|
|
| ========================= |
| Documentation style guide |
| ========================= |
|
|
| This guide contains best practices for the language and formatting of Matplotlib |
| documentation. |
|
|
| .. seealso:: |
|
|
| For more information about contributing, see the :ref:`documenting-matplotlib` |
| section. |
|
|
| Expository language |
| =================== |
|
|
| For explanatory writing, the following guidelines are for clear and concise |
| language use. |
|
|
| Terminology |
| ----------- |
|
|
| There are several key terms in Matplotlib that are standards for |
| reliability and consistency in documentation. They are not interchangeable. |
|
|
| .. table:: |
| :widths: 15, 15, 35, 35 |
|
|
| +------------------+--------------------------+--------------+--------------+ |
| | Term | Description | Correct | Incorrect | |
| +==================+==========================+==============+==============+ |
| | |Figure| | Matplotlib working space | - *For | - "The figure| |
| | | for programming. | Matplotlib | is the | |
| | | | objects*: | working | |
| | | | Figure, | space for | |
| | | | "The Figure| visuals." | |
| | | | is the | - "Methods in| |
| | | | working | the figure | |
| | | | space for | provide the| |
| | | | the visual.| visuals." | |
| | | | - *Referring | - "The | |
| | | | to class*: | |Figure| | |
| | | | |Figure|, | Four | |
| | | | "Methods | leglock is | |
| | | | within the | a wrestling| |
| | | | |Figure| | move." | |
| | | | provide the| | |
| | | | visuals." | | |
| | | | - *General | | |
| | | | language*: | | |
| | | | figure, | | |
| | | | "Michelle | | |
| | | | Kwan is a | | |
| | | | famous | | |
| | | | figure | | |
| | | | skater." | | |
| +------------------+--------------------------+--------------+--------------+ |
| | |Axes| | Subplots within Figure. | - *For | - "The axes | |
| | | Contains plot elements | Matplotlib | methods | |
| | | and is responsible for | objects*: | transform | |
| | | plotting and configuring | Axes, "An | the data." | |
| | | additional details. | Axes is a | - "Each | |
| | | | subplot | |Axes| is | |
| | | | within the | specific to| |
| | | | Figure." | a Figure." | |
| | | | - *Referring | - "The | |
| | | | to class*: | musicians | |
| | | | |Axes|, | on stage | |
| | | | "Each | call their | |
| | | | |Axes| is | guitars | |
| | | | specific to| Axes." | |
| | | | one | - "The point | |
| | | | Figure." | where the | |
| | | | - *General | Axes meet | |
| | | | language*: | is the | |
| | | | axes, "Both| origin of | |
| | | | loggers and| the | |
| | | | lumberjacks| coordinate | |
| | | | use axes to| system." | |
| | | | chop wood."| | |
| | | | OR "There | | |
| | | | are no | | |
| | | | standard | | |
| | | | names for | | |
| | | | the | | |
| | | | coordinates| | |
| | | | in the | | |
| | | | three | | |
| | | | axes." | | |
| | | | (Plural of | | |
| | | | axis) | | |
| +------------------+--------------------------+--------------+--------------+ |
| | |Artist| | Broad variety of | - *For | - "Configure | |
| | | Matplotlib objects that | Matplotlib | the legend | |
| | | display visuals. | objects*: | artist with| |
| | | | Artist, | its | |
| | | | "Artists | respective | |
| | | | display | method." | |
| | | | visuals and| - "There is | |
| | | | are the | an | |
| | | | visible | |Artist| | |
| | | | elements | for that | |
| | | | when | visual in | |
| | | | rendering a| the graph."| |
| | | | Figure." | - "Some | |
| | | | - *Referring | Artists | |
| | | | to class*: | became | |
| | | | |Artist| , | famous only| |
| | | | "Each | by | |
| | | | |Artist| | accident." | |
| | | | has | | |
| | | | respective | | |
| | | | methods and| | |
| | | | functions."| | |
| | | | - *General | | |
| | | | language*: | | |
| | | | artist, | | |
| | | | "The | | |
| | | | artist in | | |
| | | | the museum | | |
| | | | is from | | |
| | | | France." | | |
| +------------------+--------------------------+--------------+--------------+ |
| | |Axis| | Human-readable single | - *For | - "Plot the | |
| | | dimensional object | Matplotlib | graph onto | |
| | | of reference marks | objects*: | the axis." | |
| | | containing ticks, tick | Axis, "The | - "Each Axis | |
| | | labels, spines, and | Axis for | is usually | |
| | | edges. | the bar | named after| |
| | | | chart is a | the | |
| | | | separate | coordinate | |
| | | | Artist." | which is | |
| | | | (plural, | measured | |
| | | | Axis | along it." | |
| | | | objects) | - "In some | |
| | | | - *Referring | computer | |
| | | | to class*: | graphics | |
| | | | |Axis|, | contexts, | |
| | | | "The | the | |
| | | | |Axis| | ordinate | |
| | | | contains | |Axis| may | |
| | | | respective | be oriented| |
| | | | XAxis and | downwards."| |
| | | | YAxis | | |
| | | | objects." | | |
| | | | - *General | | |
| | | | language*: | | |
| | | | axis, | | |
| | | | "Rotation | | |
| | | | around a | | |
| | | | fixed axis | | |
| | | | is a | | |
| | | | special | | |
| | | | case of | | |
| | | | rotational | | |
| | | | motion." | | |
| +------------------+--------------------------+--------------+--------------+ |
