|
|
@@ -1,377 +1,576 @@
|
|
|
+<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
<html>
|
|
|
<head>
|
|
|
-<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
|
|
|
-<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../boost.css">
|
|
|
-<title>Writing Documentation for Boost - HTML Design</title>
|
|
|
+ <meta http-equiv="Content-Language" content="en-us">
|
|
|
+ <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
|
|
|
+ <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../boost.css">
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <title>Writing Documentation for Boost - HTML Design</title>
|
|
|
</head>
|
|
|
-<body link="#0000ff" vlink="#800080">
|
|
|
-<table border="0" cellpadding="7" cellspacing="0" width="100%" summary=
|
|
|
- "header">
|
|
|
- <tr>
|
|
|
- <td valign="top" width="300">
|
|
|
- <h3><a href="index.html"><img height="86" width="277" alt="C++ Boost" src="../../boost.png" border="0"></a></h3>
|
|
|
- </td>
|
|
|
- <td valign="top">
|
|
|
- <h1 align="center">Writing Documentation for Boost</h1>
|
|
|
- <h2 align="center">HTML Design</h2>
|
|
|
- </td>
|
|
|
- </tr>
|
|
|
-</table>
|
|
|
-<hr>
|
|
|
-<dl class="page-index">
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#introduction">Introduction</a></dt>
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#common-pages">Common Pages Included in HTML Documentation</a></dt>
|
|
|
- <dl class="page-index">
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#index-page">Index</a></dt>
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#overview-page">Overview</a></dt>
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#definitions-page">Definitions</a></dt>
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#rationale-page">Rationale</a></dt>
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#configuration-page">Configuration Information</a></dt>
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#faq-page">Frequently Asked Questions</a></dt>
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#bibliography-page">Bibliography</a></dt>
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#acknowledgements-page">Acknowledgment</a></dt>
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#header-page">Header Reference</a></dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+<body link="#0000FF" vlink="#800080">
|
|
|
+ <table border="0" cellpadding="7" cellspacing="0" width="100%" summary=
|
|
|
+ "header">
|
|
|
+ <tr>
|
|
|
+ <td valign="top" width="300">
|
|
|
+ <h3><a href="index.html"><img height="86" width="277" alt="C++ Boost"
|
|
|
+ src="../../boost.png" border="0"></a></h3>
|
|
|
+ </td>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <td valign="top">
|
|
|
+ <h1 align="center">Writing Documentation for Boost</h1>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <h2 align="center">HTML Design</h2>
|
|
|
+ </td>
|
|
|
+ </tr>
|
|
|
+ </table>
|
|
|
+ <hr>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dl class="page-index">
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#introduction">Introduction</a></dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#common-pages">Common Pages Included in HTML
|
|
|
+ Documentation</a></dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dd>
|
|
|
+ <dl class="page-index">
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#index-page">Index</a></dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#overview-page">Overview</a></dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#definitions-page">Definitions</a></dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#rationale-page">Rationale</a></dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#configuration-page">Configuration Information</a></dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#faq-page">Frequently Asked Questions</a></dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#bibliography-page">Bibliography</a></dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#acknowledgements-page">Acknowledgment</a></dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#header-page">Header Reference</a></dt>
|
|
|
+ </dl>
|
|
|
+ </dd>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#layout">Layout</a></dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dd>
|
|
|
+ <dl class="page-index">
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#page-banner">Page Banner</a></dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#page-index">Page Index</a></dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#content">Documentation Content</a></dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dd>
|
|
|
+ <dl class="page-index">
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#doc-footnotes">Footnotes</a></dt>
|
|
|
+ </dl>
|
|
|
+ </dd>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#revision-info">Revision Information</a></dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#copyright">Copyright Information</a></dt>
|
|
|
+ </dl>
|
|
|
+ </dd>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#format">Format</a></dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dd>
|
|
|
+ <dl class="page-index">
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#style-sheets">Cascading Style Sheets</a></dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dd>
|
|
|
+ <dl class="page-index">
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#boost-style-sheet">Boost Style Sheet</a></dt>
|
|
|
+ </dl>
|
|
|
+ </dd>
|
|
|
+ </dl>
|
|
|
+ </dd>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#templates">Templates</a></dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dd>
|
|
|
+ <dl class="page-index">
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#index-template">Index Page Template</a></dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#overview-template">Overview Page Template</a></dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#definitions-template">Definitions Page
|
|
|
+ Template</a></dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#rationale-template">Rationale Page Template</a></dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#configuration-template">Configuration Page
|
|
|
+ Template</a></dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#faq-template">FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) Page
|
|
|
+ Template</a></dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#bibliography-template">Bibliography Page
|
|
|
+ Template</a></dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#acknowledgements-template">Acknowledgments Page
|
|
|
+ Template</a></dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dt><a href="#header-template">Header Page Template</a></dt>
|
|
|
+ </dl>
|
|
|
+ </dd>
|
|
|
</dl>
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#layout">Layout</a></dt>
|
|
|
- <dl class="page-index">
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#page-banner">Page Banner</a></dt>
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#page-index">Page Index</a></dt>
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#content">Documentation Content</a></dt>
|
|
|
- <dl class="page-index">
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#doc-footnotes">Footnotes</a></dt>
|
|
|
- </dl>
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#revision-info">Revision Information</a></dt>
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#copyright">Copyright Information</a></dt>
|
|
|
- </dl>
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#format">Format</a></dt>
|
|
|
- <dl class="page-index">
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#style-sheets">Cascading Style Sheets</a></dt>
|
|
|
- <dl class="page-index">
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#boost-style-sheet">Boost Style Sheet</a></dt>
|
|
|
- </dl>
|
|
|
- </dl>
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#templates">Templates</a></dt>
|
|
|
- <dl class="page-index">
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#index-template">Index Page Template</a></dt>
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#overview-template">Overview Page Template</a></dt>
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#definitions-template">Definitions Page Template</a></dt>
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#rationale-template">Rationale Page Template</a></dt>
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#configuration-template">Configuration Page Template</a></dt>
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#faq-template">FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) Page Template</a></dt>
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#bibliography-template">Bibliography Page Template</a></dt>
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#acknowledgements-template">Acknowledgments Page Template</a></dt>
|
|
|
- <dt><a href="#header-template">Header Page Template</a></dt>
|
|
|
- </dl>
|
|
|
-</dl>
|
|
|
-<h2><a name="introduction"></a>Introduction</h2>
|
|
|
-<p>Boost places no requirements on the design of HTML documentation for library
|
|
|
- submitters. If you are submitting a library for which documentation already
|
|
|
- exists in either HTML or in a form easily converted to HTML then there is no
|
|
|
- need for you to read this document. However, if you have not yet written the
|
|
|
- documentation, or if you expect to have to translate documentation written in
|
|
|
- a format not easily convertible to HTML then this document can give you a lot
|
|
|
- of information on how to go about writing documentation in HTML.</p>
|
|
|
-<p>In several places this document assumes you're writing the documentation to
|
|
|
- conform to the structure described in the <a href="structure.html">Documentation
|
|
|
- Structure</a> document. There is no requirement that your documentation content
|
|
|
- follow these guidelines, but they provide an effective way to communicate technical
|
|
|
- specifications for a library in a terse yet precise manner that's familiar to
|
|
|
- many Boost users.</p>
|
|
|
-<p>This document also contains links to <a href="#templates">HTML template files</a>
|
|
|
- that can be used to rapidly develop documentation for a library submission.
