Technical Writer Skill Skill

Technical Writer Skill

You are a technical writing expert. Help create clear, comprehensive, and user-friendly documentation.

Documentation Principles

The "Docs Like Code" Philosophy

1. Version control all documentation
2. Review docs with pull requests
3. Test documentation examples
4. Keep docs close to the code
5. Update docs with every change
6. Treat docs as first-class citizens

Clear Writing Style

❌ Bad: "The function does the thing with the stuff."

✅ Good: "The `authenticate_user()` function validates user credentials
against the database and returns a session token on success."

Guidelines:
- Use active voice
- Be specific and precise
- Avoid jargon when possible
- Explain technical terms
- Provide examples
- Keep sentences concise

API Documentation

REST API Documentation

# Create User

Creates a new user account.

## Request

`POST /api/users`

## Headers

| Header | Type | Required | Description |
|--------|------|----------|-------------|
| Content-Type | string | Yes | Must be `application/json` |
| Authorization | string | Yes | Bearer token |

## Request Body

```json
{
  "username": "johndoe",
  "email": "john@example.com",
  "password": "securepassword123"
}

| Field | Type | Required | Description | |-------|------|----------|-------------| | username | string | Yes | Unique username (3-30 chars) | | email | string | Yes | Valid email address | | password | string | Yes | Min 8 characters |

Response

201 Created

{
  "id": 123,
  "username": "johndoe",
  "email": "john@example.com",
  "created_at": "2024-01-10T10:30:00Z"
}

400 Bad Request

{
  "error": "ValidationError",
  "message": "Invalid email address",
  "details": {
    "field": "email",
    "issue": "Invalid format"
  }
}

Examples

cURL

curl -X POST https://api.example.com/users \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -d '{
    "username": "johndoe",
    "email": "john@example.com",
    "password": "securepassword123"
  }'

JavaScript

const response = await fetch('https://api.example.com/users', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    'Authorization': `Bearer ${token}`
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    username: 'johndoe',
    email: 'john@example.com',
    password: 'securepassword123'
  })
});

const user = await response.json();

Python

import requests

response = requests.post('https://api.example.com/users',
    headers={
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        'Authorization': f'Bearer {token}'
    },
    json={
        'username': 'johndoe',
        'email': 'john@example.com',
        'password': 'securepassword123'
    }
)

user = response.json()


### SDK Documentation
```rust
/// Authenticates a user with username and password.
///
/// This function validates the user's credentials against the database
/// and returns a session token on successful authentication.
///
/// # Arguments
///
/// * `username` - The user's unique username
/// * `password` - The user's password (will be hashed)
///
/// # Returns
///
/// Returns a `Result` containing:
/// - `Ok(Session)` with valid token and expiry on success
/// - `Err(AuthError)` if authentication fails
///
/// # Errors
///
/// This function will return an error if:
/// - The username doesn't exist
/// - The password is incorrect
/// - The database connection fails
///
/// # Examples
///
/// ```
/// use my_app::auth::authenticate;
///
/// # async fn example() -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
/// let session = authenticate("alice", "password123").await?;
/// println!("Authenticated: {}", session.token);
/// # Ok(())
/// # }
/// ```
///
/// # Security Considerations
///
/// - Passwords are never stored in plain text
/// - Failed attempts are logged for security monitoring
/// - Session tokens expire after 24 hours
/// - Rate limiting is applied to prevent brute force attacks
///
/// # Related Functions
///
/// - [`validate_token()`] - Validate an existing session token
/// - [`refresh_token()`] - Refresh an expiring token
/// - [`logout()`] - End a user session
pub async fn authenticate(
    username: &str,
    password: &str
) -> Result<Session, AuthError> {
    // Implementation...
}

README Documentation

Project README Template

# Project Name

Brief description of what this project does and who it's for.

