Style guide

This page lists specific formatting instructions for tldr pages.

Layout

The basic format of each page should match the following template and have at most 8 command examples:

# command name

> Short, snappy command description.
> Preferably one line; two are acceptable if necessary.
> More information: <https://example.com/command_name/help/page>.

- Code description:

`command_name options`

- Code description:

`command_name options`

...

Example:

# krita

> A sketching and painting program designed for digital artists.
> See also: `gimp`.
> More information: <https://docs.krita.org/en/reference_manual/linux_command_line.html>.

- Start Krita:

`krita`

- Open specific files:

`krita {{path/to/image1 path/to/image2 ...}}`

- Start without a splash screen:

`krita --nosplash`

- Start with a specific workspace:

`krita --workspace {{Animation}}`

- Start in fullscreen mode:

`krita --fullscreen`

Note

The filename and page title must match the command name exactly. The page title can be present in any case, whereas the filenames must be lowercase.

There is a linter that enforces the format above. It is run automatically on every pull request, but you may install it to test your contributions locally before submitting them:

npm install --global tldr-lint
tldr-lint path/to/tldr_page.md

For other ways to use tldr-lint, such as linting an entire directory, check out (what else!) tldr tldr-lint. Alternatively, you can also use its alias tldrl.

Your client may be able to preview a page locally using the --render flag:

tldr --render path/to/tldr_page.md

PowerShell-Specific Rules

When documenting PowerShell commands, please take note of the following naming conventions.

The name of the file name must be written in lowercase, such as invoke-webrequest.md instead of Invoke-WebRequest.md.
The page title/heading must be written as-is (matching the spelling intended by Microsoft or the PowerShell module author), such as Invoke-WebRequest instead of invoke-webrequest.
The command name and options in the examples should also be written as-is, such as Command-Name {{input}} -CommandParameter {{value}} instead of command-name {{input}} -commandparameter {{value}}.

Due to various compatibility differences and removed Windows-specific commands in PowerShell 6.x, Ensure that the command works on between PowerShell 5.1 (aka. the "Legacy Windows PowerShell" as installed in Windows 10 and 11), and the latest version of the Cross-Platform PowerShell (formerly known as PowerShell Core). If the command or its options is unavailable or contains different behavior between each version, please kindly note them in the descriptions. For example,

# Clear-RecycleBin

> Clear items from the Recycle Bin.
> This command can only be used through PowerShell versions 5.1 and below, or 7.1 and above.
> More information: <https://learn.microsoft.com/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.management/clear-recyclebin>.

Aliases

If a command can be called with alternative names (like vim can be called by vi), alias pages can be created to point the user to the original command name.

# command_name

> This command is an alias of `original-command-name`.
> More information: <https://example.com/original/command/help/page>.

- View documentation for the original command:

`tldr original_command_name`

Example:

# vi

> This command is an alias of `vim`.

- View documentation for the original command:

`tldr vim`

Pre-translated alias page templates can be found here.

PowerShell-Specific Aliases

Some PowerShell commands may introduce aliases which fall into one of these three categories:

1. Substituting an existing Windows Command Prompt (cmd) command, such as cd aliasing to Set-Location with different command options. In this case, add the following alias note into the second line of the original Command Prompt command's tldr description, for example:

# cd

> Display the current working directory or move to a different directory.
> In PowerShell, this command is an alias of `Set-Location`. This documentation is based on the Command Prompt (`cmd`) version of `cd`.
> More information: <https://learn.microsoft.com/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/cd>.

- View documentation of the equivalent PowerShell command:

`tldr set-location`

Tip

The "View documentation of the equivalent PowerShell command" example is optional and may be excluded if the page already has the maximum number (8) of examples.

2. Provides a new alias but only executable in PowerShell, such as ni for New-Item. In this case, use the standard alias template, but add the word "In Powershell," (or equivalent) to indicate that the command is exclusive to PowerShell. For example,

# ni

> In PowerShell, this command is an alias of `New-Item`.
> More information: <https://learn.microsoft.com/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.management/new-item>.

- View documentation for the original command:

`tldr new-item`

3. Provides a new alias that conflicts with other programs, most notoriously the inclusion of curl and wget as aliases of Invoke-WebRequest (with a non-compatible set of command options). Note that PowerShell system aliases that fall into this category are commonly exclusive to Windows.