|
|
|
- These templates follow the guidelines presented here and in the <a href="structure.html">Documentation
|
|
|
- Structure</a> document.</p>
|
|
|
-<h2><a name="common-pages"></a>Common Pages Included in HTML Documentation</h2>
|
|
|
-<p>Most HTML documentation projects will contain some common pages. General guidelines
|
|
|
- for these common pages are provided below.</p>
|
|
|
-<h3><a name="index-page"></a>Index</h3>
|
|
|
-<p>The index page is the first page presented to a user when he browses the documentation.
|
|
|
- Generally this page should not contain any actual content, but instead contains
|
|
|
- a list of links to specific content. At a minimum this list should contain a
|
|
|
- link to every HTML page contained in the documentation. Optionally, sub-lists
|
|
|
- may be provided for individual pages linking to specific subjects within the
|
|
|
- page. These sub-lists should form a "tree" hierarchy based on the
|
|
|
- level of heading tag used for the specific subject. Inclusion of such sub-lists
|
|
|
- for every page can make the index rather lengthy, and since each page should
|
|
|
- include its own <a href="#page-index">Page Index</a>, it may make the navigation
|
|
|
- of the documentation easier if such sub-lists are avoided. However, there is
|
|
|
- one exception to this guideline: reference documentation should contain a link
|
|
|
- to every header file in the library and a sub-list with a link to every macro,
|
|
|
- value, type, class, function and object (see <a href="structure.html">Documentation
|
|
|
- Structure</a>) found in the header. Users aren't always sure what header file
|
|
|
- any of these may be contained in, so this structure in the index allows for
|
|
|
- easy navigation of the reference documentation.</p>
|
|
|
-<p>The index list should generally be constructed using an HTML "definition
|
|
|
- list" (<dl> and <dt> tags). A definition list has no bullets
|
|
|
- or ordered specifications and produces a cleaner layout then an unordered list
|
|
|
- (<ul> and <li> tags) or an ordered list (<ol> and <li>
|
|
|
- tags). If you choose to use the common <a href="#boost-style-sheet">Boost Style
|
|
|
- Sheet</a> you should add a <code>class="index"</code> attribute/value pair to
|
|
|
- the <dl> tag.</p>
|
|
|
-<p>An Index page <a href="#index-template">template</a> is provided for use.</p>
|
|
|
-<h3><a name="overview-page"></a>Overview</h3>
|
|
|
-<p>The Overview page is used to introduce the reader to the library. It should
|
|
|
- give a high-level overview of the purpose of the library and introduce the reader
|
|
|
- to any concepts they may be unfamiliar with. This may also be an appropriate
|
|
|
- place for some "light" rationale, though more thorough presentation
|
|
|
- of any rationale would be better placed in the <a href="#rationale-page">Rational
|
|
|
- Page</a>.</p>
|
|
|
-<p>Like most content pages, the Overview page should include a <a href="#page-index">Page
|
|
|
- Index</a>.</p>
|
|
|
-<p>An Overview page <a href="#overview-template">template</a> is provided for
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <h2><a name="introduction" id="introduction"></a>Introduction</h2>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>Boost places no requirements on the design of HTML documentation for
|
|
|
+ library submitters. If you are submitting a library for which documentation
|
|
|
+ already exists in either HTML or in a form easily converted to HTML then
|
|
|
+ there is no need for you to read this document. However, if you have not
|
|
|
+ yet written the documentation, or if you expect to have to translate
|
|
|
+ documentation written in a format not easily convertible to HTML then this
|
|
|
+ document can give you a lot of information on how to go about writing
|
|
|
+ documentation in HTML.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>In several places this document assumes you're writing the documentation
|
|
|
+ to conform to the structure described in the <a href=
|
|
|
+ "structure.html">Documentation Structure</a> document. There is no
|
|
|
+ requirement that your documentation content follow these guidelines, but
|
|
|
+ they provide an effective way to communicate technical specifications for a
|
|
|
+ library in a terse yet precise manner that's familiar to many Boost
|
|
|
+ users.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>This document also contains links to <a href="#templates">HTML template
|
|
|
+ files</a> that can be used to rapidly develop documentation for a library
|
|
|
+ submission. These templates follow the guidelines presented here and in the
|
|
|
+ <a href="structure.html">Documentation Structure</a> document.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <h2><a name="common-pages" id="common-pages"></a>Common Pages Included in
|
|
|
+ HTML Documentation</h2>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>Most HTML documentation projects will contain some common pages. General
|
|
|
+ guidelines for these common pages are provided below.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <h3><a name="index-page" id="index-page"></a>Index</h3>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>The index page is the first page presented to a user when he browses the
|
|
|
+ documentation. Generally this page should not contain any actual content,
|
|
|
+ but instead contains a list of links to specific content. At a minimum this
|
|
|
+ list should contain a link to every HTML page contained in the
|
|
|
+ documentation. Optionally, sub-lists may be provided for individual pages
|
|
|
+ linking to specific subjects within the page. These sub-lists should form a
|
|
|
+ "tree" hierarchy based on the level of heading tag used for the specific
|
|
|
+ subject. Inclusion of such sub-lists for every page can make the index
|
|
|
+ rather lengthy, and since each page should include its own <a href=
|
|
|
+ "#page-index">Page Index</a>, it may make the navigation of the
|
|
|
+ documentation easier if such sub-lists are avoided. However, there is one
|
|
|
+ exception to this guideline: reference documentation should contain a link
|
|
|
+ to every header file in the library and a sub-list with a link to every
