5.7 KiB
| title | order | summary |
|---|---|---|
| Documentation Structure | 1 | How our documentation is organized and what we do to balance ease of writing and understanding. |
!!! info "Info"
If youre looking for a hands-on approach on how documentation is to be written you can find a [guide](../guides/writing-documentation.md) explaining the process. If youre unsure how to start you can find [templates](../guides/writing-documentation.md#3-addedit-your-markdown-file) there aswell.
General Rules
Rules are formatting and writing decisions that apply to every document. Their goal is to provide a concise style across the whole documentation to keep the text easy to follow.
- All documents written in this project should be written in english to maximize the compatability across readers.
- The documentation structure is intended to be followed, while not being enforced to keep a low entry barier for documentation authors.
- Use features like Admonitions given by markdown and the theme whenever they can help by increasing the readability and outlining important parts. For instructions on how to use these theme specific features please refer down to the MkDocs shadcn documentation in the References section.
Defining a Document Scope
The scope for a document should be set to define responsibility and set boundaries to where that document applies. Especially lining out which services are affected by it. It does not need to be defined explicitly in the text, but should be kept in mind while writing.
!!! note "Example"
The scope for this document is aiming to convey the base concepts on how to structure concepts and configurations in this documentation. To provide high readability and a project wide concise structure that authors and readers can rely on.
We decide in this documentation between concepts, configurations and guides. Their separation should be clearified with folowing list:
- Concept: A concept includes an abstract definition about a specific structure while not going into implementation details.
- Configuration: A configuration can be a follow up of a concept, explaining the specific implementation in a given environment.
- Guide: A guide is a step-by-step hands-on instruction for the reader to follow along. It can reference concepts and configurations.
Structuring Concepts
!!! note "Goal"
The goal for a concept is to provide the reader with a structured detailed explanation about an abstract concept, conveying why this concept was choosen and how it is intended to be used.
Describing the Concept
This section is a summary to give the reader a quick overview about the concept answering following questions:
- What is this concept about?
- Why is this concept needed?
- What does this concept do?
Explaining the Concept
This section should be an in depth explanation about the concept, explaining the concept as detailed as needed for the reader to be able to transfer it into an implementation. The usage of graphs and diagrams is advised when they can help the reader to understand the concept better.
Referencing additional Sources
This section should include sources to other documentations, concepts and hand-on guides which the reader can look up to futher explore the defined concept.
Structuring Configurations
!!! note "Goal"
A configuration document is intended to provide the reader with examples and best practices for configuring a specific item. It focuses on the technical implementation rather than an abstract concept.
Describing the Configuration
This section should give the reader a quick overview which configuration files are being described.
Providing the Configuration
Here should the author provide configuration sections or full templates. The configurations don't have to be fully complete, theyre rather a more structured view on which options are important and what to watch out for.
Discussing Authors Thoughts
A discussion why the author choose which configuration options and what to watch out for. Best practices should be taught here. This section can also link to outside sources.
Referencing Documentation
Here the author should provide upstream documentation which includes configuration options and further explanations why and how they are used.
Structuring Guide
!!! note "Goal"
A guide intends to provide a hands-on approach to the reader which they can follow step-by-step to archive the guides defined goal. A good example for a guide can be found at [Writing Documentation](../guides/writing-documentation.md).
Defining the Goal
A guide should always have a goal defined in the beginning, using the Admonition for a success box is highly advised. An example for a goal box is shown below:
!!! success "Goal"
How to setup, write its baseline documentation in ansible and deploy a service.
Instructing the Reader
A guide should always have numbered instruction steps which are easy to follow. Important notices and information should written in Admonitions as direct notices from the author to the reader. Dangerous steps or options should use a danger Admonition.
Closing Up
A guide should be finished with steps and facts that can be checked by the reader to ensure that the guide worked as intended and all steps are completed correctly.
References
Here you can find useful documentation regarding writing documentation:
- MkDocs: This is the official mkdocs documentation, although it mostly explains configuring the mkdocs instance rather than explaining the usage.
- MkDocs shadcn: This is our theme for MkDocs which has its own syntax and quircks which can help writing more readable documentation