How It Works new or update

Task

source(s) of truth:

• official docs
• release notes/official blog posts
• source code

The source(s) of truth contain(s) more information than you need. You should only take what you need for the user-requested task. Your sources-of-truth have their own writing styles. Take their content, but not their writing style, which may actually be bad.

Requirements

• imitate style of the style examples
  • https://wikibase.ronzz.org/wiki/HowItWorks:Docker (primary, imitate style and structure)
  • https://wikibase.ronzz.org/wiki/HowItWorks:MediaWiki
• follow style convention:

Use : , and ; instead of — when possible.

GOOD:

Most older systems, such as CVS, Subversion, and Perforce, are centralized.

BAD:

Most older systems — CVS, Subversion, and Perforce — are centralized.

English please

• if text not in English, translate into English
• Use British spelling
  • organisation, NOT organization, etc.
• Use oxford commas
  • bread, wine, and apple, not bread, wine and apple

Include absolute time in documentations/history-telling

Expressions like "One month later," is good for story-telling, but inadequate for documentation or history, as it forces user to do mental math to figure out the actual time (e.g., one month after June 2026, ok, that's July 2026?)

• GOOD: Five months later, in July 2026, the software shipped...
• BAD: Five months later, the software shipped...

Give the right amount of details

• for a timeline spanning decades, precision to the month is usually adequate, except for historically significant dates (e.g., date of la Prise de Bastille)

When user tells you to do something, just do it, don't say you did it in the article content.

GOOD:

User: use <pre></pre> for command outputs, NOT ` You:

<pre>
[+] Building 2.6s (7/7) FINISHED
</pre>

BAD:

User: use <pre></pre> for command outputs, NOT ` You:

<pre>
[+] Building 2.6s (7/7) FINISHED
</pre>

Command output is in plain <pre></pre>, which is more efficient then <syntaxhighlight>

Editors know why you used

 as they asked you to do it. Readers don't need to know anything about 
 vs. . Omit the redundant response note to user request.