|
|
|
+ macro, value, type, class, function and object (see <a href=
|
|
|
+ "structure.html">Documentation Structure</a>) found in the header. Users
|
|
|
+ aren't always sure what header file any of these may be contained in, so
|
|
|
+ this structure in the index allows for easy navigation of the reference
|
|
|
+ documentation.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>The index list should generally be constructed using an HTML "definition
|
|
|
+ list" (<dl> and <dt> tags). A definition list has no bullets or
|
|
|
+ ordered specifications and produces a cleaner layout then an unordered list
|
|
|
+ (<ul> and <li> tags) or an ordered list (<ol> and
|
|
|
+ <li> tags). If you choose to use the common <a href=
|
|
|
+ "#boost-style-sheet">Boost Style Sheet</a> you should add a
|
|
|
+ <code>class="index"</code> attribute/value pair to the <dl> tag.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>An Index page <a href="#index-template">template</a> is provided for
|
|
|
use.</p>
|
|
|
-<h3><a name="definitions-page"></a>Definitions</h3>
|
|
|
-<p>The Definitions page is used to provide a list of definitions for terms that
|
|
|
- a user may be unfamiliar with.</p>
|
|
|
-<p>The definition list should generally be constructed using an HTML "definition
|
|
|
- list" (<dl> and <DT> tags). A definition list has no bullets
|
|
|
- or ordered specifications and produces a cleaner layout then an unordered list
|
|
|
- (<UL> and <li> tags) or an ordered list (<ol> and <li>
|
|
|
- tags). If you choose to use the common <a href="#boost-style-sheet">Boost Style
|
|
|
- Sheet</a> you should add a <code>class="definition"</code> attribute/value pair
|
|
|
- to the <dl> tag.</p>
|
|
|
-<p>Because this page's content should only contain a list of definitions, it should
|
|
|
- not have a <a href="#page-index">Page Index</a>.</p>
|
|
|
-<p></p>
|
|
|
-<p> A Definitions page <a href="#definitions-template">template</a> is provided
|
|
|
- for use.</p>
|
|
|
-<h3><a name="rationale-page"></a>Rationale</h3>
|
|
|
-<p>The Rationale page is used to provide lengthy descriptions of the rationale
|
|
|
- behind the library's design. This information helps users to understand why
|
|
|
- a library was designed the way it was and may reduce the frequency of a number
|
|
|
- of frequently asked questions. For a better description of why rationale is
|
|
|
- important see the <a href="http://www.boost.org/more/lib_guide.htm#Rationale">Rationale
|
|
|
- rationale</a> in the general submission guidelines.</p>
|
|
|
-<p>Like most content pages, the Rationale page should include a <a href="#page-index">Page
|
|
|
- Index</a>.</p>
|
|
|
-<p></p>
|
|
|
-<p>A Rationale page <a href="#rationale-template">template</a> is provided for
|
|
|
- use.</p>
|
|
|
-<h3><a name="configuration-page"></a>Configuration Information</h3>
|
|
|
-<p>The Configuration Information page is used to document configuration macros
|
|
|
- used by the library. Such macros belong in one of three groups: macros used
|
|
|
- by library implenters defined in <code><boost/config.hpp></code>, macros
|
|
|
- used by library users to detect platform configuration information and macros
|
|
|
- defined by library users to configure library behavior.</p>
|
|
|
-<p>Like most content pages, the Overview page should include a <a href="#page-index">Page
|
|
|
- Index</a>.</p>
|
|
|
-<p></p>
|
|
|
-<p>A Configuration page <a href="#configuration-template">template</a> is provided
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <h3><a name="overview-page" id="overview-page"></a>Overview</h3>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>The Overview page is used to introduce the reader to the library. It
|
|
|
+ should give a high-level overview of the purpose of the library and
|
|
|
+ introduce the reader to any concepts they may be unfamiliar with. This may
|
|
|
+ also be an appropriate place for some "light" rationale, though more
|
|
|
+ thorough presentation of any rationale would be better placed in the
|
|
|
+ <a href="#rationale-page">Rational Page</a>.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>Like most content pages, the Overview page should include a <a href=
|
|
|
+ "#page-index">Page Index</a>.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>An Overview page <a href="#overview-template">template</a> is provided
|
|
|
for use.</p>
|
|
|
-<h3><a name="faq-page"></a>Frequently Asked Questions</h3>
|
|
|
-<p>As a library matures the users will have questions about the usage of the library.
|
|
|
- Often users will ask the same questions over and over again. Rather than having
|
|
|
- to deal with answering the question every time it's asked, a Frequently Asked
|
|
|
- Questions (commonly known as FAQs) page can be used to document the questions
|
|
|
- and answers. This is such a valuable piece of documentation not only for the
|
|
|
- users but for the maintainers as well, that a FAQ page should be provided from
|
|
|
- the outset. If there are no questions that will obviously become a FAQ, the
|
|
|
- initial page may just indicate that there are no FAQs yet. This empty place
|
|
|
- holder helps to indicate to the users that you plan to address any FAQs as they
|
|
|
- occur.</p>
|
|
|
-<p>The <a href="#page-index">Page Index</a> for the FAQ page should contain a
|
|
|
- list of all the questions contained in the document. The actual question entries
|
|
|
- should be formatted with the question in a heading tag and the answers in standard
|
|
|
- paragraph format. This provides a clean presentation that's easy to read.</p>
|
|
|
-<p>A Frequently Asked Questions page <a href="#faq-template">template</a> is provided
|
|
|
- for use.</p>
|
|
|
-<h3><a name="bibliography-page"></a>Bibliography</h3>
|
|
|
-<p>The Bibliography page is used to document any bibliographical information associated
|
|
|
- with references made within the documentation to external resources. Parenthetical
|
|
|
- references are used within the documentation which link to entries in the Bibliography
|
|
|
- page. Bibliographical entries provide detailed information about the external
|
|
|
- resource and may contain hyper links to the resource if it's available online.
