Document style guide

Revision as of 22:35, 8 September 2015 by Max (talk | contribs)

These guidelines help you write Analytica documentation clear and consistent. They are designed to make docs easy to read and understand by avoiding unnecessary words and convoluted grammar. They apply to this Analytica wiki, to User Guides (currently distributed as PDFs), and help text and error messages within Analytica. (Feel free to edit any wiki pages to make them follow this guide more closely.)

For style guidelines for Analytica models see Analytica model style guide.

Language

Voices and tenses

  • Use active voice. The passive voice should always be avoided:
    • Write: "Analytica displays an error message"
    • Not: "An error message is displayed."
    • Write: "You can use Function F to ... "
    • Not: "Function F may be utilized to ..."
  • Use imperative voice when explaining to user how to do something (as here), also in series of steps:
  1. Select Graph setup from Result menu
  2. Check X option
  3. Click OK
    • Write: "Select Graph setup from the Result menu".
    • Not: "The user should select select Graph setup from the Result menu".
    • Definitely not: "The Graph setup should be selected from the Result menu". Ugghh!
  • Use present not future tense for what Analytica does:
    • Write: "When you click OK, it closes the dialog."
    • Not: "When you click OK, Analytica will close the dialog."*When you introduce a list, say "these" not "the following". For example, "These are options for parameter X:" (note the colon) not "The following are options for parameter X."

You, we, Analytica, and it

  • Refer to the reader or user as "you", and the writer(s) or Lumina as "we".
    • Write: "We invite you to email us your comments"
    • Not: "The reader is invited to email Lumina their comments.".
    • If the recipient would otherwise be ambiguous, write "Please email Lumina your comments." where "your" refers to the reader.


  • It's fine to refer to Analytica as "it" (she doesn't mind):
    • Write: "When you click the button, it displays the dialog box."
    • Not: "When the user clicks the button, Analytica will display the dialog box"
    • Definitely not: "When the button is clicked, the dialog box is displayed"
    • Mention "Analytica" by name only if "it" is ambiguous. (In Analytica documentation, "it" is rarely ambiguous.)

Common words and concepts

  • Use short words instead of longer synonyms -- e.g. "use" not "utilize", "let" not "allow".
  • Use "parameter" not "argument" for the things listed in parentheses in a call to a function, or the definition of a function (where the attribute is called Parameters.)
  • Use long dash or double-dash around examples or interjections (rather than parentheses), as in "Use a reducing function -- e.g. Sum or Min -- rather than a transforming function."
  • You click a button or link (not click on).
  • You press a menu to see the menu options.
  • You select a menu option. You also select a node or text from a text field. You press (not hit or depress) a key or key combination on the keyboard.
  • Label web links so that users get a reasonable idea of what they will find on the linked page.
  • There is no need to write "click this link" or "click here". People know about clicking links! The browser shows hyperlinked text in blue to show that it's a clickable link.

Analytica terminology

  • Capitalize terms used with a special meaning in Analytica -- such as, Variable, Object, Attribute, or Diagram -- to distinguish them from their common meaning, which is often similar but subtly different. There's no need to capitalize standard computer terms -- like, window, menu, button, mouse, keyboard -- or standard mathematical terms -- like, variable, function, parameter, array -- except when they're being used with a special Analytica take on the meaning, as for example, Variable.
  • Don't use node to mean a Variable or Object. A node is the visual representation in a Diagram of a Variable or other class of Object. An Object can have multiple nodes -- e.g., the original node and aliases, including input and output nodes. A Variable is just one Class of object. For views or operations that apply to all classes of Object, use Object rather than Variable. But, do use node when you are actually referring to creating, finding, moving, or deleting a node (including input or output field) in a Diagram.
  • Use Edition of Analytica to mean Player, Professional, Enterprise, ADE, AWP, etc.. Use Release as in Release 4.2. Avoid version because it could mean either.
  • ADE and AWP are Editions of Analytica, just like Professional and Enterprise. So we don't need to say "Analytica and ADE" or "Analytica and AWP" as we have done often in the past. Optimizer is also an Edition, not an extension or option.  64-bit, however, is an extension or option that can be applied to selected Editions.

Lists

  • Use a bulleted list, like this, wherever appropriate to show a list of items.
  • Use a numbered or lettered list only where the items are intrinsically ordered, as in a series of steps that would not work in a different order -- e.g.:
  1. Do this
  2. Now do this
  3. Finish up by doing this
  • Order items in a list (or sections in chapter) starting with the easiest to understand or most commonly used first and progressing to the most complicated or obscure at the end. This way, readers scanning down a list, will,
    • find what they want sooner on average, and
    • read the easy stuff first, and so will better understand the harder stuff that comes later.
  • Alphabetic ordering adds little: If you already know the name of the function (or whatever), it's faster to use electronic search -- or use the index in a printed version.
  • No list should be longer than seven items. In a longer list, organize items hierarchically by grouping related items in sublists.

