Documentation requirements

1. Documentation Requirements

This article details the documentation requirements for contributing to and maintaining a high-quality wiki, specifically within the context of MediaWiki 1.40. Good documentation is crucial for the long-term health and usability of any wiki, fostering collaboration, reducing redundancy, and ensuring consistency. This guide is aimed at beginners, but also provides valuable reminders for experienced contributors. We will cover various aspects, from style guides and template usage to the importance of clear explanations and examples.

Why is Documentation Important?

Before diving into specifics, it's vital to understand *why* documentation is so important. A wiki thrives on community contribution. However, without clear documentation, several problems can arise:

• **Redundancy:** Multiple users may attempt to document the same topic, leading to fragmented and inconsistent information.
• **Inconsistency:** Different authors may use varying styles, terminology, and levels of detail, making the wiki difficult to navigate and understand.
• **Maintenance Difficulties:** If documentation isn’t clear, it’s harder to update and maintain as the software or topic evolves. Changes can inadvertently break existing functionality or introduce errors.
• **Reduced Usability:** Poorly documented features or concepts are less likely to be adopted by users. They may become confused, frustrated, and ultimately abandon the wiki.
• **Barriers to Entry:** New contributors may be hesitant to participate if they find the existing documentation unclear or lacking.

Effective documentation addresses these issues by providing a single source of truth, promoting consistency, and lowering the barrier to contribution. It transforms a wiki from a collection of pages into a cohesive and valuable knowledge base.

Types of Documentation

Documentation isn’t a monolithic entity. Different types serve different purposes:

• **Tutorials:** Step-by-step guides for completing specific tasks. These should be geared towards beginners and focus on practical application. For example, a tutorial on editing pages or creating categories.
• **Reference Material:** Comprehensive documentation of features, functions, templates, and other elements. This is often highly technical and detailed. An example would be documentation for a specific MediaWiki extension.
• **Style Guides:** Rules and conventions governing the formatting, language, and structure of wiki pages. This ensures consistency across the entire wiki. We'll discuss this in detail below.
• **Conceptual Overviews:** Explanations of underlying principles and concepts. These provide context and help users understand *why* things work the way they do. Consider an overview of semantic wiki concepts.
• **API Documentation:** (If applicable) Documentation for developers who want to interact with the wiki programmatically.
• **Troubleshooting Guides:** Solutions to common problems and error messages. These can save users significant time and frustration.

Style Guide Requirements

A robust style guide is the foundation of consistent documentation. Here are key areas to consider:

• **Language:** Use clear, concise, and unambiguous language. Avoid jargon and technical terms whenever possible, or define them clearly when necessary. Write in a neutral and objective tone.
• **Formatting:**

   *   **Headings:** Use a consistent heading structure (e.g., `== Heading 2 ==`, `=== Heading 3 ===`).  Avoid skipping levels.
   *   **Lists:** Use bulleted (`*`) or numbered (`#`) lists for presenting information in a structured format.
   *   **Tables:** Use tables (`{| ... |}`) to organize data. Ensure tables are properly formatted and easy to read.  See Help:Tables for more details.
   *   **Bold and Italics:** Use **bold text** for emphasis and *italics* for titles of works or to indicate specific terms.
   *   **Code:** Use the `<nowiki>` tag or the `` tag (with appropriate language highlighting if applicable) to display code snippets.
   *   **Links:** Use internal links (link) to connect related pages within the wiki. Use external links (`Link Text`) for resources outside the wiki.  Always provide descriptive link text.

• **Terminology:** Establish a glossary of key terms and use them consistently throughout the documentation. This minimizes ambiguity and ensures everyone is on the same page.
• **Date and Time Formats:** Use a consistent date and time format (e.g., YYYY-MM-DD).
• **Image Usage:** Use images sparingly and only when they add significant value to the documentation. Provide alt text for all images to improve accessibility.
• **Grammar and Spelling:** Ensure all documentation is free of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. Use a spell checker and proofread carefully.

Template Usage

Templates are a powerful feature of MediaWiki that allow you to create reusable content blocks. Using templates consistently can significantly improve the efficiency and consistency of documentation.

• **Standard Templates:** Identify and use existing standard templates whenever possible. For example, there may be templates for documenting functions, classes, or specific features.
• **Template Documentation:** Each template should have its own documentation page explaining its purpose, parameters, and usage. This is crucial for other users to understand how to use the template correctly.
• **Template Categorization:** Categorize templates appropriately to make them easy to find.
• **Avoid Overuse:** Don't overuse templates. They should be used to simplify complex tasks, not to add unnecessary complexity.

Documentation of Code & Technical Details

When documenting code or technical details, follow these guidelines:

• **Comments:** Include clear and concise comments in your code explaining what it does.
• **Input/Output:** Clearly document the input parameters and output values of functions and methods.
• **Error Handling:** Explain how errors are handled and what error messages users might encounter.
• **Dependencies:** Document any dependencies on other libraries or modules.
• **Examples:** Provide practical examples of how to use the code or feature.
• **Version Control:** Keep track of changes to the documentation using a version control system (e.g., Git). This allows you to revert to previous versions if necessary and to track who made what changes.