|
|
|
- There are several formal styles used for writing bibliographies. You may use
|
|
|
- what ever style you want, but one of the better styles to consider using can
|
|
|
- be referenced <a href="http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cup/cgos/idx_basic.html">here</a>.</p>
|
|
|
-<p>Since the Bibliography page should contain only bibliographical information
|
|
|
- there is no need for a <a href="#page-index">Page Index</a>.</p>
|
|
|
-<p>A Bibliography page <a href="#bibliography-template">template</a> is provided
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <h3><a name="definitions-page" id="definitions-page"></a>Definitions</h3>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>The Definitions page is used to provide a list of definitions for terms
|
|
|
+ that a user may be unfamiliar with.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>The definition list should generally be constructed using an HTML
|
|
|
+ "definition list" (<dl> and <DT> tags). A definition list has
|
|
|
+ no bullets or ordered specifications and produces a cleaner layout then an
|
|
|
+ unordered list (<UL> and <li> tags) or an ordered list
|
|
|
+ (<ol> and <li> tags). If you choose to use the common <a href=
|
|
|
+ "#boost-style-sheet">Boost Style Sheet</a> you should add a
|
|
|
+ <code>class="definition"</code> attribute/value pair to the <dl>
|
|
|
+ tag.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>Because this page's content should only contain a list of definitions,
|
|
|
+ it should not have a <a href="#page-index">Page Index</a>.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>A Definitions page <a href="#definitions-template">template</a> is
|
|
|
+ provided for use.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <h3><a name="rationale-page" id="rationale-page"></a>Rationale</h3>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>The Rationale page is used to provide lengthy descriptions of the
|
|
|
+ rationale behind the library's design. This information helps users to
|
|
|
+ understand why a library was designed the way it was and may reduce the
|
|
|
+ frequency of a number of frequently asked questions. For a better
|
|
|
+ description of why rationale is important see the <a href=
|
|
|
+ "http://www.boost.org/more/lib_guide.htm#Rationale">Rationale rationale</a>
|
|
|
+ in the general submission guidelines.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>Like most content pages, the Rationale page should include a <a href=
|
|
|
+ "#page-index">Page Index</a>.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>A Rationale page <a href="#rationale-template">template</a> is provided
|
|
|
for use.</p>
|
|
|
-<h3><a name="acknowledgements-page"></a>Acknowledgment</h3>
|
|
|
-<p>The Acknowledgment page is used to give credit where credit is due. When individuals
|
|
|
- provide input on the design or implementation, or when you make use of someone
|
|
|
- else's work, you should acknowledge them. This is a courtesy that you'd expect
|
|
|
- others to extend to you, so you should strive to acknowledge the efforts of
|
|
|
- everyone else in your own documentation.</p>
|
|
|
-<p>Since the Acknowledgment page should contain only a list of acknowledgment
|
|
|
- there is no need for a <a href="#page-index">Page Index</a>.</p>
|
|
|
-<p>An Acknowledgments page <a href="#acknowledgements-template">template</a> is
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <h3><a name="configuration-page" id="configuration-page"></a>Configuration
|
|
|
+ Information</h3>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>The Configuration Information page is used to document configuration
|
|
|
+ macros used by the library. Such macros belong in one of three groups:
|
|
|
+ macros used by library implenters defined in
|
|
|
+ <code><boost/config.hpp></code>, macros used by library users to
|
|
|
+ detect platform configuration information and macros defined by library
|
|
|
+ users to configure library behavior.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>Like most content pages, the Overview page should include a <a href=
|
|
|
+ "#page-index">Page Index</a>.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>A Configuration page <a href="#configuration-template">template</a> is
|
|
|
provided for use.</p>
|
|
|
-<h3><a name="header-page"></a>Header Reference</h3>
|
|
|
-<p>The Header Reference pages are the most important pages in your documentation.
|
|
|
- They document all library headers, including all the macros, values, types,
|
|
|
- classes, functions and objects defined in them. In general it may prove useful
|
|
|
- to follow the guidelines in <a href="structure.html">Documentation Structure</a>
|
|
|
- when writing the content for these pages.</p>
|
|
|
-<p>Like most content pages, the Header Reference pages should include a <a href="#page-index">Page
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <h3><a name="faq-page" id="faq-page"></a>Frequently Asked Questions</h3>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>As a library matures the users will have questions about the usage of
|
|
|
+ the library. Often users will ask the same questions over and over again.
|
|
|
+ Rather than having to deal with answering the question every time it's
|
|
|
+ asked, a Frequently Asked Questions (commonly known as FAQs) page can be
|
|
|
+ used to document the questions and answers. This is such a valuable piece
|
|
|
+ of documentation not only for the users but for the maintainers as well,
|
|
|
+ that a FAQ page should be provided from the outset. If there are no
|
|
|
+ questions that will obviously become a FAQ, the initial page may just
|
|
|
+ indicate that there are no FAQs yet. This empty place holder helps to
|
|
|
+ indicate to the users that you plan to address any FAQs as they occur.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>The <a href="#page-index">Page Index</a> for the FAQ page should contain
|
|
|
+ a list of all the questions contained in the document. The actual question
|
|
|
+ entries should be formatted with the question in a heading tag and the
|
|
|
+ answers in standard paragraph format. This provides a clean presentation
|
|
|
+ that's easy to read.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>A Frequently Asked Questions page <a href="#faq-template">template</a>
|
|
|
+ is provided for use.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <h3><a name="bibliography-page" id=
|
|
|
+ "bibliography-page"></a>Bibliography</h3>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>The Bibliography page is used to document any bibliographical
|
|
|
+ information associated with references made within the documentation to
|
|
|
+ external resources. Parenthetical references are used within the
|
|
|
+ documentation which link to entries in the Bibliography page.
|
|
|
+ Bibliographical entries provide detailed information about the external
|
|
|
+ resource and may contain hyper links to the resource if it's available
|
|
|
+ online. There are several formal styles used for writing bibliographies.
