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Q&A Does DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) Apply to Documentation?

In programming, it's usually accepted that DRY code is better code in most situations. Does this principle also apply to documentation? I'm asking about the documentation output, not necessarily ...

3 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by Scribblemacher‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Lundin‭

#4: Post edited by user avatar Monica Cellio‭ · 2021-02-08T14:38:04Z (almost 4 years ago)
  • In programming, it's usually accepted that [DRY code](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_repeat_yourself) is better code in most situations.
  • **Does this principle also apply to documentation?**
  • I'm asking about the documentation _output_, not necessarily the source material (there are tools for keeping the source content DRY even if there's a lot of repeated content).
  • Example: suppose I have the following content:
  • - Some task
  • - Prerequisite setup task
  • - How to do X
  • - How to do Y
  • Should "How to do X" and "How to do Y" explicitly say "Before doing this, make sure to do _Prerequisite setup task_"? What are some good rules to follow when deciding if documentation should repeat itself?
  • I intended this question to be about end-user documentation. In some context, such as code or compliance documentation, the answer may drastically change. [See Chenmunka's answer](https://techcomm.stackexchange.com/a/212/271) for some of those implications.
  • In programming, it's usually accepted that [DRY code](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_repeat_yourself) is better code in most situations.
  • **Does this principle also apply to documentation?**
  • I'm asking about the documentation _output_, not necessarily the source material (there are tools for keeping the source content DRY even if there's a lot of repeated content).
  • Example: suppose I have the following content:
  • - Some task
  • - Prerequisite setup task
  • - How to do X
  • - How to do Y
  • Should "How to do X" and "How to do Y" explicitly say "Before doing this, make sure to do _Prerequisite setup task_"? What are some good rules to follow when deciding if documentation should repeat itself?
  • I intended this question to be about end-user documentation. In some context, such as code or compliance documentation, the answer may drastically change. [See Chenmunka's answer](https://techcomm.stackexchange.com/a/212/271) for some of those implications.
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T08:03:23Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/33529
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar Scribblemacher‭ · 2019-12-08T08:03:23Z (almost 5 years ago)
In programming, it's usually accepted that [DRY code](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_repeat_yourself) is better code in most situations.

**Does this principle also apply to documentation?**

I'm asking about the documentation _output_, not necessarily the source material (there are tools for keeping the source content DRY even if there's a lot of repeated content).

Example: suppose I have the following content:

- Some task
  - Prerequisite setup task
  - How to do X
  - How to do Y

Should "How to do X" and "How to do Y" explicitly say "Before doing this, make sure to do _Prerequisite setup task_"? What are some good rules to follow when deciding if documentation should repeat itself?

I intended this question to be about end-user documentation. In some context, such as code or compliance documentation, the answer may drastically change. [See Chenmunka's answer](https://techcomm.stackexchange.com/a/212/271) for some of those implications.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2018-01-31T15:34:03Z (almost 7 years ago)
Original score: 14