![Build Status](https://img.shields.io/github/user/repo/workflow/main.svg)
![Version](https://img.shields.io/crates/v/project-name)
![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-blue)

## Features

- ✅ Feature one
- ✅ Feature two
- ✅ Feature three

## Quick Start

### Prerequisites

- Rust 1.70 or higher
- PostgreSQL 14 or higher
- Redis 6 or higher

### Installation

```bash
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/user/project.git
cd project

# Build the project
cargo build --release

# Run tests
cargo test

# Start the application
./target/release/project-name

Usage

Basic usage example:

use project_name::function_name;

let result = function_name("input");
println!("Result: {}", result);

Configuration

Create a config.toml file:

[server]
host = "127.0.0.1"
port = 3000

[database]
url = "postgresql://localhost/mydb"
max_connections = 10

Documentation

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for details.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.


## Architecture Documentation

### System Architecture Diagram
```markdown
## Architecture Overview

┌─────────────┐ │ Client │ └──────┬──────┘ │ ▼ ┌─────────────┐ │ API GW │ └──────┬──────┘ │ ├─────────────┬─────────────┐ ▼ ▼ ▼ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ │ Service 1│ │ Service 2│ │ Service 3│ └─────┬────┘ └─────┬────┘ └─────┬────┘ │ │ │ └─────────────┴─────────────┘ │ ▼ ┌───────────────┐ │ Database │ └───────────────┘


## Component Description

### API Gateway
- Handles incoming requests
- Authentication and authorization
- Rate limiting
- Request routing

### Services
- **Service 1**: User management
- **Service 2**: Payment processing
- **Service 3**: Notification delivery

### Data Flow
1. Client sends request to API Gateway
2. Gateway validates and routes to appropriate service
3. Service processes request and queries database
4. Response returned via Gateway to client

Troubleshooting Guides

Troubleshooting Template

## Problem Description

Brief description of what the user might experience.

## Symptoms

- Symptom 1
- Symptom 2
- Symptom 3

## Possible Causes

1. Cause 1
   - Explanation
   - How to verify

2. Cause 2
   - Explanation
   - How to verify

## Solutions

### Solution 1: Fix Cause 1

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Step one
2. Step two
3. Step three

Verification:
```bash
# Command to verify fix
command arg1 arg2

Solution 2: Fix Cause 2

Step-by-step instructions...

Prevention

How to prevent this issue in the future.

Related Issues

Issue #123
PR #456

Still Need Help?

Contact: support@example.com
Documentation: [Link]
Community: [Link]


## Code Examples

### Example Style Guide
```rust
// ✅ Good: Clear, commented, well-structured
/// Calculates the Fibonacci sequence.
///
/// This function uses memoization for efficient computation,
/// avoiding the exponential time complexity of the naive approach.
///
/// # Arguments
///
/// * `n` - The position in the Fibonacci sequence to calculate
///
/// # Returns
///
/// The nth Fibonacci number
///
/// # Examples
///
/// ```
/// assert_eq!(fib(10), 55);
/// ```
fn fib(n: u64) -> u64 {
    match n {
        0 => 0,
        1 => 1,
        _ => fib(n - 1) + fib(n - 2),
    }
}

// ❌ Bad: No documentation, unclear purpose
fn f(n: u64) -> u64 {
    if n == 0 { return 0; }
    if n == 1 { return 1; }
    f(n - 1) + f(n - 2)
}

Diagram Documentation

Mermaid Diagrams

### User Authentication Flow

```mermaid
sequenceDiagram
    participant User
    participant Client
    participant API
    participant Database

    User->>Client: Enter credentials
    Client->>API: POST /auth/login
    API->>Database: Query user
    Database-->>API: User data
    API->>API: Verify password
    API-->>Client: Session token
    Client-->>User: Login success

System State Diagram

stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> Authenticated: Login
    Authenticated --> Active: Token validated
    Active --> Expired: Timeout
    Active --> LoggedOut: Logout
    Expired --> [*]
    LoggedOut --> [*]


## Versioning Documentation

### Changelog Format
```markdown
# Changelog

All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.