In this case, provide a note and method to determine whether the command currently refers to a PowerShell command (by alias) or others. For example,

# curl

> In PowerShell, this command may be an alias of `Invoke-WebRequest` when the original `curl` program (<https://curl.se>) is not properly installed.
> More information: <https://learn.microsoft.com/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.utility/invoke-webrequest>.

- Check whether `curl` is properly installed by printing its version number. If this command evaluates into an error, PowerShell may have substituted this command with `Invoke-WebRequest`:

`curl --version`

- View documentation for the original `curl` command:

`tldr curl -p common`

- View documentation for PowerShell's `Invoke-WebRequest` command:

`tldr invoke-webrequest`

Option syntax

For commonly/frequently used commands (e.g. grep, tar, etc), we prefer using short options along with mnemonics or both inside a placeholder.
For highlighting both long and short options in commands (instead of using mnemonics), combine them within a placeholder i.e. {{-o|--output}}.
For user-friendliness, use GNU-style long options (like --help rather than -h) when they are cross-platform compatible (intended to work the same across multiple platforms) for pages in common directory.
When documenting PowerShell commands, use PowerShell-style long options (like -Help instead of -H).
We prefer using a space instead of the equals sign (=) to separate options from their arguments (i.e. use --opt arg instead of --opt=arg) unless the program does not support it.

Short option mnemonics

Short option mnemonics are optional hints which can be added to help users understand the meaning of these short options. The assigned mnemonics should match with the ones in the command's official documentation (e.g. from man or Get-Help). For example:

- [d]isplay the ins[t]allation [i]D for the current device. Useful for offline license activation:

`slmgr.vbs /dti`

- Display the current license's e[xp]i[r]ation date and time:

`slmgr.vbs /xpr`

Note that, in the first example, the [d], [t], and [i] characters are enclosed with square brackets to indicate that the /dti option of the command is a combination of "display", "installation", and "ID", respectively. Consecutive mnemonic characters can be grouped under the same square brackets, such as e[xp]i[r]ation instead of e[x][p]i[r]ation.

Mnemonic characters must be written in a case-sensitive manner, even when it is placed as the first character of the sentence (i.e. use [d]isplay instead of [D]isplay). This is to avoid conflicts with GNU-style command options which may interpret uppercase options differently than the lowercase ones, such as -v for displaying the command's [v]ersion number and -V to run the command in [V]erbose mode.

Option mnemonics may also be used in translations as long as the highlighted word contains similar meanings to the language (commonly English) which the command is written for. For example, [d]ownload in English may be translated into [d]escargar in Spanish, [i]nstall in English may be translated to [i]nstallieren in German, and [a]pp in English may be translated into [a]plikasi in Indonesian and Malay.

Optionally, mnemonics and their enclosed terms can be separated with brackets from the rest of the description (i.e. ([a]ll)) in translations and specific pages to provide additional context or mention a word not present in the description.

Note

In cases where the character isn't present in the translated word, you can highlight the option before/next to the equivalent word or you can add the English work beside the translation inside a bracket. For example, E[x]tract in English maybe translated into [x] ekstrak or ekstrak [x] or ekstrak (E[x]tract) in Indonesian.

Placeholder syntax

User-provided values should use the {{placeholder}} syntax in order to allow tldr clients to highlight them.

Keep the following guidelines in mind when choosing placeholders:

Naming

Use short but descriptive placeholders, such as {{path/to/source_file}} or {{path/to/wallet.txt}}.
Use snake_case for multi-word placeholders.
Use a generic placeholder rather than an actual value where a generic placeholder is available (but there is an exception to this listed below). For example, use iostat {{1..infinity}} rather than iostat {{2}}.
- If there are several consecutive placeholders of the same type which don't allow adding arbitrary text in them (ranges), then instead of generic placeholders use descriptive ones. For example prefer input swipe {{x_position}} {{y_position}} {{x_position}} {{y_position}} {{seconds}} instead of input swipe {{-infinity..infinity}} {{-infinity..infinity}} {{-infinity..infinity}} {{-infinity..infinity}} {{1..infinity}}.

Paths

Use {{filename}} when just the file name is expected.
For any reference to paths of files or directories, use the format {{path/to/<placeholder>}}, except when the location is implicit.
When the path cannot be relative, but has to start at the root of the filesystem, prefix it with a slash, such as get {{/path/to/remote_file}}.
In case of a possible reference both to a file or a directory, use {{path/to/file_or_directory}}.

Note

If the command is specific to Windows, use backslashes (\) instead, such as {{path\to\file_or_directory}}. Drive letters such as C: are optional unless the command input requires an absolute path or specific drive letter range, such as cd /d {{C}}:{{path\to\directory}}.

