1 .. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
2 .. International License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
3 .. Copyright 2017 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved.
8 This style guide is for ONAP documentation contributors, reviewers and
14 When is documentation required?
15 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
16 All ONAP project contributions should have corresponding documentation.
17 This includes all new features and changes to features that impact users.
19 How do I create ONAP documentation?
20 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
21 ONAP documentation is written in ReStructuredText_ (an easy-to-read,
22 what-you-see-is-what-you-get, plain text markup syntax). The process for
23 creating ONAP documentation and what documents are required are
24 described in later sections of this Developer Documentation Guide.
26 .. _ReStructuredText: http://docutils.sourceforge.net/rst.html
28 ReStructuredText markup conventions
29 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
30 For detailed information ReStructuredText and how to best use the format, see:
32 - `ReStructured Text Primer <http://docutils.sourceforge.net/docs/user/rst/quickstart.html>`_
33 - `ReStructured Text Quick Reference <http://docutils.sourceforge.net/docs/user/rst/quickref.html>`_
37 Following these writing guidelines will keep ONAP documentation
38 consistent and readable. Only a few areas are covered below, as
39 we don't want to make it too complex. Try to keep things simple
40 and clear, and you can't go far wrong.
42 Don’t get too hung up on using correct style. We’d rather have you
43 submit good information that does not conform to this guide than no
44 information at all. ONAP’s Documentation project team will be happy
45 to help you with the prose.
47 General guidelines for all documents
48 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
49 - Use standard American English and spelling
50 - Use consistent terminology
51 - Write in the active voice, using present simple tense when possible
52 - Write objective, professional content
53 - Keep sentences and paragraphs short and clear
56 Abbreviations and acronyms
57 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
58 - Write out the term the first time it appears in the document,
59 immediately followed by the acronym or abbreviation in parenthesis.
60 Then use the acronym in the rest of the document. In diagrams, if
61 space allows, write out the full term.
63 - Use “an” before an acronym that begins with a vowel sound when spoken
64 aloud; use "a" before an acronym that begins with a consonant
65 sound when spoken aloud.
67 + Examples: an MSO component, a LAN, an L3-VPN
72 - AA&I vs AAI: AAI should be used.
74 - APP-C vs APPC: APPC should be used.
76 - SDN-C vs SDNC: SDNC should be used.
78 - Heat vs HEAT: Both are in use. The official website uses "Heat".
80 - life cycle vs lifecycle or life-cycle: "life cycle" is preferred.
82 - open source (adjective): capitalize only in titles; avoid
83 "open-source". (Based on prevalence on the web.)
85 - run-time vs. execution-time (adjective): prefer run-time.
86 Example: "run-time logging of events"
88 - run time (noun). Example: "logging of events at run time".
92 - In general, write menu names as they appear in the UI.
93 For example, if a menu or item name is all caps, then write
94 it all caps in the document.
98 - Use brief, but specific, informative titles. Titles should give
99 context when possible.
101 - Use sentence-style capitalization; do not end with a period or colon.
103 - Use a gerund to begin section titles. Examples: Configuring,
106 - Use descriptive titles for tables and figures titles. Do not
107 number tables or figures. Do not (in general) add titles for screen shots.
111 - Start task titles with an action word. Examples: Create, Add,
114 - Use [Optional] at the beginning of an optional step.
116 - Provide information on the expected outcome of a step, especially
117 when it is not obvious.
119 - Break down end-to-end tasks into manageable chunks.
122 ONAP Conventions for the Use of Sphinx Directives
123 -------------------------------------------------
128 * Needs IDs must match the regular expression "^[A-Z0-9]+-[A-Z0-9]+"
130 * The prefix (string before the dash) must be described in the following table
132 .. list-table:: Needs Prefix Use
142 - Represents a requirement that must be met by a VNF provider
143 - Defined only in the vnfrqts project repositories, may be referenced in any project repository source