writing-avo-docs

name

writing-avo-docs

description

Write and edit Avo documentation pages following this repo's guide + reference (API) two-page model. Use whenever you're adding or editing a docs page under docs/ — documenting an Avo feature or config option, writing a how-to guide, building or updating an `-api.md` reference page, adding `<Option>` blocks, setting docs frontmatter (license, outline, api_docs, guide), cross-linking a guide to its API reference, or deciding whether a feature needs one page or two. Also use when the request mentions "document this feature", "write the docs for", "Avo docs", "the API page", "the reference page", "<Option>", or "config.<something>" in a documentation context. Reach for it even when the user just says "add docs for X" without naming the format — getting the structure, frontmatter, and cross-links right is the whole point.

Writing Avo docs

This repo is the Avo documentation site (VitePress). Features are documented with a two-page model: a task-oriented guide and an exhaustive reference (API). Your job is to produce pages that match that model exactly, so the docs read consistently and a contributor can navigate the docs and the config side by side.

The canonical, copy-paste spec lives in AGENTS.md at the repo root, and the reference implementation is the pair docs/4.0/appearance.md (guide) and docs/4.0/appearance-api.md (reference). When a detail here is ambiguous, open those and match their shape — they are the source of truth. This file is the operational summary so you can act without re-reading everything each time.

First decide: one page or two?

A feature's option surface determines the structure. Decide before you write:

• Guide + reference (two pages) when the feature has more than ~3 options, enums with multiple values, or validation rules worth stating precisely. The guide is feature.md; the reference is feature-api.md.
• Guide only when the feature has 0–3 simple options. Don't create an -api.md that would just restate the guide.
• Never create a reference page without a guide.

One feature, one guide page, one API page. Organize sub-topics with ##/### sections, not separate files — appearance.md covers logos, palettes, persistence, and CSS overrides on a single page. The split that matters is guide vs. reference, never topic vs. topic. A reader should be able to paste the whole guide (or whole API page) into an LLM and get the full picture of the feature in one shot; fanning it across files breaks that.

The one exception: a feature that's really an umbrella over distinct variants, each with its own substantial option set (Views → table view, grid view, map view). Then each variant gets its own page, the overview keeps only what's common, and the overview's footer links to every sub-page in one line each. See AGENTS.md for the footer pattern.

Workflow

1. Find the option surface. Look at the actual config (config.<feature>) so you know every option, its type, default, allowed values, and what raises. Don't invent options — document what exists. If you're unsure of a default or a validation rule, find it in the source rather than guessing.
2. Apply the decision rule above to pick one page or two.
3. Write the guide (feature.md) — task-organized, plain English.
4. Write the reference (feature-api.md) if warranted — one <Option> per option.
5. Wire them together with frontmatter cross-links and option-to-anchor links.
6. Run the checklist at the bottom, then yarn dev and confirm the page renders and the guide ↔ reference callouts appear.

The guide page (feature.md)

Write it the way you'd explain the feature to a colleague.

• Open with a one-paragraph description of what the feature is and does, then one realistic code block for the common case, then a sentence on what happens with no configuration (the defaults).
• Organize around the reader's goal. Phrase ## headings as the thing they want to accomplish — ## Customize the logo, ## Persist picks across devices — not the machinery (## Logos, ## Persistence). The config is incidental to the goal. Never structure the guide as a flat list of options.
• Plain English, selective code. Mention options conversationally ("provide logo_dark to render a different file in dark mode") without listing their type/default — that's the reference's job. Show code only for common cases; don't enumerate every permutation.
• Use conditional imperatives — "If you want cross-device persistence, switch to :database" — so a reader scans straight to their case.
• Don't teach internals. A guide gives directions to a goal; state what to do and link out for the rest.
• Keep it skimmable. Short sections; a reader solves their task without reading the whole page.
• Optionally close with a ## Full example (every option at once) and/or an ## Options reference summary table, as appearance.md does.

Frontmatter:

---
license: pro # community | pro
outline: [2, 3] # h2 + h3 in the "On this page" panel; or `deep`
api_docs: ./feature-api.html # link to the reference; omit if guide-only
---

The reference page (feature-api.md)

This page is for consulting, not reading top to bottom.