Extensions

If a particular extension is expected for the file, append it. For example, unrar x {{path/to/compressed.rar}}.
In case a generic extension is needed, use {{.ext}}, but only if an extension is required. For instance, in find.md's example "Find files by extension" (find {{path/to/root}} -name '{{*.ext}}') using {{*.ext}} explains the command without being unnecessarily specific; while in wc -l {{path/to/file}} using {{path/to/file}} (without extension) is sufficient.

Grouping placeholders

If a command can take 0 or more arguments of the same kind, use an ellipsis: {{placeholder1 placeholder2 ...}}. For instance, if multiple paths are expected {{path/to/directory1 path/to/directory2 ...}} can be used.
If a command can take 0 or more arguments of different kinds, use an ellipsis: {{placeholder1|placeholder2|...}}. If there are more than 5 possible values, you can use |... after the last item.
It's impossible to restrict the minimum or (and) maximum placeholder count via ellipsis.

It's up to the program to decide how to handle duplicating values, provided syntax tells no info about whether items are mutually exclusive or not.

Special cases

If a command performs irreversible changes to a file system or devices, write every example in a way that cannot be copy pasted thoughtlessly. For example, instead of ddrescue --force --no-scrape /dev/sda /dev/sdb write ddrescue --force --no-scrape {{/dev/sdX}} {{/dev/sdY}} and use the {{/dev/sdXY}} placeholder for block devices instead of /dev/sda1.

In general, placeholders should make it as intuitive as possible to figure out how to use the command and fill it in with values.

Technical wording on description lines should use the backtick syntax. Use backticks on the following:

Paths, e.g. package.json, /etc/package.json.
Extensions, e.g. .dll.
Commands, e.g. ls.
Standard streams: stdout, stdin, stderr. Do not use the full names (e.g. standard output).
Compression algorithms, e.g. zip, 7z, xz.

Descriptions

Avoid using the page title in the description (e.g. use A sketching and painting program designed for digital artists instead of Krita is a sketching and painting program designed for digital artists) unless the program name differs from the executable name (e.g. rg and Ripgrep).
Avoid mentioning that the program is used on the command-line (e.g. use Ripgrep is a recursive line-oriented search tool instead of Ripgrep is a recursive line-oriented CLI search tool).
Brand and project names can be capitalized in the description whenever applicable (e.g. use A tool for interacting with a Git repository. instead of A tool for interacting with a `git` repository.).
Acronym expansions (i.e. protocols, tools, etc) must not be translated unless there is a recognized native equivalent for them.
When documenting keycaps or a keyboard shortcut for a utility it is suggested to wrap them in backticks to make them stand out in the description (i.e. Print the last lines of a given file and keep reading it until `Ctrl + C`:). Alternatively, you can document them as a separate command and optionally highlight them as placeholders (i.e. :wq{{Enter}} or :wq<Enter> or :wq(Enter)).

Imperative Mood

All descriptions must be concise and phrased in the imperative mood.
This also applies to all translations by default unless otherwise specified in the language-specific section below.
For example, when writing documentation for cd, a tool to check out and work on a specific directory in the Terminal or Command Prompt, do not write a lengthy description such as:

> `cd` is a system tool, available in Windows, macOS, and Linux, to check out a specific directory to get things done in the Command Prompt, Terminal, and PowerShell.

It should instead be simplified to make it easier for everyone to read:

> Change the current working directory.

If you are afraid the commands may differ between platforms or operating systems (e.g. Windows vs macOS), most tldr pages clients will choose the most suitable version of the command.

In this case, the information of the Windows version of cd (stored in pages/windows/cd.md) will be displayed by default to Windows users, and a generic/common version (stored in pages/common/cd.md) will be displayed for Linux, macOS, and other platforms.

When writing descriptions for command examples, check for any grammatical errors. Go to the specified directory is preferred instead of:

Going to the specified directory (should not be in present participle form)
This command will go to the specified directory (it is clear that this example works for this comment)
Let's go to the specified directory!
Directory change (use the active form instead of passive, if possible)

For instance, instead of Listing all files:, List all files: can be used as the example's description below:

- Listing all files:

 `ls`

Emphasis

Do not use italics, boldface or any other text styling on the pages. These are reserved for client emphasis of placeholders.

Serial Comma

When declaring a list of 3 or more items, use a serial comma, also known as the Oxford comma, since omitting it can create ambiguity.

