2 days agoShortcut for frequently used structured XML in Oxygen XMLThis guide will help you implement frequently used templates in Oxygen XML. For example, you might frequently create a list of three items. Rather than declaring the list, and it’s paragraphs every time, you can implement a shortcut. I recommend using a template that can be leveraged across many use…Technical Writing1 min read
2 days agoblog.mdA Quick Guide for Writing Code Samples in Markdown — The intention of writing documentation in Markdown is that it is easy to learn, easy to write, and easy to read. Which means that is easy to review and get contribution from a wide variety of people. The purpose of Markdown’s syntax is to be used as a format for…Technical Writing2 min read
2 days agoFind and replace basicsThis is a guide for useful find and replace commands. It is a bare-bones attempt at documenting my frequently used commands. Search for a string To find a string in a directory, use the following command. grep -rl "string" /path/to/directory grep : is a command-line utility for searching plain-text data sets for lines that…Sed2 min read
Jan 11DiscoverabilityDiscoverability is the most significant and often overlooked aspect in creating great documentation. — In this article, I will describe discoverability and methods used to increase the degree in which your documentation can be found. The most significant aspect of documentation is discoverability. …Programming4 min read
Published in Dev Genius·Jan 3Automate “Last modified” dates in your documentationAutomating repetitive documentation tasks will eliminate human error and keep your documentation structured. — The purpose of this article is to explain how you can automatically update XML data, in this case the last modified date. My hope is that you can leverage this to build out your own automation to increase productivity and accuracy in your own work. The scenario Imagine that you’re working on…Python3 min read
Dec 31, 2021Solutions to manually maintained listsDo you find yourself manually maintaining long pieces of documentation that quickly becomes out of date? The aim of this article is to address and suggestion a solution to this common technical writing pitfall. If you receive customer feedback for any amount of time, you may start to notice trends…Technical Writing3 min read
Dec 30, 2021Quick tips for writing documentationOne aspect of developing and maintaining a successful software project is to write clear and concise documentation. — The following high-level overview offers a few tips to help your readers implement discoverable, relevant, and clear documentation. Use short and specific titles You want your readers to quickly glance through your documentation to find exactly what they want. Document in an ordered and consistent wayTechnology1 min read
Dec 2, 2020DiscoverabilityHow are users finding your documentation? — I believe the most overlooked concept of technical writing is discoverability. It does not matter how accurate your documents are if your users cant discover them. I believe discoverability covers three important cross-sectional fields that technical writers should pay attention to: Search engine optimization Table of contents Relevant information Search…Technical Writing2 min read
Oct 4, 2020Free technical writing courses and booksSome alternative learning sources — In this blog post, I want to highlight the not-so-mainstream approaches to learning about technical writing. I have found these resources to be helpful for people who want to learn more about documentation or want to improve their skills as a writer. …How To2 min read
Sep 20, 2020Postman’s most useful featureOne of the most useful features for Postman is its documentation feature. — What is Postman? Postman is a software development toll that enables people to test calls to APIs. Postman is able to do this when the user enters data, that data is sent to the specified web server address, and in most cases the information is returned to the user. What…Software Development2 min read
