Software documentation: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Explains the functionality of software}}

{{more citations needed|date=March 2013}}

{{Software development process}}

'''Software documentation''' is written text or illustration that accompanies computer [[software]] or is embedded in the source code. The documentation either explains how the software operates or how to use it, and may mean different things to people in different roles.

[[Documentation]] is an important part of software engineering. Types of documentation include:

* [[Requirement]]s – Statements that identify attributes, capabilities, characteristics, or qualities of a system. This is the foundation for what will be or has been implemented.

* Architecture/Design – Overview of software. Includes relations to an environment and construction principles to be used in design of software components.

* Technical – Documentation of code, algorithms, interfaces, and [[API documentation|API]]sAPIs.

* [[End user]] – Manuals for the end-user, system administrators and support staff.

* Marketing – How to market the product and analysis of the market demand.

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===== Literate programming =====

Respected computer scientist [[Donald Knuth]] has noted that documentation can be a very difficult afterthought process and has advocated [[literate programming]] (LP), written at the same time and ___location as the [[source code]] and extracted by automatic means. The programming languages [[Haskell (programming language)|Haskell]] and [[CoffeeScript]] have built-in support for a simple form of literate programmingLP, but this support is not widely used widely.

A stricter, more rigorous advance in method in the same direction is [[#Docs as Code|Docs as Code]]

===== Elucidative programming =====

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Typically, the user documentation describes each feature of the program, and assists the user in realizing these features. It is very important for user documents to not be confusing, and for them to be up to date. User documents do not need to be organized in any particular way, but it is very important for them to have a thorough [[Index (publishing)|index]]. Consistency and simplicity are also very valuable. User documentation is considered to constitute a contract specifying what the software will do. [[API Writer]]s are very well accomplished towards writing good user documents as they would be well aware of the software architecture and programming techniques used. See also [[technical writing]].

User documentation can be produced in a variety of online and print formats.<ref>{{cite webbook| url = http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2775457| title = RH Earle, MA Rosso, KE Alexander (2015) User preferences of software documentation genres. Proceedings of the 33rd Annual International Conference on the Design of Communication (ACM SIGDOC).| date = 16 July 2015| pages = 1–10| doi = 10.1145/2775441.2775457| isbn = 978-1-4503-3648-2}}</ref> However, there are three broad ways in which user documentation can be organized.

# '''Tutorial:''' A [[tutorial]] approach is considered the most useful for a new user, in which they are guided through each step of accomplishing particular tasks.<ref name=kdp>{{cite web

| last = Woelz

| first = Carlos

| title = The KDE Documentation Primer

| url = httphttps://i18n.kde.org/docs/doc-primer/index.html

| access-date = 15 June 2009 }}</ref>

# '''Thematic:''' A [[Theme (literature)|thematic]] approach, where chapters or sections concentrate on one particular area of interest, is of more general use to an intermediate user. Some authors prefer to convey their ideas through a knowledge based article to facilitate the user needs. This approach is usually practiced by a dynamic industry, such as [[Information technology]].<ref name=kbad>{{cite web

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=== Docs as Code ===

'''Docs as Code''' is ana approachsystem tofor documentation that treats it with the same rigor and processes as software code. This includes:

# '''Version Controlcontrol''': – Using systems like [[Git]] to track changes and manage versions.

# '''Continuous Integrationintegration''': – Automating the process of documentation generation and updates.

# '''Collaboration''': – Enabling multiple contributors to work on documentation simultaneouslyconcurrently, similaras toin code development.

==== Benefits of Docs as Code ====

* '''Consistency''': – Documentation can be kept in sync with the codebase, ensuring accuracy.

* '''Automation''': – Automated tools can handle repetitive tasks, such as formatting and deployment.

* '''Collaboration''': – Encourages contributions from various team members, including developers, testers, and product managers.
Combining Docs as Code with Agile methodologiesmethods creates a robust framework for maintaining high-quality, up-to-date documentation.
The Here'stwo howcan tobe integrateintegrated, the twothusly:

# '''Setup Version Control''': – Start by placing your documentation in a version control system. Structure it similarly to yourthe codebase.

# '''Automate Processes''': – Implement CI/CD tools to automate the generationgenerating and deployment ofdeploying documentation.

# '''Define Roles''': – Assign roles and responsibilities for documentation within the Agile team. Ensure everyone understands the importance of documentation.

# '''Regular Reviews''': – Schedule regular documentation reviews as part of the sprint retrospectives.

== See also ==