This page lists specific formatting instructions for tldr pages.
The basic format of each page should match the following template:
# command-name
> Short, snappy description.
> Preferably one line; two are acceptable if necessary.
- Example description:
`command -opt1 -opt2 -arg1 {{arg_value}}`
- Example description:
`command -opt1 -opt2`
There actually is a linter/formatter 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 tldr-lint
tldrl -f {{page.md}}
For other ways to use tldrl
, such as linting an entire directory, check out (what else!)
tldr tldrl
User-provided values should use the {{token}}
syntax
in order to allow tldr
clients to highlight them.
Keep the following guidelines in mind when choosing tokens:
- Use short but descriptive tokens,
ex.
{{source_file}}
or{{wallet.txt}}
. - Use
snake_case
for multi-word tokens. - For any reference to paths to files or folders, use the format
{{path/to/<placeholder>}}
. For example,ln -s {{path/to/file}} {{path/to/symlink}}
. In case of a possible reference both to a file or a folder, use{{path/to/file_or_folder}}
- Follow the
{{path/to/<placeholder>}}
convention for all path-related commands, except when the file location is implicit. - If a command expects the file to have a particular extension, use it.
For example,
unrar x {{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 {{root_path}} -name '{{*.ext}}'
) using{{*.ext}}
explains the command without being unnecessarily specific; But in a command likewc -l {{file}}
, using{{file}}
(without extension) is sufficient. - If the example is clearer with an actual value rather than a generic placeholder, use the actual value.
For example, use
iostat {{2}}
rather thaniostat {{interval_in_secs}}
.
In general, tokens should make it as intuitive as possible to figure out how to use the command and fill it in with values.