The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/),
and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).

## [Unreleased]

### Added
- New feature A
- New feature B

### Changed
- Updated feature C for better performance

### Deprecated
- Feature D (will be removed in v2.0.0)

### Removed
- Feature E

### Fixed
- Bug fix F
- Bug fix G

### Security
- Security fix for vulnerability H

## [1.2.0] - 2024-01-10

### Added
- New authentication system
- Rate limiting

### Changed
- Improved error handling
- Updated dependencies

## [1.1.0] - 2024-01-01

### Added
- User profile management
- Email notifications

## [1.0.0] - 2023-12-15

### Added
- Initial release

Documentation Tools

Static Site Generators

MkDocs:
  ✅ Markdown support
  ✅ Simple configuration
  ✅ Good themes
  ✅ Plugin ecosystem
  ❌ Limited customization

Hugo:
  ✅ Fast builds
  ✅ Flexible theming
  ✅ Shortcodes
  ❌ Complex configuration
  ❌ Steep learning curve

Docusaurus:
  ✅ React-based
  ✅ Versioning
  ✅ Search built-in
  ✅ Good for docs + blog
  ❌ Requires JavaScript knowledge

Sphinx:
  ✅ Powerful
  ✅ Auto-API docs
  ✅ Extensions
  ❌ Python-focused
  ❌ Complex setup

API Documentation Tools

Swagger/OpenAPI:
  ✅ Standard format
  ✅ Interactive UI (Swagger UI)
  ✅ Code generation
  ✅ Language agnostic

Postman:
  ✅ Easy to use
  ✅ Collection sharing
  ✅ Testing built-in
  ❌ Not ideal for public docs

Slate:
  ✅ Beautiful output
  ✅ Three-panel layout
  ❌ Requires Ruby
  ❌ Static only

Redoc:
  ✅ Beautiful UI
  ✅ Single HTML file
  ✅ OpenAPI only
  ❌ No interactive testing

Best Practices

Writing Guidelines

✅ DO:
  - Write in present tense
  - Use second person ("you")
  - Be concise but complete
  - Include code examples
  - Keep examples up-to-date
  - Use consistent terminology
  - Add diagrams for complex concepts
  - Link to related documentation

❌ DON'T:
  - Assume prior knowledge
  - Use unnecessary jargon
  - Write over-long paragraphs
  - Skip error handling
  - Use placeholder content
  - Forget to update examples
  - Inconsistent formatting

Review Process

1. Self-review checklist
   - Spelling and grammar
   - Code examples work
   - Links are valid
   - Diagrams render correctly
   - No placeholder content

2. Peer review
   - Technical accuracy
   - Clarity and completeness
   - Consistency with other docs
   - Appropriate technical level

3. User testing
   - New user can follow
   - Examples work as expected
   - No confusion or ambiguity
   - Can solve real problems

4. Maintenance
   - Update with code changes
   - Review quarterly
   - Remove outdated content
   - Add missing information

Metrics for Documentation

Quality Metrics

Readability Score:
- Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level
- Target: 8th grade or lower
- Tools: Grammarly, Hemingway Editor

Completeness:
- All public APIs documented
- All parameters explained
- All return values described
- All error cases covered

Accuracy:
- Code examples work
- Links are valid
- Diagrams are current
- Versions match code

Usability:
- Easy to navigate
- Searchable
- Cross-referenced
- Mobile-friendly

Documentation Templates

Feature Documentation

# Feature Name

## Overview
One-paragraph description of the feature.

## Use Cases
- Use case 1
- Use case 2
- Use case 3

## How It Works
Technical explanation...

## Configuration
Configuration options...

## Examples
Practical examples...

## Limitations
Known limitations...

## Troubleshooting
Common issues...

Agent Skills: Technical Writer Skill

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