Typographic Conventions and FrameMaker Character Code Tags

Analytica Tutorial, User Guide, Optimizer Guide, and ADE documentation use in Wiki and historically what documentation use has been in Framemaker. In Framemaker, there are some character tags that currently apply these font attributes automatically. Even so, please use the proper character tag, so that, in the future, if we decide to change the look of parameters we can simply change the definition of the "parameter" character tag and not have it affect other items.

Type of Text Typography Example Wiki Code FrameMaker Character Tag
Special Analytica term Capitalize and linked when used with special Analytica meaning, but not when used in its normal sense. Intelligent Arrays, Attribute [[Intelligent Arrays]] Default font
Window title, menus, menu item, dialog box title, panel title, and button label Bold File, Attribute Panel '''File''' UI Object
Analytica global object identifier or title, including variable or module Bold for example variable X, X '''X''' UI Object
Checkbox label and other input label Italics Edit Attributes setting for the Preferences dialog ''Edit Attributes'' UI Label
Key on keyboard Italics "Press Enter"; control+e Press ''Enter'' Emphasis
Function name Linked (which bolds functions when on their own page) with trailing parens, "()". No links when part of code. Sequence() [[Sequence]]() Function
Formal parameter name lowercase or "camelCase"; when outside parentheses surrounded by double angled brackets. Optional parameters should be italicized when inside parentheses. Indexes or non-evaluated parameters should be capitalized to distinguish them from evaluated parameters. Code (courier) font so I appears distinct from the number 1. Sort(a, I, keyIndex ); «a», «I», «keyIndex» «a» Parameter
parameter qualifier Capitalized to distinguish from formal parameter names Bool, String, Number Bool Parameter
Code and script examples, expressions and variable definitions Fixed width (Courier) font MDTable(T,Rows,Cols,[Car_type,Mpg],'average','n/a') <code>MDTable(T,Rows,Cols,[Car_type,Mpg],'average','n/a')</code>

Note: This can also be done using <tt> tags, or by putting a space at the beginning of the line

Code
Document name Italics and Capitalized User Guide ''User Guide'' Emphasis

Analytica code style

These guidelines and conventions are designed to make code easier to read. Please follow in user docs, wiki, and in sample models and libraries.:

  • Capitalize first character of identifiers of objects and functions, such as Speed_of_light, C,  Sum(). You can also use CamelCase, such as SpeedOfLight, DetermTable (Ana 4.3 remembers CamelCase identifiers).
  • Use all uppercase for key words and constructs, like IF...THEN.. ELSE, BEGIN END, FOR... DO...
  • Use lowercase for identifiers of evaluated parameters and local variables in a function Parameters and Definition, upper case for indexes parameters, for example
Function Quadrate(x, y, I, J)
  • For results of Analytica expressions, use right-arrow "&rarr;" to show result:
 10^5 → 100K
  • Use Suffix notation, unless there is a reason not to. It's clear, compact, and Analytica's default.
  • Spacing conventions in code and expressions:
    • Add a space around low-precedence operators +, -, =, <, <=, >=, >, <>
    • No space around high-precedence operators "*", "/", and "^".
    • A space after, but not before separators ",", ":" and ";"
    • No space before or after parens or brackets: ()[]{}, e.g.
a + b*c/(d - e)^2 AND (x < y) OR (u = v)
Sum(10 + X, I) - (1 + X^2)/(X - 1)
  • When specifying function parameters, use the same guidelines -- i.e.
    • No space after or before "(" and ")".
    • Space after but not before separators ",", ":" and ";"
    • Lowercase start for function parameters. Uppercase for index parameters.
    • Capitalize qualifiers:
Function F(x: Number; I: Index; camelCaseX: Optional Text)

Not 

Function F( x : number; i:Index ; CamelCaseX : optional text)
  • Indent multiline expressions (Definitions) with four spaces per indent -- default provided by Analytica when you enter tab character.
  • The Title of a user-defined Function should be identical to its identifier, with underscore "_" replacing spaces and other non-alphanumeric chars, plus required (not optional) formal parameters without qualifiers. That makes it easy to find and select Functions from a library -- e.g.
Function Flatten_array
Title: Flatten_array(x, I, J, J)
Parameters (x: [i, J]; I, J, K: Index)

Conventions for explaining functions and their parameters

The heading for the section of documentation on a function should contain the name of function and the most common parameters, without qualifiers. Don't include optional parameters unless they are usually used.