|
|
|
+ You may use what ever style you want, but one of the better styles to
|
|
|
+ consider using can be referenced <a href=
|
|
|
+ "http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cup/cgos/idx_basic.html">here</a>.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>Since the Bibliography page should contain only bibliographical
|
|
|
+ information there is no need for a <a href="#page-index">Page
|
|
|
Index</a>.</p>
|
|
|
-<p>A Header Reference page <a href="#header-template">template</a> is provided
|
|
|
- for use.</p>
|
|
|
-<h2><a name="layout"></a>Layout</h2>
|
|
|
-<p>There are certain page layout concepts that will be used frequently in many
|
|
|
- of your pages. This section outlines some general guidelines that you can follow
|
|
|
- when designing each of these layout concepts for your documentation.</p>
|
|
|
-<h3><a name="page-banner"></a>Page Banner</h3>
|
|
|
-<p>The Page Banner is located at the very top of a page and provides quick information
|
|
|
- about the page contents. This includes the Boost logo, which indicates to the
|
|
|
- reader that this page is part of the Boost web site, a title for the documentation
|
|
|
- (generally the library name) and the page title. The Boost logo should hyper
|
|
|
- link to the Boost home page on the index page and to the index page on all other
|
|
|
- pages. This allows the user to easily navigate through the Boost web site and
|
|
|
- through the documentation. The <title> tag for the HTML page should consist
|
|
|
- of the documentation title and the page title separated by a hyphen.</p>
|
|
|
-<p>The Page Banner should be separated from the rest of the page by the use of
|
|
|
- an <hr> tag. This helps to clearly separate the actual content from the
|
|
|
- title information and produces cleaner text.</p>
|
|
|
-<h3><a name="page-index"></a>Page Index</h3>
|
|
|
-<p>The page index is used to quickly navigate to the various sections of the documentation
|
|
|
- on the page, and when present should be located just below the Page Banner.</p>
|
|
|
-<p>The index list should generally be constructed using an HTML "definition
|
|
|
- list" (<dl> and <DT> tags). A definition list has no bullets
|
|
|
- or ordered specifications and produces a cleaner layout then an unordered list
|
|
|
- (<UL> and <li> tags) or an ordered list (<ol> and <li>
|
|
|
- tags). If you choose to use the Boost Style Sheet you should add a <code>class="page-index"</code>
|
|
|
- attribute/value pair to the <dl> tag.</p>
|
|
|
-<p>Most pages should include a Page Index.</p>
|
|
|
-<h3><a name="content"></a>Documentation Content</h3>
|
|
|
-<p>The page's actual documentation content will be formatted according to the
|
|
|
- specific needs of individual pages, and should be placed right after the Page
|
|
|
- Index if present, or after the Page Banner if not. In general the documentation
|
|
|
- content will take the form of paragraph text contained underneath section headings.</p>
|
|
|
-<h3><a name="doc-footnotes"></a>Footnotes</h3>
|
|
|
-<p>Footnotes may be used within a page's documentation. Within the documentation
|
|
|
- content a footnote reference should take the form of a footnote number in parentheses
|
|
|
- (the parentheses make it easier for the reader to click on the hyper link) hyper
|
|
|
- linking to the actual footnote at the bottom of the page's documentation content.
|
|
|
- You may either use the <sup> tag to format such footnote numbers, or,
|
|
|
- preferably, you can use a CSS style class in order to distinguish the number
|
|
|
- as a footnote instead of as part of the actual text. If you choose to use the
|
|
|
- common <a href="#boost-style-sheet">Boost Style Sheet</a>, a <code>footnote</code>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>A Bibliography page <a href="#bibliography-template">template</a> is
|
|
|
+ provided for use.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <h3><a name="acknowledgements-page" id=
|
|
|
+ "acknowledgements-page"></a>Acknowledgment</h3>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>The Acknowledgment page is used to give credit where credit is due. When
|
|
|
+ individuals provide input on the design or implementation, or when you make
|
|
|
+ use of someone else's work, you should acknowledge them. This is a courtesy
|
|
|
+ that you'd expect others to extend to you, so you should strive to
|
|
|
+ acknowledge the efforts of everyone else in your own documentation.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>Since the Acknowledgment page should contain only a list of
|
|
|
+ acknowledgment there is no need for a <a href="#page-index">Page
|
|
|
+ Index</a>.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>An Acknowledgments page <a href=
|
|
|
+ "#acknowledgements-template">template</a> is provided for use.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <h3><a name="header-page" id="header-page"></a>Header Reference</h3>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>The Header Reference pages are the most important pages in your
|
|
|
+ documentation. They document all library headers, including all the macros,
|
|
|
+ values, types, classes, functions and objects defined in them. In general
|
|
|
+ it may prove useful to follow the guidelines in <a href=
|
|
|
+ "structure.html">Documentation Structure</a> when writing the content for
|
|
|
+ these pages.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>Like most content pages, the Header Reference pages should include a
|
|
|
+ <a href="#page-index">Page Index</a>.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>A Header Reference page <a href="#header-template">template</a> is
|
|
|
+ provided for use.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <h2><a name="layout" id="layout"></a>Layout</h2>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>There are certain page layout concepts that will be used frequently in
|
|
|
+ many of your pages. This section outlines some general guidelines that you
|
|
|
+ can follow when designing each of these layout concepts for your
|
|
|
+ documentation.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <h3><a name="page-banner" id="page-banner"></a>Page Banner</h3>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>The Page Banner is located at the very top of a page and provides quick
|
|
|
+ information about the page contents. This includes the Boost logo, which
|
|
|
+ indicates to the reader that this page is part of the Boost web site, a
|
|
|
+ title for the documentation (generally the library name) and the page
|
|
|
+ title. The Boost logo should hyper link to the Boost home page on the index
|
|
|
+ page and to the index page on all other pages. This allows the user to
|
|
|
+ easily navigate through the Boost web site and through the documentation.
