Info for Documentation
----------------------
-Current version of the manual: 2.11.15
-*** Please update this whenever you run convert-ly on the docs.
+%%%%% GENERAL POLICY
-convert-ly --from=... --to=... --no-version *.itely
-
-%%%%%
-DOC ORGANIZATION
+Formatting: writing-texinfo.txt
+General policy: policy.txt
-There are three parts to the documentation: the Learning Manual,
-the Notation Reference, and the Technical Details.
-* Long, wordy, chatty explanations go in the Learning Manual.
-This is aimed at users learning something for the first
-time -- not necessarily just learning lilypond notation, but
-also things like learning how to deal with projects, tweaking,
-preparing parts for orchestras, etc. Less formal language
-may be used here.
+%%%%% UPDATING DOCS
+convert-ly -e --from=... --to=... --no-version *.itely
-* Notation Reference is a (hopefully complete) description of
-LilyPond input notation. Some material from here may be
-duplicated in the Learning Manual (for teaching). The
-material is presented in an approximate order of increasing
-difficulty, but the goal is _not_ to provide a step-by-step
-learning environment. For example, all material under
-"Notes" should remain in that section, even though microtonal
-accidentals may seem more advanced than info about clefs or
-time signatures -- "Notes" should be a one-stop reference
-about, well, notes. This section is written in formal
-technical writing style.
+% to find the current version number,
+grep "version \"" fundamental.itely
-* Technical Details contains information about using
-the program lilypond with other programs (lilypond-book,
-operating systems, GUIs, convert-ly, etc). This section
-is writtin in formal technical writing style.
+Please don't forget updating translated docs (in LANGS/user) too!
+% (nobody ever remembers to update this file, so I've stopped
+% trying to record it here)
-%%%%%
-GENERAL GUIDELINES
-
-* Do not forget to create @cindex entries for new sections of text.
- Enter commands with @funindex, i.e.
- @funindex \relative
- do not bother with the @code{} (they are added automatically). These
- items are added to both the command index and the unified index.
-
-* The use of the word `illegal' is inappropriate in most cases. Say
- `invalid' instead.
-
-* Avoid long stretches of input code. Noone is going to read them in
- print. Instead refer to an example input file (@inputfileref), these
- are clickable in HTML.
-
-* Abbrevs in caps, e.g., HTML, DVI, MIDI, etc.
-
-* Colon usage
-
- 0. Do not use a colon to introduce examples, sentences just continue
-
- in the display material.
-
- 1. To introduce lists
- 2. When beginning a quote: "So, he said,..."
- This usage is rarer. Americans often just use a comma.
- 3. When adding a defining example at the end of a sentence.
-
-* To produce good looking texinfo output (for both TTY and DVI) some
- additional formatting rules should be followed.
-
- . Do not use tabs. They expand to nothing in DVI output.
-
- . Do not use spaces at the beginning of a line (except in @example
- or @verbatim environments), and do not use more than a single space
- between words. `makeinfo' copies the input lines verbatim without
- removing those spaces.
-
- . Use two spaces after a priod.
-
- . Variables or numbers which consist of a single character (probably
- followed by a punctuation mark) should be tied properly, either to
- the previous or the next word. Example:
-
- The variable@tie{}@var{a} ...
-
- . To get consistent indentation in the DVI output it is better to avoid
- the @verbatim environment. Use the @example environment instead if
- possible, but without extraneous indentation. For example, this
-
- @example
- foo {
- bar
- }
- @end example
-
- should be replaced with
-
- @example
- foo {
- bar
- }
- @end example
-
- where `@example' starts the line (without leading spaces).
-
- . Use the `quote' option in @lilypond commands if possible.
-
- . Do not compress the input vertically; this is, do not use
-
- Beginning of logical unit
- @example
- ...
- @end example
- continuation of logical unit
-
- but
-
- Beginning of logical unit
-
- @example
- ...
- @end example
-
- @noindent
- continuation of logical unit
-
- This makes it easier to not forget `@noindent'.
-
- . Non-ASCII characters which are in utf-8 should be directly used;
- this is, don't say `Ba@ss{}tuba' but `Baßtuba'. This ensures that
- all such characters appear in all output formats.
-
-* Lines should be less than 80 characters long.
-
-* Use @q instead of `...' and @qq instead of ``...''. The latter macro
- should be used with care since we use `...' as the default quoting
- throughout the manual, except for things related to direct speech.
-
-
-%%%%%
-HINTS FOR TECHNICAL WRITING STYLE
-
-* Do not refer to LilyPond in the text. The reader knows what the
- manual is about. If you do, capitalization is LilyPond.
-
-* If you explicitly refer to `lilypond', the program (or any other
- command to be executed), say `@command{lilypond}'.
-
-* Do not explicitly refer to the reader/user. There is no one else
- besides the reader and the writer.
-
-* Do not use abbreviations (don't, won't, etc.). If you do, use a
- comma after it:
-
- blabla blabla, i.e., blabla blabla
-
-* Avoid fluff (``Notice that,'' ``as you can see,'' ``Currently,'').
projects / lilypond.git / blobdiff