Delete the Git branches, tags and remotes.

The example above does not use a serial comma, so this could mean one of two things:

Delete the Git branches named tags and remotes.
Delete all of the following: Git branches, Git tags, and Git remotes.

This can be resolved by inserting a comma before the "and" or "or" in the final element in the list.

Delete the Git branches, tags, and remotes.

Help and version commands

We generally put, in this order, the help and version commands as the last two examples of the page to highlight more practical commands at the beginning of the page. They can be replaced to accommodate other useful examples if required.
For consistency, we prefer generic wording Display help and Display version for these commands.
It is suggested to document the help and version examples if the command follows unconventional flags in platforms like Windows.

Language-Specific Rules

The below section contains additional language-specific rules for translating pages:

Chinese-Specific Rules

When Chinese words, Latin words and Arabic numerals are written in the same sentence, more attention must be paid to copywriting.

The following guidelines are applied to Chinese (zh) and traditional Chinese (zh_TW) pages:

Place one space before/after English words and numbers.

For example, use 列出所有 docker 容器 rather than 列出所有docker容器.
For example, use 宽度为 50 个字 rather than 宽度为50个字.

Place one space between numbers and units except degrees and percentages.

For example, use 容量 50 MB rather than 容量 50MB.
For instances of degree and percentage, use 50°C and 50% rather than 50 °C and 50 %.

No additional spaces before/after full-width punctuations.

For example, use 开启 shell，进入交互模式 rather than 开启 shell ，进入交互模式

Use full-width punctuations except for long Latin clauses.

For example, use 嗨，你好。 rather than 嗨, 你好.

Use half-width punctuation to end a sentence when the last character is half-width.

For example, use 将代码转化为 Python 3. rather than 将代码转化为 Python 3。

Use precise form for technical terms, and do not use unofficial Chinese abbreviations.

For example, use Facebook rather than facebook, fb or 脸书.

To maintain readability and normalization, please comply with the 6 rules above as much as possible when translating pages into Chinese.

For more information and examples of Chinese-specific rules, check out Chinese Copywriting Guidelines.

Indonesian-Specific Rules

When translating pages to Indonesian, please keep in mind that we expect tldr pages to be easy to read for both types of Indonesian audiences, which are:

People who prefer to use standard Indonesian technical terms as possible, such as unduh for download, awakutu for debugging, and muat ulang for reboot.

One of the most comprehensive lists of technical terms can be found under the BlankOn Linux project.

People who prefer to use English words as-is to describe technical terms: download for download, debugging for debugging, and reboot for reboot.

The segmentation of these audiences is noted on Firefox Public Data Report:

For most countries in the top 10, the majority (>90%) of users have their language set to the local language, with a notable exception in Indonesia, which has about 80% English (US) and 20% Indonesian.

First, command and example descriptions on pages in Indonesian must be written without using active verb forms (i.e. those with ber- and me- prefixes). This means that sentences such as:

Mengunduh sebuah file ke dalam suatu direktori (i.e. Downloading a file into a directory)

is considered incorrect. The correct form of the sentence should be:

Unduh sebuah file ke dalam suatu direktori

Second, we recommend using the following forms of technical terms to make translated pages easier to read for both types of Indonesian audiences. Some of them may be used as-is, but others must be rewritten using Indonesian standard terms.