| | Explicit, | Explicit approach of | - Explicit | - object | |
| | Object Oriented | programming in | - explicit | oriented | |
| | Programming (OOP)| Matplotlib. | - OOP | - OO-style | |
| +------------------+--------------------------+--------------+--------------+ |
| | Implicit, | Implicit approach of | - Implicit | - MATLAB like| |
| | ``pyplot`` | programming in Matplotlib| - implicit | - Pyplot | |
| | | with ``pyplot`` module. | - ``pyplot`` | - pyplot | |
| | | | | interface | |
| +------------------+--------------------------+--------------+--------------+ |
|
|
| .. |Figure| replace:: :class:`~matplotlib.figure.Figure` |
| .. |Axes| replace:: :class:`~matplotlib.axes.Axes` |
| .. |Artist| replace:: :class:`~matplotlib.artist.Artist` |
| .. |Axis| replace:: :class:`~matplotlib.axis.Axis` |
| |
| |
| Grammar |
| ------- |
| |
| Subject |
| ^^^^^^^ |
| Use second-person imperative sentences for directed instructions specifying an |
| action. Second-person pronouns are for individual-specific contexts and |
| possessive reference. |
| |
| .. table:: |
| :width: 100% |
| :widths: 50, 50 |
| |
| +------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ |
| | Correct | Incorrect | |
| +====================================+====================================+ |
| | Install Matplotlib from the source | You can install Matplotlib from the| |
| | directory using the Python ``pip`` | source directory. You can find | |
| | installer program. Depending on | additional support if you are | |
| | your operating system, you may need| having trouble with your | |
| | additional support. | installation. | |
| +------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ |
|
|
| Tense |
| ^^^^^ |
| Use present simple tense for explanations. Avoid future tense and other modal |
| or auxiliary verbs when possible. |
|
|
| .. table:: |
| :width: 100% |
| :widths: 50, 50 |
|
|
| +------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ |
| | Correct | Incorrect | |
| +====================================+====================================+ |
| | The fundamental ideas behind | Matplotlib will take data and | |
| | Matplotlib for visualization | transform it through functions and | |
| | involve taking data and | methods. They can generate many | |
| | transforming it through functions | kinds of visuals. These will be the| |
| | and methods. | fundamentals for using Matplotlib. | |
| +------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ |
|
|
| Voice |
| ^^^^^ |
| Write in active sentences. Passive voice is best for situations or conditions |
| related to warning prompts. |
|
|
| .. table:: |
| :width: 100% |
| :widths: 50, 50 |
|
|
| +------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ |
| | Correct | Incorrect | |
| +====================================+====================================+ |
| | The function ``plot`` generates the| The graph is generated by the | |
| | graph. | ``plot`` function. | |
| +------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ |
| | An error message is returned by the| You will see an error message from | |
| | function if there are no arguments.| the function if there are no | |
| | | arguments. | |
| +------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ |
|
|
| Sentence structure |
| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ |
| Write with short sentences using Subject-Verb-Object order regularly. Limit |
| coordinating conjunctions in sentences. Avoid pronoun references and |
| subordinating conjunctive phrases. |
|
|
| .. table:: |
| :width: 100% |
| :widths: 50, 50 |
|
|
| +------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ |
| | Correct | Incorrect | |
| +====================================+====================================+ |
| | The ``pyplot`` module in Matplotlib| The ``pyplot`` module in Matplotlib| |
| | is a collection of functions. These| is a collection of functions which | |
| | functions create, manage, and | create, manage, and manipulate the | |
| | manipulate the current Figure and | current Figure and plotting area. | |
| | plotting area. | | |
| +------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ |
| | The ``plot`` function plots data | The ``plot`` function plots data | |
| | to the respective Axes. The Axes | within its respective Axes for its | |
| | corresponds to the respective | respective Figure. | |
| | Figure. | | |
| +------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ |
| | The implicit approach is a | Users that wish to have convenient | |
| | convenient shortcut for | shortcuts for generating plots use | |
| | generating simple plots. | the implicit approach. | |
| +------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ |
|
|
|
|
| Formatting |
| ========== |
|
|
| The following guidelines specify how to incorporate code and use appropriate |
| formatting for Matplotlib documentation. |
|
|
| Code |
| ---- |
|
|
| Matplotlib is a Python library and follows the same standards for |
| documentation. |
|
|
| Comments |
| ^^^^^^^^ |
| Examples of Python code have comments before or on the same line. |
|
|