• Intro: one sentence saying it's the per-option reference, a link back to the guide, and the canonical config snippet showing where options go.
• Describe, don't instruct. Neutral and factual — what each option is, its type, its behavior. No step-by-step recipes or "you should"; that's the guide. If you catch yourself writing how-to steps inside an <Option>, move them to the guide and link.
• Mirror the feature's structure. Group options under ## headings (Theme selection, Custom palettes, Assets…) that follow how the feature is organized, ordered most- to least-commonly-touched.
• One <Option> block per option, using the template below.
• Use :::warning / :::info callouts for sharp edges (type coercion, values forwarded verbatim to a third party, etc.).

<Option> template:

<Option name="`option_name`">

Short description of what this option does (1–3 sentences).

```ruby
config.feature = {
  option_name: value
}
```

- **Type:** String / Symbol / Array of Strings / Hash with keys … / Proc
- **Default:** `nil`
- **Values:** allowed values when not obvious from the type
- **Validation:** what raises and when

</Option>

Include whichever contract lines apply — Type and Default almost always; Values for enums (often as a | Value | Behavior | table); Validation when something raises; plus feature-specific flags like **Lockable:** yes — …. The name prop is wrapped in backticks so it renders as code.

Frontmatter:

---
license: community # community | addon
outline: [2, 3]
guide: ./feature.html # link back to the guide
---

Cross-linking the two pages

Two mechanisms, both required.

1. Frontmatter callouts. PageHeader.vue renders a callout from each key — set both directions:

• Guide → api_docs: ./feature-api.html ("Looking for every option? See the full API reference →")
• Reference → guide: ./feature.html ("How-to guides and worked examples →")

The keys are exactly api_docs and guide (not guide_docs). The value is used verbatim as the link href; a relative ./feature.html is typical.

2. Option → anchor links. Whenever the guide names an option that has an <Option> block in the reference, link the option name to that block. Each <Option name="opt"> produces the anchor #opt (the name with backticks and ?{}! stripped):

Provide [`logo_dark`](./appearance-api.html#logo_dark) to render a different file in dark mode.

Link the first prominent mention of each option, not every repeat. An option with no <Option> entry stays a plain code span.

File path on top of snippets

When a snippet maps to a real file the reader edits, the first line is a comment naming that file, in the language's own comment syntax, using the full path from the app root:

Language	First-line comment
Ruby	# config/initializers/avo.rb
CSS	/* app/assets/stylesheets/application.css */
JS	// app/assets/javascript/application.js
ERB	<%# app/views/avo/partials/_head.html.erb %>

Apply it in guides for any snippet that goes into a real file. Skip it in the reference — those config.feature = { … } blocks are illustrative fragments of the initializer, and the intro already says everything lives in config/initializers/avo.rb; repeating the path on every <Option> is noise. Also skip it for shell commands, REPL sessions, and syntax-only fragments.

House style

• Code samples must be real and copy-pasteable — no ... placeholders inside runnable Ruby.
• Code spans for option names, values, symbols, and types: :auto, logo_dark, ArgumentError.
• Enum/lookup data goes in Markdown tables, not prose.
• Callouts use VitePress containers: :::warning, :::info, :::tip, :::danger.
• Components available (in docs/.vitepress/theme/components/): <Option name="x">…</Option>, <Demo link="…" label="…" />.

Checklist before you finish

• Structure matches the decision rule (guide-only vs guide + reference).
• Guide is task-organized, plain English, skimmable; opens with description + common-case code + defaults note.
• Reference has one <Option> per real option with Type + Default (+ Values / Validation where relevant), grouped to mirror the feature.
• Frontmatter sets license and cross-links both pages (api_docs ↔ guide).
• Guide links each mentioned option to its #anchor in the reference.
• No needless duplication between the two pages.
• Snippets that map to a real file carry the path as a top-line comment; reference snippets don't.
• Sharp edges and validation are called out with :::warning / :::info.
• yarn dev renders the page and shows the guide ↔ reference callouts.

Licensing

In Avo 2 and 3 we had subscription tiers (Pro and Advanced). In Avo 4 we have a community license and addons or bundled addons that the user can purchase.

Whenever an addon_link is provided check the URL to see if there's an addon selected. All the addons and bundles should be on https://avohq.io/pricing.