  • Function definition sections should use a Heading2 paragraph tag for the function title for the section.

In some cases, we include several related functions in one section. Then we should include them all in the same heading, e.g.

PDF(x) and CDF(x)

Conventions: We should use the recommended name for each qualifier rather than its deprecated synonyms. We should omit "Atomic" which is of more interest to the implementation of the function that to the user of the function.

Use these conventions for naming parameters that don't have otherwise meaningful names, to indicate what type is expected:

  • x, y, z: Numbers that may be scalar or array-valued.
  • I, J, K: Identifiers of Index variables
  • t, t1, t2: Text values (numbers will be coerced to text)
  • a, b, c: An expression that may evaluate to anything: Scalar or array, number or text, NAN, or reference.
  • p, q: A probability, a number between 0 and 1.
  • r: A reference
  • v: Identifier of variable.
  • e: An expression
  • expr: An expression (not evaluated before calling function)
  • obj: Identifier of an Object (any Class)
  • attrib: Identifier of Attribute

Most named parameters in the User Guide that are not meaningful (unlike mean, min, mode) already follow these conventions. If any do not, we should consider changing them so they do.

  • Provide a page explaining these conventions, linked to from every function description.

Each function description should have:

  • Title of section (usually 3= level) includes name of function and most common parameters.
  • Brief description of at least one simple case use.
  • Example(s)
  • More complex uses, if any
  • Requirements: Expectations or constraints on parameters.
  • For functions with many parameters, give them in bulleted list, explaining each.
  • Syntax: Near bottom using (slightly cleaned) declaration syntax.

In this wiki, each section describing a function should contain a complete spec of its parameters, usually near the end of the section, with a format like this:
 Parameter types: MakeDate(year: Coerce Atomic Positive; month, day: Optional Coerce Atomic Positive)
Note that the subhead Parameter types is a link to a page that explains the meaning of the parameter types and qualifiers.

Guidelines for Analytica wiki

Organizing documents with multiple pages

  • Organize the pages into a set of "documents" or "sections", such as "What's new in Analytica 4.0?", "Analytica Reference Guide", "Analytica FAQs", "Analytica libraries".
  • Organize each document or section as a tree hierarchy -- i.e., where each page has a single parent -- although there may, of course, be many cross-references. A tree makes it easier for you to understand the organization, and go through all pages at a given level. It also makes it easier to generate a sequential PDF or printed document if we need to.
  • Show ancestor list (a.k.a. "bread crumbs") at the top of each page -- i.e. a list of links to parent, grandparent etc. For example, page SolverInfo should show

Analytica Reference Guide > Enhancements to Optimizer in Analytica 4.0 This helps you see where you are and lets you quickly move up one or more levels.

Organizing a page

  • Keep page names as short as reasonable.
  • Show ancestor list (see above)
  • Common subheads:
    • Examples
    • Syntax
    • Tips
    • See also
    • History
Summarizes when a new feature was introduced or modified. Move all links like "New in Release 4.1" to here (or just delete them).
    • Enhancement requests
    • Documentation requests

Use categories

The category indexes are a big benefit of MediaWiki, so use them.

It usually works best to give individual items (like individual functions or other objects) their own page. At the very top of the Wiki markup, include all relevant categories using tags like these: 

[[category:Distribution functions]]

If multiple categories apply, list them all.

If you do locate two or more items on the same page, create a redirect page for each item with the item's name. Include a category markup in the redirect page. This might look like this: 

[[Category:Database Functions]]
#REDIRECT [[Functions To Read Excel Worksheets#SpreadsheetCell]]

Here the category tag(s) needs to come before the redirect or it won't work right. When linking to an item that lives on a page with other items, link to the redirect page, i.e., use 

[[SpreadsheetCell]]

, not 

[[Functions To Read Excel Worksheets#SpreadsheetCell]]

.

If the heading within the page you redirect to has extra stuff in the heading, for example: 

===SpreadsheetCell(wb,sheet,col,row)===

Make a simple anchor tag using a div tag such as 

===<div id="SpreadsheetCell">SpreadsheetCell(wb,sheet,col,row)</div>===

This way you can use just "#SpreadsheetCell" in the redirect URL.

What's new? and History

  • Many features have links to the "What's new" page from when they were first introduced, e.g.

What's new in Analytica 4.2>

  • All of these links except the most recent should be moved to a History section at the end of each page, to minimize ancient "What's new" links of little interest to 99% of readers.
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