The Importance of Examples

Theoretical explanations are useful, but examples are *essential*. A well-chosen example can illustrate a concept far more effectively than a lengthy description.

• **Simple Examples:** Start with simple examples that demonstrate the basic functionality.
• **Real-World Examples:** Provide examples that are relevant to real-world scenarios.
• **Complete Examples:** Include complete, runnable examples that users can copy and paste.
• **Annotated Examples:** Add comments to the examples explaining what each line of code does.
• **Testable Examples:** When possible, provide examples that users can test themselves to verify that they understand the concept.

Strategies for Effective Documentation

• **Audience Awareness:** Always write with your target audience in mind. What is their level of technical expertise? What are their goals?
• **Information Architecture:** Plan the structure of your documentation carefully. Use a logical hierarchy of headings and subheadings to make it easy to navigate.
• **Searchability:** Use keywords and tags to make your documentation easy to find using the wiki's search function. Consider creating a site map.
• **Regular Updates:** Documentation should be updated regularly to reflect changes in the software or topic. Establish a process for reviewing and updating documentation on a regular basis.
• **Peer Review:** Have other users review your documentation before it is published. This can help identify errors, inconsistencies, and areas for improvement.
• **User Feedback:** Solicit feedback from users on your documentation. What is clear? What is confusing? What is missing?

Technical Analysis & Trading Concepts Documentation (Examples)

To demonstrate the application of these principles, let's consider examples related to technical analysis and trading, topics often documented on wikis:

• **Moving Averages:** Documentation should cover simple moving averages (SMA), exponential moving averages (EMA), weighted moving averages (WMA). Include formulas, explanations of how they smooth price data, and examples of how to use them to identify trends. Link to relevant concepts like trend following.
• **Fibonacci Retracements:** Explain the Fibonacci sequence, how it relates to retracement levels (23.6%, 38.2%, 50%, 61.8%, 78.6%), and how traders use these levels to identify potential support and resistance. Include charts illustrating these levels. Link to support and resistance levels.
• **Bollinger Bands:** Detail the calculation of Bollinger Bands (SMA + 2 standard deviations, SMA - 2 standard deviations), how they measure volatility, and how traders use them to identify overbought and oversold conditions. Link to volatility indicators.
• **Relative Strength Index (RSI):** Explain the RSI formula, its interpretation (overbought/oversold levels), and its use in identifying potential trend reversals. Link to oscillators.
• **MACD (Moving Average Convergence Divergence):** Discuss the MACD calculation, signal line crossovers, and divergence patterns. Link to momentum indicators.
• **Candlestick Patterns:** Document common candlestick patterns like Doji, Engulfing, Hammer, and Shooting Star. Include illustrations and explanations of their potential implications. Link to chart patterns.
• **Elliott Wave Theory:** Explain the principles of Elliott Wave Theory, including impulse waves and corrective waves. This is a complex topic, so clear visuals and explanations are crucial.
• **Ichimoku Cloud:** Detail the components of the Ichimoku Cloud (Tenkan-sen, Kijun-sen, Senkou Span A, Senkou Span B, Chikou Span) and how traders use them to identify trends and support/resistance.
• **Trading Psychology:** Document the common psychological biases that affect traders (e.g., confirmation bias, loss aversion, overconfidence) and strategies for overcoming them. Link to risk management.
• **Risk/Reward Ratio:** Explain the importance of calculating risk/reward ratios and how to use them to evaluate trading opportunities. Link to position sizing.
• **Backtesting Strategies:** Explain the process of backtesting trading strategies using historical data.
• **Correlation Analysis:** Describe how to analyze correlations between different assets.
• **Trend Lines:** Provide a guide on drawing and interpreting trend lines. Link to chart analysis.
• **Volume Analysis:** Detail how to interpret volume data to confirm trends.
• **Support and Resistance:** A detailed explanation of identifying and using support and resistance levels.
• **Breakout Trading:** Document strategies for trading breakouts.
• **Gap Analysis:** Explain different types of gaps and their significance.
• **Head and Shoulders Pattern:** A detailed explanation with examples.
• **Double Top/Bottom Patterns:** Another common chart pattern with explanations.
• **Triangles (Ascending, Descending, Symmetrical):** Documentation on these important patterns.
• **Pennants and Flags:** Explain these continuation patterns.
• **Harmonic Patterns:** Document complex harmonic patterns like the Gartley and Butterfly.
• **Average True Range (ATR):** Describe how to measure volatility using ATR.
• **Parabolic SAR:** Explanation of this trailing stop indicator.
• **Stochastic Oscillator:** Details on the Stochastic Oscillator and its signals.

These examples highlight the need for clear explanations, formulas, charts, and links to related concepts within the wiki.

Conclusion

Creating and maintaining high-quality documentation is an ongoing process. By following these guidelines, you can contribute to a wiki that is informative, accessible, and valuable to all users. Remember to prioritize clarity, consistency, and accuracy. The success of a wiki depends on the collective effort of its contributors, and well-documented content is the key to unlocking that potential. Always strive to improve the documentation, based on user feedback and evolving best practices.

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