.. _styleguide_basic:

Basic rules
===========
.. contents::
  :local:

Use standard American English
-----------------------------
Ansible uses Standard American English. Watch for common words that are spelled differently in American English (color vs colour, organize vs organise, etc.).

Write for a global audience
---------------------------
Everything you say should be understandable by people of different backgrounds and cultures. Avoid idioms and regionalism and maintain a neutral tone that cannot be misinterpreted. Avoid attempts at humor.

Follow naming conventions
-------------------------
Always follow naming conventions and trademarks.

.. good place to link to an Ansible terminology page

Use clear sentence structure
----------------------------
Clear sentence structure means:

- Start with the important information first.
- Avoid padding/adding extra words that make the sentence harder to understand.
- Keep it short - Longer sentences are harder to understand.

Some examples of improving sentences:

Bad:
    The unwise walking about upon the area near the cliff edge may result in a dangerous fall and therefore it is recommended that one remains a safe distance to maintain personal safety.

Better:
    Danger! Stay away from the cliff.

Bad:
    Furthermore, large volumes of water are also required for the process of extraction.

Better:
    Extraction also requires large volumes of water.

Avoid verbosity
---------------
Write short, succinct sentences. Avoid terms like:

- "...as has been said before,"
- "..each and every,"
- "...point in time,"
- "...in order to,"

Highlight menu items and commands
---------------------------------
When documenting menus or commands, it helps to **bold** what is important.

For menu procedures, bold the menu names, button names, etc to help the user find them on the GUI:

1. On the **File** menu, click **Open**.
2. Type a name in the **User Name** field.
3. In the **Open** dialog box, click **Save**.
4. On the toolbar, click the **Open File** icon.

For code or command snippets, use the RST `code-block directive <http://www.sphinx-doc.org/en/1.5/markup/code.html#directive-code-block>`_::

   .. code-block:: bash

     ssh my_vyos_user@vyos.example.net
     show config
