Documentation Style Guide#

This guide defines the standards for writing and maintaining rsyslog documentation. It ensures a consistent, professional style across all .rst files and helps contributors produce high-quality documentation.

General Principles#

Audience: Primarily system administrators and developers. Content should also remain accessible to intermediate users.
Tone: Professional, clear, and concise. Avoid personal references or conversational language.
Focus: Prioritize actionable guidance (e.g., how to configure, troubleshoot, or understand rsyslog).
Language: Use plain English. Avoid jargon and colloquialisms.
Consistency: Every page should follow the same structure, terminology, and heading style.

File Structure and TOC#

Master TOC: The index.rst file is the single entry point. Avoid using filesystem order.
Preferred Topic Order:
1. Introduction / Quick Start
2. Configuration Basics
3. Modules & Advanced Topics
4. Troubleshooting
5. Reference & API
6. Community & Support
7. Legacy Resources
Use explicit ordering in .. toctree:: (avoid :glob:).

Headings#

Use underline-only adornments (no overlines). Assign a character per level:

= Level 1 (document title)
- Level 2
~ Level 3
^ Level 4
“ Level 5
+ Level 6

Keep titles concise (≤ 60 characters).

Text Formatting#

Line Length: Wrap lines at 80 characters.
Code Blocks: Use :: or explicit code blocks (e.g., .. code-block:: bash).
Inline Code: Use double backticks, e.g., rsyslog.conf.
Links: Use inline links: rsyslog mailing list .
Bold vs. Italic: - Bold: For UI elements or emphasized terms. - Italic: For alternative terms or emphasis.

Cross-Referencing#

Use :ref: for internal cross-links, e.g., See :ref:`troubleshooting`..
Use consistent anchors, e.g., .. _troubleshooting:.

Sections#

Introduction/Overview - Describe what the feature/module is and why it is needed. - Include minimal examples.

Configuration

Use rainerscript syntax for modern examples.
Comment key parameters.

Support & Community

Recommend modern resources first: AI assistant, GitHub Discussions, mailing list.
Move outdated resources to Legacy Resources.

Legacy Content#

Archive outdated guides and tutorials in legacy/.

Use:

.. note::
   This content is archived and may be outdated.

Licensing & Legal#

Keep licensing information in licensing.rst.
Use: For license details, see :doc:`licensing`.

Examples and Code#

Provide minimal, complete examples.
Always specify language:
```
sudo systemctl restart rsyslog
```

Maintenance#

Review docs at every release for outdated content.
Check for deprecated parameters and move them to Legacy.
Run make linkcheck to verify links.

Metadata and JSON-LD#

Add a .. meta:: block near the top of each page to keep HTML meta tags and JSON-LD in sync. Populate at least :description: and :keywords:, and set :author: when the page has a specific owner.
```
.. meta::
   :author: Ada Writer
   :description: One-line summary reused in JSON-LD and previews.
   :keywords: rsyslog, queues, reliability
```
FAQ pages (faq/*.rst) automatically emit FAQPage JSON-LD. