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Specs/style: Difference between revisions
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(→Collections of values: "strict dictionary" -> "inverse map") |
(→Collections of values: "dictionary" -> "multimap") |
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! more than one value per key | ! more than one value per key | ||
| style="text-align: center;" | "inverse map" | | style="text-align: center;" | "inverse map" | ||
| style="text-align: center;" | " | | style="text-align: center;" | "multimap" | ||
|} | |} | ||
Revision as of 18:46, 6 November 2013
When writing a spec, it is suggested that you adhere to the following guidelines.
Spelling
- Use standard American English spelling, unless otherwise stated below.
- Continue the history of the Web and use 'en-US' spelling for your specs and the technologies they document. Consult Wikipedia's Manual of Style for spelling for assistance.
- Use "acknowledgements" instead of "acknowledgments".
- Whenever 'dg' represents the "soft" /d͡ʒ/ sound, it should be followed by an 'e' or an 'i', to ensure it is not confused with the "hard" /dɡ/ sounds.
- Use "dialogue" for the noun and "dialog" for all other parts of speech.
- Whenever a word has a '-log(ue)' dichotomy, only keep '-ue' for the definitive noun: "monologue", "dialog box", "catalogging", "homologous".
- Use "cannot" when something is impossible or prohibited.
- "Can not" implies a choice; "cannot" prevents one.
Terminology
Bags of bits
- Be careful of your use of the terms "file" and "resource".
- Make sure your definitions refer only to bags of bits, and not also stuff in the Real World™ (like baskets of apples).
Collections of values
| and | uniqueness doesn't matter | uniqueness matters |
|---|---|---|
| order doesn't matter | "unordered list" | "set" |
| order matters | "list" | "ordered set" |
| and | only one key per value | more than one key per value |
|---|---|---|
| only one value per key | "bidirectional map" | "map" |
| more than one value per key | "inverse map" | "multimap" |
- Use "object" for a map whose values can be functions.
- This helps to distinguish cases where values might not be static data types.
Willful violations of other specs
- When willfully and deliberately violating standards set out in other documents, use the term "willful violation" instead of simply "violation".
- "Violation" makes you sound naughty; "willful violation" makes you sound knowledgeable.