This styleguide recommends best practices to improve documentation and to keep
This styleguide recommends best practices to improve documentation and to keep
it organized and easy to find.
it organized and easy to find.
## Naming
## Location and naming of documents
- When creating a new document and it has more than one word in its name,
>**Note:**
These guidelines derive from the discussion taken place in issue [#3349](ce-3349).
The documentation hierarchy can be vastly improved by providing a better layout
and organization of directories.
Having a structured document layout, we will be able to have meaningful URLs
like `docs.gitlab.com/user/project/merge_requests.html`. With this pattern,
you can immediately tell that you are navigating a user related documentation
and is about the project and its merge requests.
The table below shows what kind of documentation goes where.
| Directory | What belongs here |
| --------- | -------------- |
| `doc/user/` | User related documentation. Anything that can be done within the GitLab UI goes here including `/admin`. |
| `doc/administration/` | Documentation that requires the user to have access to the server where GitLab is installed. The admin settings that can be accessed via GitLab's interface go under `doc/user/admin_area/`. |
| `doc/api/` | API related documentation. |
| `doc/development/` | Documentation related to the development of GitLab. Any styleguides should go here. |
| `doc/legal/` | Legal documents about contributing to GitLab. |
| `doc/install/`| Probably the most visited directory, since `installation.md` is there. Ideally this should go under `doc/administration/`, but it's best to leave it as-is in order to avoid confusion (still debated though). |
| `doc/update/` | Same with `doc/install/`. Should be under `administration/`, but this is a well known location, better leave as-is, at least for now. |
---
**General rules:**
1. The correct naming and location of a new document, is a combination
of the relative URL of the document in question and the GitLab Map design
that is used for UX purposes ([source][graffle], [image][gitlab-map]).
1. When creating a new document and it has more than one word in its name,
make sure to use underscores instead of spaces or dashes (`-`). For example,
make sure to use underscores instead of spaces or dashes (`-`). For example,
a proper naming would be `import_projects_from_github.md`. The same rule
a proper naming would be `import_projects_from_github.md`. The same rule
applies to images.
applies to images.
1. There are four main directories, `user`, `administration`, `api` and `development`.
1. The `doc/user/` directory has five main subdirectories: `project/`, `group/`,
`profile/`, `dashboard/` and `admin_area/`.
1.`doc/user/project/` should contain all project related documentation.
1.`doc/user/group/` should contain all group related documentation.
1.`doc/user/profile/` should contain all profile related documentation.
Every page you would navigate under `/profile` should have its own document,
i.e. `account.md`, `applications.md`, `emails.md`, etc.
1.`doc/user/dashboard/` should contain all dashboard related documentation.
1.`doc/user/admin_area/` should contain all admin related documentation
describing what can be achieved by accessing GitLab's admin interface
(_not to be confused with `doc/administration` where server access is
required_).
1. Every category under `/admin/application_settings` should have its
own document located at `doc/user/admin_area/settings/`. For example,
the **Visibility and Access Controls** category should have a document
located at `doc/user/admin_area/settings/visibility_and_access_controls.md`.
---
If you are unsure where a document should live, you can ping `@axil` in your