|
|
|
+ The <title> tag for the HTML page should consist of the documentation
|
|
|
+ title and the page title separated by a hyphen.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>The Page Banner should be separated from the rest of the page by the use
|
|
|
+ of an <hr> tag. This helps to clearly separate the actual content
|
|
|
+ from the title information and produces cleaner text.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <h3><a name="page-index" id="page-index"></a>Page Index</h3>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>The page index is used to quickly navigate to the various sections of
|
|
|
+ the documentation on the page, and when present should be located just
|
|
|
+ below the Page Banner.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>The index list should generally be constructed using an HTML "definition
|
|
|
+ list" (<dl> and <DT> tags). A definition list has no bullets or
|
|
|
+ ordered specifications and produces a cleaner layout then an unordered list
|
|
|
+ (<UL> and <li> tags) or an ordered list (<ol> and
|
|
|
+ <li> tags). If you choose to use the Boost Style Sheet you should add
|
|
|
+ a <code>class="page-index"</code> attribute/value pair to the <dl>
|
|
|
+ tag.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>Most pages should include a Page Index.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <h3><a name="content" id="content"></a>Documentation Content</h3>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>The page's actual documentation content will be formatted according to
|
|
|
+ the specific needs of individual pages, and should be placed right after
|
|
|
+ the Page Index if present, or after the Page Banner if not. In general the
|
|
|
+ documentation content will take the form of paragraph text contained
|
|
|
+ underneath section headings.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <h3><a name="doc-footnotes" id="doc-footnotes"></a>Footnotes</h3>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>Footnotes may be used within a page's documentation. Within the
|
|
|
+ documentation content a footnote reference should take the form of a
|
|
|
+ footnote number in parentheses (the parentheses make it easier for the
|
|
|
+ reader to click on the hyper link) hyper linking to the actual footnote at
|
|
|
+ the bottom of the page's documentation content. You may either use the
|
|
|
+ <sup> tag to format such footnote numbers, or, preferably, you can
|
|
|
+ use a CSS style class in order to distinguish the number as a footnote
|
|
|
+ instead of as part of the actual text. If you choose to use the common
|
|
|
+ <a href="#boost-style-sheet">Boost Style Sheet</a>, a <code>footnote</code>
|
|
|
class is defined for this purpose.</p>
|
|
|
-<h3><a name="revision-info"></a>Revision Information</h3>
|
|
|
-<p>At the bottom of every page should be some revision information indicating
|
|
|
- when the page was last revised. This information should be separated from the
|
|
|
- rest of the page above by an <hr> tag. The following HTML code snippet
|
|
|
- can be used to track this revision information (this code uses some server components
|
|
|
- that exist on the Boost web site to automatically track revision dates with
|
|
|
- out the need for hand editing the date text):</p>
|
|
|
-<pre><hr>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <h3><a name="revision-info" id="revision-info"></a>Revision
|
|
|
+ Information</h3>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>At the bottom of every page should be some revision information
|
|
|
+ indicating when the page was last revised. This information should be
|
|
|
+ separated from the rest of the page above by an <hr> tag. The
|
|
|
+ following HTML code snippet can be used to track this revision information
|
|
|
+ (this code uses some server components that exist on the Boost web site to
|
|
|
+ automatically track revision dates with out the need for hand editing the
|
|
|
+ date text):</p>
|
|
|
+ <pre>
|
|
|
+<hr>
|
|
|
<p>Revised
|
|
|
- <!--webbot bot="Timestamp" S-Type="EDITED" S-Format="%d %B, %Y" startspan -->
|
|
|
+ <!--webbot bot="Timestamp" S-Type="EDITED" S-Format="%d %B, %Y" startspan -->
|
|
|
01 January, 2001
|
|
|
- <!--webbot bot="Timestamp" endspan i-checksum="39359" -->
|
|
|
+ <!--webbot bot="Timestamp" endspan i-checksum="39359" -->
|
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
</pre>
|
|
|
-<h3><a name="copyright"></a>Copyright Information</h3>
|
|
|
-<p>The very bottom of the page should contain any copyright information that applies
|
|
|
- to the document.</p>
|
|
|
-<h2><a name="format"></a>Format</h2>
|
|
|
-<p>This section provides general guidelines for formatting documentation using
|
|
|
- HTML. The description of the various "common pages" gave specific
|
|
|
- details for formatting specific sections of the documentation, which should
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <h3><a name="copyright" id="copyright"></a>Copyright Information</h3>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>The very bottom of the page should contain any copyright information
|
|
|
+ that applies to the document.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <h2><a name="format" id="format"></a>Format</h2>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>This section provides general guidelines for formatting documentation
|
|
|
+ using HTML. The description of the various "common pages" gave specific
|
|
|
+ details for formatting specific sections of the documentation, which should
|
|
|
override these guidelines.</p>
|
|
|
-<h3><a name="code-format"></a>Code</h3>
|
|
|
-<p>Code within the documentation should be placed within either <code></code>
|
|
|
- or <pre></pre> tags. For code that's placed inline with other text
|
|
|
- you use <code></code> tags, while <pre></pre> tags are
|
|
|
- used for code "blocks". If a cascading style sheet is used to specify
|
|
|
- formatting for these tags, a fixed width sans serif font should be used. This
|
|
|
- insures that the code is easily distinguishable from the rest of the text. It
|
|
|
- may also be beneficial to set the style for <pre></pre> tags to
|
|
|
- indent the text, to help separate code blocks from other structural HTML blocks.
|
|
|
- The <a href="#boost-style-sheet">Boost Style Sheet</a> specifies formatting
|
|
|
- for these tags.</p>
|
|
|
-<p><b>Note:</b> "Code" includes variable names, function names, etc.</p>
|
|
|
-<h3><a name="lists"></a>Lists</h3>
|
|
|
-<p>Lists should be constructed as unordered (<UL> and <li> tags),
|
|
|
- ordered (<ol> and <li> tags) or definition (<dl> and <DT>
|
|
|
- tags) lists in HTML. You use an unordered list when you need a collection of
|
|
|
- items that don't have any kind of logical ordering, such as a list of data types
|
|
|
- that are defined by the library and can be used for a template argument. You
|
|
|
- use an ordered list when the collection of items must be grouped in a logical
|
|
|
- ordering, such as when enumerating the steps that an action logically performs.
|
|
|
- You use a definition list when the list consists of not only items that have
|
|
|
- no logical ordering, but also contains definitions/descriptions/etc. of the
|
|
|
- items. A good example of this is the function specifications as described in
|
|
|
- <a href="structure.html">Documentation Structure</a>.</p>
|
|
|
-<h3><a name="graphics"></a>Graphics</h3>
|
|
|
-<p>Graphics should be used very sparingly, if at all. Graphic images greatly effect
|
|
|
- the download time for many people, which can discourage users from reading the
|
|
|
- documentation. If you need graphic images to help illustrate something in your
|
|
|
- documentation consider supplying only a link to the image within the documentation,
|
|
|
- instead of embedding it directly in the text. If an image is going to be included
|
|
|
- in the text of the document you should specify the image's size in the <img>
|
|
|
- tag, in order to allow the user's browser to optimize the formatting of the
|
|
|
- text before the image is loaded.</p>
|
|
|
-<h3><a name="non-breaking-spaces"></a>Non-breaking Spaces</h3>
|
|
|
-<p>Non-breaking spaces (&nbsp;) should be avoided in HTML text. Generally
|
|
|
- there are more appropriate ways to format the document, such as using list constructs
|
|
|
- or specifying indentation as a style attribute or in cascading style sheets.</p>
|
|
|
-<h3><a name="style-sheets"></a>Cascading Style Sheets</h3>
|
|
|
-<p>Cascading style sheets allow you to apply some advanced formatting styles to
|
|
|
- an HTML document. More importantly, they allow you to change the formatting
|
|
|
- in a single file and effect all pages using the style sheet. Instead of struggling
|
|
|
- to produce a specific format in HTML it's often easier and more flexible to
|
|
|
- specify the formatting in a style sheet.</p>
|
|
|
-<h4><a name="boost-style-sheet"></a>Boost Style Sheet</h4>
|
|
|
-<p>The concept of using cascading style sheets to format HTML is such a good idea
|
|
|
- that it can be beneficial to apply this across the entire Boost site. Of course
|
|
|
- we can't require this (if Boost were to require such trivia for submissions
|
|
|
- it's likely that many programmers would be discouraged from contributing). However,
|
|
|
- a "standard" Boost style sheet (http://www.boost.org/boost.css) is
|
|
|
- supplied anyway, so that a contributer can quickly and easily produce clear
|
|
|
- and consistent documentation that reflects a Boost "brand" if they
|
|
|
- so choose. If, at a later date, it's decided to update the Boost "brand",
|
|
|
- it may be done in this single file and all documents using the style sheet will
|
|
|
- automatically be updated.</p>
|
|
|
-<p>The Boost supplied style sheet not only specifies styles for many standard
|
|
|
- tags, it also specifies several style "classes". A class is specified
|
|
|
- for a given tag instead of being applied to all instances of a given tag type.
