Documentation Guide

Introduction to Documentation

Good documentation is crucial for software maintainability, team collaboration, and user adoption. This guide covers best practices for creating and maintaining different types of documentation.

Documentation Types:

Code Documentation - Comments and docstrings
API Documentation - Endpoints and usage
System Documentation - Architecture and setup
User Documentation - Guides and tutorials
Process Documentation - Workflows and procedures
Technical Specifications - Requirements and design

Code Documentation

Python Documentation Example

class DataProcessor:
    """
    A class for processing and transforming data.
    
    This class provides methods for common data processing tasks
    such as cleaning, transformation, and validation.
    
    Attributes:
        data_format (str): The format of input data
        validate (bool): Whether to validate data
        logger (Logger): Logger instance for error tracking
    """
    
    def __init__(self, data_format: str, validate: bool = True):
        """
        Initialize the DataProcessor.
        
        Args:
            data_format (str): Format of the input data
                             ('csv', 'json', or 'xml')
            validate (bool, optional): Whether to validate data.
                                     Defaults to True.
        
        Raises:
            ValueError: If data_format is not supported
        """
        self.data_format = data_format
        self.validate = validate
        self.logger = self._setup_logger()
    
    def process_data(self, data: dict) -> dict:
        """
        Process input data according to specified format.
        
        Args:
            data (dict): Input data to process
        
        Returns:
            dict: Processed data
            
        Raises:
            ValueError: If data is invalid
            ProcessingError: If processing fails
        
        Example:
            >>> processor = DataProcessor('json')
            >>> data = {'name': 'John', 'age': 30}
            >>> processed = processor.process_data(data)
        """
        try:
            if self.validate:
                self._validate_data(data)
            
            processed_data = self._transform_data(data)
            self.logger.info('Data processed successfully')
            return processed_data
            
        except Exception as e:
            self.logger.error(f'Processing failed: {str(e)}')
            raise ProcessingError(str(e))

JavaScript Documentation Example

/**
 * User authentication and management class.
 * @class
 */
class AuthManager {
  /**
   * Create an AuthManager instance.
   * @param {Object} config - Configuration options
   * @param {string} config.apiUrl - Authentication API URL
   * @param {number} config.timeout - Request timeout in ms
   * @param {boolean} [config.useCache=false] - Whether to cache tokens
   */
  constructor(config) {
    this.apiUrl = config.apiUrl;
    this.timeout = config.timeout;
    this.useCache = config.useCache ?? false;
  }

  /**
   * Login user with credentials.
   * @async
   * @param {string} username - User's username
   * @param {string} password - User's password
   * @returns {Promise

Documentation Guide

Introduction to Documentation

Documentation Types:

Code Documentation

Python Documentation Example

JavaScript Documentation Example

API Documentation

OpenAPI/Swagger Example

System Documentation

Architecture Documentation Example

User Documentation

Documentation Structure:

Documentation Tools

Code Documentation:

API Documentation:

Static Site Generators:

Collaboration Tools: