers (#, ##, ###).

• Ensure a logical hierarchy (don't skip levels).

• h2 and h3 are most common for content structure.