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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 ...
#4: Post edited
by
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 YShould "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
System
·
2019-12-08T08:03:23Z (about 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
Scribblemacher
·
2019-12-08T08:03:23Z (about 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
System
·
2018-01-31T15:34:03Z (almost 7 years ago)
Original score: 14