| .. table:: |
| :width: 100% |
| :widths: 50, 50 |
|
|
| +---------------------------------------+---------------------------------+ |
| | Correct | Incorrect | |
| +=======================================+=================================+ |
| | :: | :: | |
| | | | |
| | # Data | years = [2006, 2007, 2008] | |
| | years = [2006, 2007, 2008] | # Data | |
| +---------------------------------------+ | |
| | :: | | |
| | | | |
| | years = [2006, 2007, 2008] # Data | | |
| +---------------------------------------+---------------------------------+ |
|
|
| Outputs |
| ^^^^^^^ |
| When generating visuals with Matplotlib using ``.py`` files in examples, |
| display the visual with `matplotlib.pyplot.show` to display the visual. |
| Keep the documentation clear of Python output lines. |
|
|
| .. table:: |
| :width: 100% |
| :widths: 50, 50 |
|
|
| +------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ |
| | Correct | Incorrect | |
| +====================================+====================================+ |
| | :: | :: | |
| | | | |
| | plt.plot([1, 2, 3], [1, 2, 3]) | plt.plot([1, 2, 3], [1, 2, 3]) | |
| | plt.show() | | |
| +------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ |
| | :: | :: | |
| | | | |
| | fig, ax = plt.subplots() | fig, ax = plt.subplots() | |
| | ax.plot([1, 2, 3], [1, 2, 3]) | ax.plot([1, 2, 3], [1, 2, 3]) | |
| | fig.show() | | |
| +------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ |
|
|
| reStructuredText |
| ---------------- |
|
|
| Matplotlib uses reStructuredText Markup for documentation. Sphinx helps to |
| transform these documents into appropriate formats for accessibility and |
| visibility. |
|
|
| - `reStructuredText Specifications <https://docutils.sourceforge.io/docs/ref/rst/restructuredtext.html>`_ |
| - `Quick Reference Document <https://docutils.sourceforge.io/docs/user/rst/quickref.html>`_ |
|
|
|
|
| Lists |
| ^^^^^ |
| Bulleted lists are for items that do not require sequencing. Numbered lists are |
| exclusively for performing actions in a determined order. |
|
|
| .. table:: |
| :width: 100% |
| :widths: 50, 50 |
|
|
| +------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ |
| | Correct | Incorrect | |
| +====================================+====================================+ |
| | The example uses three graphs. | The example uses three graphs. | |
| +------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ |
| | - Bar | 1. Bar | |
| | - Line | 2. Line | |
| | - Pie | 3. Pie | |
| +------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ |
| | These four steps help to get | The following steps are important | |
| | started using Matplotlib. | to get started using Matplotlib. | |
| +------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ |
| | 1. Import the Matplotlib library. | - Import the Matplotlib library. | |
| | 2. Import the necessary modules. | - Import the necessary modules. | |
| | 3. Set and assign data to work on.| - Set and assign data to work on. | |
| | 4. Transform data with methods and| - Transform data with methods and | |
| | functions. | functions. | |
| +------------------------------------+------------------------------------+ |
|
|
| Tables |
| ^^^^^^ |
| Use ASCII tables with reStructuredText standards in organizing content. |
| Markdown tables and the csv-table directive are not accepted. |
|
|
| .. table:: |
| :width: 100% |
| :widths: 50, 50 |
|
|
| +--------------------------------+----------------------------------------+ |
| | Correct | Incorrect | |
| +================================+========================================+ |
| | +----------+----------+ | :: | |
| | | Correct | Incorrect| | | |
| | +==========+==========+ | | Correct | Incorrect | | |
| | | OK | Not OK | | | ------- | --------- | | |
| | +----------+----------+ | | OK | Not OK | | |
| | | | |
| +--------------------------------+----------------------------------------+ |
| | :: | :: | |
| | | | |
| | +----------+----------+ | .. csv-table:: | |
| | | Correct | Incorrect| | :header: "correct", "incorrect" | |
| | +==========+==========+ | :widths: 10, 10 | |
| | | OK | Not OK | | | |
| | +----------+----------+ | "OK ", "Not OK" | |
| | | | |
| +--------------------------------+ | |
| | :: | | |
| | | | |
| | =========== =========== | | |
| | Correct Incorrect | | |
| | =========== =========== | | |
| | OK Not OK | | |
| | =========== =========== | | |
| | | | |
| +--------------------------------+----------------------------------------+ |
|
|
|
|
| Additional resources |
| ==================== |
| This style guide is not a comprehensive standard. For a more thorough |
| reference of how to contribute to documentation, see the links below. These |
| resources contain common best practices for writing documentation. |
|
|
| * `Python Developer's Guide <https://devguide.python.org/documenting/#documenting-python>`_ |
| * `Google Developer Style Guide <https://developers.google.com/style>`_ |
| * `IBM Style Guide <https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/the-ibm-style/9780132118989/>`_ |
| * `Red Hat Style Guide <https://stylepedia.net/style/#grammar>`_ |
|
|
