| .. _astropy-style-guide: |
|
|
| ****************************************************************** |
| Astropy Narrative Style Guide: A Writing Resource for Contributors |
| ****************************************************************** |
|
|
| Abbreviations |
| ============= |
|
|
| Place abbreviations such as i.e. and e.g. within parentheses, where they are |
| followed by a comma. Alternatively, consider using "that is" and “for example” |
| instead, preceded by an em dash or semicolon and followed by a comma, or |
| contained within em dashes. |
|
|
| Examples |
| -------- |
| * The only way to modify the data in a frame is by using the ``data`` attribute |
| directly and not the aliases for components on the frame (i.e., the following |
| will not work). |
| * There are no plans to support more complex evolution (e.g., non-inertial |
| frames or more complex evolution), as that is out of scope for the ``astropy`` |
| core. |
| * Once you have a coordinate object you can access the components of that |
| coordinate — for example, RA or Dec — to get string representations of the |
| full coordinate. |
|
|
| For general use and scientific terms, use the full term instead of the |
| abbreviation, for example, write out white dwarf instead of WD, etc. |
|
|
| Capitalization |
| ============== |
|
|
| Capitalize all proper nouns (names) in plain text, except when referring to |
| package/code names, in which case use lowercase and double backticks. Astropy |
| capitalized refers to The Astropy Project, while ``astropy`` lowercase and in |
| backticks refers to the core package. |
|
|
| Examples |
| -------- |
| * Follow Astropy guidelines for contributing code. |
| * Affiliated packages are astronomy-related software packages that are not part |
| of the ``astropy`` core package. |
| * Provide a code example along with details of the operating system and the |
| Python, ``numpy``, and ``astropy`` versions you are using. |
|
|
| In Documentation materials, up style capitalization is preferred in headings, |
| meaning capitalize first, last, and all major words in the heading, but |
| lowercase articles (the, a, an), prepositions (at, to, up, down, with, in, |
| etc.), and common coordinating conjunctions (and, but, for, or). Down style is |
| acceptable for longer “example” headings. |
|
|
| Examples |
| -------- |
| * Building and Installing |
| * Frames without Data |
| * Checklist for Contributing Code |
| * Astropy Guidelines |
| * Importing ``astropy`` and Sub-packages |
| * Example: Use velocity to compute sky position at different epochs |
|
|
| In Tutorials and other learning materials, up style capitalization is preferred |
| in headings of structured introductory/template sections, but within the |
| tutorial, down style (i.e., capitalize first word and proper nouns only) is |
| acceptable for longer headings designating different learning/code sections. |
|
|
| Contractions |
| ============ |
|
|
| Do not use contractions in formal documentation material. |
|
|
| Examples |
| -------- |
| * If you are making changes that impact ``astropy`` performance, consider adding |
| a performance benchmark. |
| * You do not need to include a changelog entry. |
|
|
| In all other materials, avoid use of contractions only when tense can be |
| confused, such as in the case of “she is gone” versus “she has gone,” etc. |
|
|
| Hyphenation |
| =========== |
|
|
| Phrasal adjectives/compound modifiers placed before a noun should be hyphenated |
| to avoid confusion. |
|
|
| Examples |
| -------- |
| * Astronomy-related software packages. |
| * Astropy provides sustainable, high-level education to the astronomy community. |
|
|
| Hyphenated compound words should contain hyphens in plain text, but no hyphens |
| in code. |
|
|
| Example |
| ------- |
| * Since most of the functionality of ``astropy`` resides in sub-packages, it is |
| best to import the desired sub-package. |
|
|
| Numbers |
| ======= |
|
|
| For numbers followed by a unit or as part of a name, use the numeral. |
|
|
| Examples |
| -------- |
| * 1 arcminute |
| * 32 degrees |
| * Gaia data release 2 catalog |
|
|
| For all other whole numbers, follow Associated Press (AP) style: spell out |
| numbers one through nine, and use numerals for 10 and higher, with numeral-word |
| combinations for millions, billions, and trillions. |
|
|
| Examples |
| -------- |
| * There are two ways to build Astropy documentation. |
| * Follow these 11 steps. |
| * Measuring astrometry for about 2 billion stars. |
|
|
| For casual expressions, spell out the number. |
|
|
| Example |
| ------- |
| * A picture is worth a thousand words. |
|
|
| Punctuation |
| =========== |
|
|
| For consistency across Astropy materials, non-U.S. punctuation will be edited |