English	Indonesian	Consideration(s)
App / Application	Aplikasi	The abbreviated word `apl.` is not common to some readers.
Boot, Reboot	Muat, Muat ulang	These words are the same for `load` and `reload`. See notes on the bottom section.
Client	Klien
Command-line	Command-line	Using the word as-is is preferred over `baris perintah` or `alat berbasis mekanisme baris perintah` (`command-line tool`).
Commit (Git)	Commit
Compile, Compiler	Kompilasikan, Pengompilasi	`kompilasi` is officially considered as noun. Requires a `-kan` suffix to convert into a verb.
Debugger	Debugger	Preferred over `pengawakutu` (`peng`-`awakutu`) which is unfamiliar to some readers.
Device	Perangkat	Preferred over `peranti`.
Disc	Disc	Preferred over `cakram` which is unfamiliar by some readers. Use specific words if possible (e.g. CD or DVD).
Execute / Run (a program...)	Jalankan	Preferred over `eksekusikan` which is longer to read and write.
File	Berkas	`berkas` is an official term. Additionally, `jalan/menuju/file(_atau_direktori)` is deprecated in favor of `jalan/menuju/berkas(_atau_direktori)`.
Generate	Buat	Preferred over `hasilkan`. Example context: `Buat laporan baru`.
Hardware	Perangkat Keras	Preferred over `peranti`.
Image (as picture or visual image)	Gambar	Do not confuse with `image` as a means of storage.
Image (as means of storage, such as CD, ISO, and Docker)	Image	Another recommended word, `citra`, is not officially recognized for computing.
Initialize, Reinitialize	Inisialisasikan, Inisialisasikan Ulang	The word `inisialisasi` is officially considered as noun. Requires a `-kan` suffix to convert into a verb.
Interpreter	Interpreter	Preferred over `penerjemah` which is also commonly used to describe `translator`.
Install, Reinstall	Pasang, Pasang Ulang	Preferred over `instal` which is not considered a standard word.
Load, Reload	Muat, Muat ulang	These words are the same for `boot` and `reboot`. See notes in the bottom section.
Options / Preferences (macOS) / Settings	Pengaturan	Preferred over `opsi`.
Server	Server	Preferred over `peladen` or `pelayan`, which are less common when used in computing contexts.
Service	Layanan	The Indonesian standard word is acceptable here.
Shell (command-line interface)	Syel	The Indonesian standard word is acceptable here.
Software	Perangkat Lunak	Preferred over `peranti`.
Start, Restart	Mulai, Mulai Ulang / Nyalakan, Nyalakan Ulang	See notes on the bottom section.
Update	Perbarui	Do not confuse with `upgrade`.
Upgrade	Tingkatkan	Do not confuse with `update`.

When translating sentences that contain the word boot and load together, please add the context of the item that is being booted and/or loaded, so the use of the muat word may not be ambiguous. For example, when translating:

Load configuration from a specific file after reboot

Instead of translating the sentence into:

Muat konfigurasi dari file yang ditentukan setelah muat ulang

Add detailed contexts to remove ambiguity (notice the highlighted word):

Muat konfigurasi dari file yang ditentukan setelah pengguna memuat ulang sistem operasi

Similarly, for the word start / mulai

Mulai proses server web (Start the web server process)

To ensure that the sentence may not be confused with start processing the web server, you can use other words such as nyalakan:

Nyalakan proses server web

French-Specific Rules

Command and example descriptions on pages in French must use the third person singular present indicative tense (présent de l'indicatif à la troisième personne du singulier). For example, use Extrait une archive rather than Extraire une archive or Extrais une archive.
There must be a single blank space between special characters in the descriptions. For example, use Plus d'informations : https://example.com. instead of Plus d'informations: https://example.com. and use Crée une archive à partir de fichiers : instead of Crée une archive à partir de fichiers:.

Portuguese-Specific Rules

Example descriptions on pages in Portuguese (for both European and Brazilian Portuguese) must start with verbs in the third person singular present indicative tense. This is because the descriptions must explain what the commands do, making this the correct form to express the intended meaning.

For example, use Lista os arquivos instead of Listar os arquivos, Listando os arquivos or any other form.

Spanish-Specific Rules

The descriptions of commands and examples must be conjugated in the third person singular indicative tense. Here are a couple of examples:

> Crea archivos.

- Crea un archivo en un directorio:

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style-guide.md

style-guide.md

Style guide

Layout

PowerShell-Specific Rules

Aliases

PowerShell-Specific Aliases

Option syntax

Short option mnemonics

Placeholder syntax

Naming

Paths

Extensions

Grouping placeholders

Special cases

Descriptions

Imperative Mood

Emphasis

Serial Comma

See also section

More information links

Versioned links

Microsoft Learn links

Help and version commands

Language-Specific Rules

Chinese-Specific Rules

Indonesian-Specific Rules

French-Specific Rules

Portuguese-Specific Rules

Spanish-Specific Rules

Files

style-guide.md

Latest commit

History

style-guide.md

File metadata and controls

Style guide

Layout

PowerShell-Specific Rules

Aliases

PowerShell-Specific Aliases

Option syntax

Short option mnemonics

Placeholder syntax

Naming

Paths

Extensions

Grouping placeholders

Special cases

Descriptions

Imperative Mood

Emphasis

Serial Comma

See also section

More information links

Versioned links

Microsoft Learn links

Help and version commands

Language-Specific Rules

Chinese-Specific Rules

Indonesian-Specific Rules

French-Specific Rules

Portuguese-Specific Rules

Spanish-Specific Rules