admin/notes/documentation

   1 -*- outline -*-
   2
   3 Some documentation tips culled from emacs-devel postings.
   4
   5
   6 ** Manual indices
   7
   8 http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2008-10/msg00400.html
   9
  10 For example, this text:
  11
  12     @vindex x-gtk-show-hidden-files
  13     @vindex x-gtk-file-dialog-help-text
  14       When Emacs is compiled with GTK+ support, it uses the GTK+ ``file
  15     chooser'' dialog.  Emacs adds an additional toggle button to this
  16     dialog, which you can use to enable or disable the display of hidden
  17     files (files starting with a dot) in that dialog.  If you want this
  18     toggle to be activated by default, change the variable
  19     @code{x-gtk-show-hidden-files} to @code{t}.  In addition, Emacs adds
  20     help text to the GTK+ file chooser dialog; to disable this help text,
  21     change the variable @code{x-gtk-file-dialog-help-text} to @code{nil}.
  22
  23 has index entries for the variables it describes, which is good, but
  24 what if a user looks for this information without knowing the names of
  25 these variables?  For those, I added these two concept index entries:
  26
  27     @cindex hidden files, in GTK+ file chooser
  28     @cindex help text, in GTK+ file chooser
  29
  30 Thus, if a user types "i hidden files TAB" in Info, she will see the
  31 first entry, and so if she types "i file chooser RET".  See why it is
  32 better?
  33
  34 The way to come up with useful index entries is to put yourself in the
  35 shoes of someone who looks for the information, and think about words
  36 and phrases you'd use to find it.
  37
  38 One other rule for good indexing is not to have several index entries
  39 that begin with the same substring and point to the same page or
  40 screenful (i.e. to places that are close to one another).  Here's a
  41 fictitious example of such redundant entries:
  42
  43   @cindex foobar, how to use
  44   @cindex foobar rules
  45
  46   Either leave only one of these, e.g. just "@cindex foobar", or
  47 combine them into a single entry, e.g.:
  48
  49   @cindex foobar, rules and usage
  50
  51
  52 ** Point is a proper name
  53
  54 http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2008-10/msg00414.html
  55
  56 In Emacs tradition, we treat "point" as a proper name when it refers
  57 to the current editing location. It should not have an article.
  58
  59 Thus, it is incorrect to write, "The point does not move". It should
  60 be, "Point does not move".
  61
  62 If you see "the point" anywhere in Emacs documentation or comments,
  63 referring to point, please fix it.
  64
  65
  66 ** Don't use passive verbs
  67
  68 http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2008-10/msg00414.html
  69
  70 Documentation is clearer if it avoids the passive voice whenever
  71 possible.  For example, rather than saying "Point does not move", say
  72 "This does not move point".  If you come across passive verbs in Emacs
  73 documentation or comments, please see if it is possible to make the
  74 text shorter and clearer using the active voice.  Usually that does
  75 make an improvement.  The explicit subject required by the active voice
  76 often provides important information which makes the text clearer, too.
  77
  78
  79 ** Antinews nodes
  80
  81 *** Why Antinews is useful
  82
  83 http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2008-11/msg00893.html
  84
  85 The usefulness of Antinews is to help people who buy the printed
  86 manual and are still using the previous Emacs version.  That's why we
  87 focus on the (eliminated) behavior of the old version rather than on
  88 the new features.
  89
  90 Of course, we try to make it amusing as well.
  91
  92 *** Don't mention in Antinews too many features absent in old versions
  93
  94 http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2008-11/msg01054.html
  95
  96 Since the purpose of Antinews is to help people use the previous Emacs
  97 version, there is usually no need to mention features that are simply
  98 absent in that version.  That situation will be clear enough to users
  99 without help from the manual.
 100
 101 For instance, this
 102
 103     @item
 104     Emacs can no longer be started as a daemon.  We decided that having an
 105     Emacs sitting silently in the background with no visual manifestation
 106     anywhere in sight is too confusing.
 107
 108 may not need mentioning, because --daemon will give an error message
 109 saying it's not implemented, and other cases aren't affected.
 110
 111 The kind of change for which the user really needs help from Antinews
 112 is where a feature works _differently_ in the previous version.
 113 In those cases, the user might have trouble figuring out how to use
 114 the old version without some sort of help.
 115
 116 ** To indicate possession, write Emacs's rather than Emacs'.
 117 http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2012-02/msg00649.html