| to reflect American punctuation preferences. |
|
|
| **Parentheses**: punctuation belonging to parenthetical material will be placed |
| inside of closing parentheses, with the exception of commas to denote a small |
| pause coming after parenthetical material, and periods when parenthetical |
| material is included within another sentence. |
|
|
| Examples |
| -------- |
| * (For full contributor guidelines, see our documentation.) |
| * Once you open a pull request (which should be opened against the ``master`` |
| branch), please make sure to include the following. |
| * In some cases, most of the required functionality is contained in a single |
| class (or a few classes). |
|
|
| **Quotation marks**: periods and commas will be placed inside of closing |
| quotation marks, whether double or single. |
|
|
| Examples |
| -------- |
| * Chief among these terms is the concept of a “coordinate system.” |
| * Because of the likelihood of confusion between these meanings of “coordinate |
| system,” `~astropy.coordinates` avoids this term wherever possible. |
|
|
| **Hyphens vs. En Dashes vs. Em Dashes** |
|
|
| .. note:: |
|
|
| Please note that en dashes and em dashes do not render on GitHub and appear |
| as hyphens. This section is included for reference only. |
|
|
| Hyphens (-) should be used for phrasal adjectives and compound words (see |
| Hyphenation above). |
|
|
| En dashes (– longer) should be used for number ranges (dates, times, pages) or |
| to replace the words “to” or “through,” without spaces around the dash. |
|
|
| Examples |
| -------- |
| * See chapters 14–18 |
| * We’ve blocked off March 2019–May 2019 to develop a new version. |
|
|
| Em dashes (— longest) can be used in place of commas, parentheses, or colons to |
| set off amplifying or explanatory elements. In Astropy materials, follow AP |
| style, which calls for spaces on either side of each em dash. |
|
|
| Examples |
| -------- |
| * Several types of input angles — array, scalar, tuple, string — can be used in |
| the creation of an Angle object. |
| * The creation of an Angle object supports a variety of input angle types — |
| array, scalar, tuple, string, etc. |
|
|
| Spelling |
| ======== |
|
|
| For consistency across Astropy materials, non-U.S. spelling will be edited to |
| reflect American spelling preferences. |
|
|
| Example |
| ------- |
| * Cross-matching catalog coordinates (versus catalogue) |
|
|
| Time and Date |
| ============= |
|
|
| Use numerals when exact times are expressed, followed by *ante meridiem* or |
| *post meridiem* abbreviated in lowercase with periods, or use the twenty-four- |
| hour system. |
|
|
| Examples |
| -------- |
| * The meeting is set for 9:30 a.m. |
| * The presentation starts at 15:00. |
|
|
| Express specific dates as numerals in ISO 8601 format, year-month-day. |
|
|
| Example |
| ------- |
| * Data from the Gaia mission was released on 2018-04-25. |
|
|
| A Note About Style and Tone |
| =========================== |
|
|
| Across all Astropy materials in narrative sections, please write in: |
|
|
| * The present tense. For example: |
| * In the following section, we are going to make a plot… |
| * To test if your version of ``astropy`` is running correctly… |
|
|
| * The first-person inclusive plural. For example: |
| * We did this the long way, but next let’s try the short way… |
|
|
| * Use the generic pronoun “you” instead of “one.” For example: |
| * You can access any of the attributes on a frame by... |
|
|
| Always avoid extraneous or belittling words such as “obviously,” “easily,” |
| “simply,” “just,” or “straightforward.” Avoid extraneous phrases like, “we just |
| have to do one more thing.” |
|
|
| Documentation vs. Tutorials vs. Guides |
| -------------------------------------- |
|
|
| Documentation |
| ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
| Tone: academic and slightly more formal. |
|
|
| * Use up style capitalization in section headings. |
| * Do not use contractions. |
|
|
| Tutorials |
| ~~~~~~~~~ |
| Tone: academic but less formal and more friendly. |
|
|
| * Use up style capitalization in introductory/template headings, switch to down |
| style capitalization for learning/example section headings. |
| * Section headings should use the imperative mood to form a command or request |
| (e.g., “Download the data”). |
| * Contractions can be used as long as the tense is clear. |
|
|
| Guides |
| ~~~~~~ |
| Tone: academic but less formal and more friendly. |
|
|
| * Use up style capitalization in introductory/template headings, switch to down |
| style capitalization for learning/example section headings. |
| * Contractions can be used as long as the tense is clear. |
|
|