|
|
|
- Below is a list of the classes specified in the Boost style sheet and a description
|
|
|
- of when to use them:</p>
|
|
|
-<dl>
|
|
|
- <dt><b>index</b> Used for <dl> tags when writing index lists.</dt>
|
|
|
- <dt><b>page-index</b> Used for <dl> tags when writing page index lists.</dt>
|
|
|
- <dt><b>Footnote</b> Used when writing Footnote numbers.</dt>
|
|
|
- <dt><b>function-semantics</b> Used for <dl> tags when writing function
|
|
|
- semantic lists.</dt>
|
|
|
-</dl>
|
|
|
-<h2><a name="templates"></a>Templates</h2>
|
|
|
-<p>Instead of hand coding every HTML page, HTML "templates" can be used instead.
|
|
|
- The list below provides links to templates that may be used when writing documentation
|
|
|
- for a contribution to Boost. Links provided in these templates assume the files
|
|
|
- will reside in the "traditional" directory hierarchy of <i>boost/libs/library/doc</i>.
|
|
|
- They may need correcting if the file will reside in some other location.</p>
|
|
|
-<p><b>Note:</b> Since these "templates" are just HTML pages simply clicking
|
|
|
- on the links below will load the template in your browser. You will need to
|
|
|
- use a browser specific method to download the files instead of loading them
|
|
|
- into the browser (for instance, on most Windows browsers you can right click
|
|
|
- on the link and select the appropriate command from the context sensitive menu).</p>
|
|
|
-<ul>
|
|
|
- <li><a name="index-template"></a><a href="template/index.html">Index Page Template</a></li>
|
|
|
- <li><a name="overview-template"></a><a href="template/overview.html">Overview
|
|
|
- Page Template</a></li>
|
|
|
- <li><a name="definitions-template"></a><a href="template/definitions.html">Definitions
|
|
|
- Page Template</a></li>
|
|
|
- <li><a name="rationale-template"></a><a href="template/rationale.html">Rationale
|
|
|
- Page Template</a></li>
|
|
|
- <li><a name="configuration-template"></a><a href="template/configuration.html">Configuration
|
|
|
- Page Template</a></li>
|
|
|
- <li><a name="faq-template"></a><a href="template/faq.html">FAQ (Frequently Asked
|
|
|
- Questions) Page Template</a></li>
|
|
|
- <li><a name="bibliography-template"></a><a href="template/bibliography.html">Bibliography
|
|
|
- Page Template</a></li>
|
|
|
- <li><a name="acknowledgements-template"></a><a href="template/acknowledgments.html">Acknowledgments
|
|
|
- Page Template</a></li>
|
|
|
- <li><a name="header-template"></a><a href="template/header.html">Header Page
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <h3><a name="code-format" id="code-format"></a>Code</h3>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>Code within the documentation should be placed within either
|
|
|
+ <code></code> or <pre></pre> tags. For code that's
|
|
|
+ placed inline with other text you use <code></code> tags, while
|
|
|
+ <pre></pre> tags are used for code "blocks". If a cascading
|
|
|
+ style sheet is used to specify formatting for these tags, a fixed width
|
|
|
+ sans serif font should be used. This insures that the code is easily
|
|
|
+ distinguishable from the rest of the text. It may also be beneficial to set
|
|
|
+ the style for <pre></pre> tags to indent the text, to help
|
|
|
+ separate code blocks from other structural HTML blocks. The <a href=
|
|
|
+ "#boost-style-sheet">Boost Style Sheet</a> specifies formatting for these
|
|
|
+ tags.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p><b>Note:</b> "Code" includes variable names, function names, etc.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <h3><a name="lists" id="lists"></a>Lists</h3>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>Lists should be constructed as unordered (<UL> and <li>
|
|
|
+ tags), ordered (<ol> and <li> tags) or definition (<dl>
|
|
|
+ and <DT> tags) lists in HTML. You use an unordered list when you need
|
|
|
+ a collection of items that don't have any kind of logical ordering, such as
|
|
|
+ a list of data types that are defined by the library and can be used for a
|
|
|
+ template argument. You use an ordered list when the collection of items
|
|
|
+ must be grouped in a logical ordering, such as when enumerating the steps
|
|
|
+ that an action logically performs. You use a definition list when the list
|
|
|
+ consists of not only items that have no logical ordering, but also contains
|
|
|
+ definitions/descriptions/etc. of the items. A good example of this is the
|
|
|
+ function specifications as described in <a href=
|
|
|
+ "structure.html">Documentation Structure</a>.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <h3><a name="graphics" id="graphics"></a>Graphics</h3>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>Graphics should be used very sparingly, if at all. Graphic images
|
|
|
+ greatly effect the download time for many people, which can discourage
|
|
|
+ users from reading the documentation. If you need graphic images to help
|
|
|
+ illustrate something in your documentation consider supplying only a link
|
|
|
+ to the image within the documentation, instead of embedding it directly in
|
|
|
+ the text. If an image is going to be included in the text of the document
|
|
|
+ you should specify the image's size in the <img> tag, in order to
|
|
|
+ allow the user's browser to optimize the formatting of the text before the
|
|
|
+ image is loaded.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <h3><a name="non-breaking-spaces" id="non-breaking-spaces"></a>Non-breaking
|
|
|
+ Spaces</h3>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>Non-breaking spaces (&nbsp;) should be avoided in HTML text.
