REST APIs are widely used in web and mobile app development for their simplicity and flexibility in enabling communication between different systems. Documenting REST APIs is an essential practice for developers and technical writers to ensure that users can understand and integrate with the API efficiently. For some reason, however, this tends to come across … Continue reading Technical Writer’s Guide to REST APIs
Tag: programming
Python vs JavaScript
I've been asked several times by technical writers transitioning to software development which programming language they should focus on. The answer depends on the specific area of development they wish to pursue. While JavaScript was once the unequivocal choice for web development, the rise of AI and its applications has shifted the recommendation towards Python … Continue reading Python vs JavaScript
Documenting Methods
Finally, let's talk about methods. In your documentation hierarchy, a specific class contains its methods, with each method listed as a sibling to the other methods under that class. This structured organization helps illustrate the relationship between the class and its methods, making it easier for users to understand how to interact with the functionality … Continue reading Documenting Methods
Documenting Objects
Let's talk about Objects. I mention objects after classes to account for the content structure of the documentation. Information for instantiating a class (Object) is contained on the class purpose page, or a child page nested beneath it. While documentation may not explicitly list every individual object, the context of the class documentation provides the … Continue reading Documenting Objects
Documenting Classes
Classes serve as blueprints that define the structure (attributes) and behaviors (methods) of objects, which are instances of those classes. When documenting classes, you are essentially detailing the blueprint for creating, utilizing, and deploying the class effectively. This blueprint can come together on a unique page that captures the following: High-level Overview - At the … Continue reading Documenting Classes
Documenting OOP Libraries
In this post, I explore how to document an OOP library. By following established documentation patterns, technical writers can create predictable, structured content that enables developers to leverage your software library efficiently and effectively. OOP documentation follows an imperative programming paradigm. This means that it focuses on how a program operates through a sequence of … Continue reading Documenting OOP Libraries
How APIs Drive AI Development
I was curious about how APIs allow developers to programmatically collect data for AI applications, and I thought you might be, too. I'll explore this more in this post. APIs connect client-side software with the backend services, databases, for example. This allows developers to interact with and retrieve data from various platforms or services programmatically. … Continue reading How APIs Drive AI Development
Navigating AI Development: A Technical Writer’s Guide to Programming Paradigms
In a previous post, I laid out best practices for technical writers focusing on object-oriented programming (OOP). I also mentioned another important programming paradigm: functional programming (FP). While OOP is primarily utilized for software development, functional programming finds significant application in data science and financial modeling, particularly within AI. I’ll focus on AI development in … Continue reading Navigating AI Development: A Technical Writer’s Guide to Programming Paradigms
Programming Best Practices for Technical Writers – Modularity
Welcome to the sixth installment of my series on essential programming best practices for technical writers. In the previous post, I covered the concept of polymorphism. In this post, we’ll shift our focus to the principle of modularity. Modularity is a design strategy that involves dividing a system into smaller, self-contained units or modules, each … Continue reading Programming Best Practices for Technical Writers – Modularity
Programming Best Practices for Technical Writers – Polymorphism
Welcome to the fifth part of my series on essential programming best practices for technical writers. In the last post, I discussed the concept of reusability. On this post I’ll focus on the principle of polymorphism. Polymorphism allows objects from different classes to be treated as instances of a common superclass, enabling them to respond … Continue reading Programming Best Practices for Technical Writers – Polymorphism
Double Yew! 