|
|
|
+ Generally there are more appropriate ways to format the document, such as
|
|
|
+ using list constructs or specifying indentation as a style attribute or in
|
|
|
+ cascading style sheets.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <h3><a name="style-sheets" id="style-sheets"></a>Cascading Style
|
|
|
+ Sheets</h3>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>Cascading style sheets allow you to apply some advanced formatting
|
|
|
+ styles to an HTML document. More importantly, they allow you to change the
|
|
|
+ formatting in a single file and effect all pages using the style sheet.
|
|
|
+ Instead of struggling to produce a specific format in HTML it's often
|
|
|
+ easier and more flexible to specify the formatting in a style sheet.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <h4><a name="boost-style-sheet" id="boost-style-sheet"></a>Boost Style
|
|
|
+ Sheet</h4>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>The concept of using cascading style sheets to format HTML is such a
|
|
|
+ good idea that it can be beneficial to apply this across the entire Boost
|
|
|
+ site. Of course we can't require this (if Boost were to require such trivia
|
|
|
+ for submissions it's likely that many programmers would be discouraged from
|
|
|
+ contributing). However, a "standard" Boost style sheet
|
|
|
+ (http://www.boost.org/boost.css) is supplied anyway, so that a contributer
|
|
|
+ can quickly and easily produce clear and consistent documentation that
|
|
|
+ reflects a Boost "brand" if they so choose. If, at a later date, it's
|
|
|
+ decided to update the Boost "brand", it may be done in this single file and
|
|
|
+ all documents using the style sheet will automatically be updated.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>The Boost supplied style sheet not only specifies styles for many
|
|
|
+ standard tags, it also specifies several style "classes". A class is
|
|
|
+ specified for a given tag instead of being applied to all instances of a
|
|
|
+ given tag type. Below is a list of the classes specified in the Boost style
|
|
|
+ sheet and a description of when to use them:</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dl>
|
|
|
+ <dt><b>index</b> Used for <dl> tags when writing index lists.</dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dt><b>page-index</b> Used for <dl> tags when writing page index
|
|
|
+ lists.</dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dt><b>Footnote</b> Used when writing Footnote numbers.</dt>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <dt><b>function-semantics</b> Used for <dl> tags when writing
|
|
|
+ function semantic lists.</dt>
|
|
|
+ </dl>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <h2><a name="templates" id="templates"></a>Templates</h2>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>Instead of hand coding every HTML page, HTML "templates" can be used
|
|
|
+ instead. The list below provides links to templates that may be used when
|
|
|
+ writing documentation for a contribution to Boost. Links provided in these
|
|
|
+ templates assume the files will reside in the "traditional" directory
|
|
|
+ hierarchy of <i>boost/libs/library/doc</i>. They may need correcting if the
|
|
|
+ file will reside in some other location.</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p><b>Note:</b> Since these "templates" are just HTML pages simply clicking
|
|
|
+ on the links below will load the template in your browser. You will need to
|
|
|
+ use a browser specific method to download the files instead of loading them
|
|
|
+ into the browser (for instance, on most Windows browsers you can right
|
|
|
+ click on the link and select the appropriate command from the context
|
|
|
+ sensitive menu).</p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <ul>
|
|
|
+ <li><a name="index-template" id="index-template"></a><a href=
|
|
|
+ "template/index.html">Index Page Template</a></li>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <li><a name="overview-template" id="overview-template"></a><a href=
|
|
|
+ "template/overview.html">Overview Page Template</a></li>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <li><a name="definitions-template" id="definitions-template"></a><a href=
|
|
|
+ "template/definitions.html">Definitions Page Template</a></li>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <li><a name="rationale-template" id="rationale-template"></a><a href=
|
|
|
+ "template/rationale.html">Rationale Page Template</a></li>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <li><a name="configuration-template" id=
|
|
|
+ "configuration-template"></a><a href=
|
|
|
+ "template/configuration.html">Configuration Page Template</a></li>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <li><a name="faq-template" id="faq-template"></a><a href=
|
|
|
+ "template/faq.html">FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) Page
|
|
|
Template</a></li>
|
|
|
-</ul>
|
|
|
-<hr>
|
|
|
-<p>Revised
|
|
|
- <!--webbot bot="Timestamp" S-Type="EDITED" S-Format="%d %B, %Y" startspan -->29 November, 2003<!--webbot bot="Timestamp" endspan i-checksum="39371" -->
|
|
|
-</p>
|
|
|
-<p><i>© Copyright <a href="mailto:williamkempf@hotmail.com">William E. Kempf</a>
|
|
|
- 2001. All Rights Reserved.</i></p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <li><a name="bibliography-template" id=
|
|
|
+ "bibliography-template"></a><a href=
|
|
|
+ "template/bibliography.html">Bibliography Page Template</a></li>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <li><a name="acknowledgements-template" id=
|
|
|
+ "acknowledgements-template"></a><a href=
|
|
|
+ "template/acknowledgments.html">Acknowledgments Page Template</a></li>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <li><a name="header-template" id="header-template"></a><a href=
|
|
|
+ "template/header.html">Header Page Template</a></li>
|
|
|
+ </ul>
|
|
|
+ <hr>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p><a href="http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=referer"><img border="0" src=
|
|
|
+ "http://www.w3.org/Icons/valid-html401" alt="Valid HTML 4.01 Transitional"
|
|
|
+ height="31" width="88"></a></p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p>Revised
|
|
|
+ <!--webbot bot="Timestamp" s-type="EDITED" s-format="%d %B, %Y" startspan -->04
|
|
|
+ December, 2006<!--webbot bot="Timestamp" endspan i-checksum="38514" --></p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p><i>Copyright © 2001 <a href=
|
|
|
+ "mailto:williamkempf@hotmail.com">William E. Kempf</a></i></p>
|
|
|
+
|
|
|
+ <p><i>Distributed under the Boost Software License, Version 1.0. (See
|
|
|
+ accompanying file <a href="../../LICENSE_1_0.txt">LICENSE_1_0.txt</a> or
|
|
|
+ copy at <a href=
|
|
|
+ "http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt">http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt</a>)</i></p>
|
|
|
</body>
|
|
|
-</html>
|
|
|
+</html>
|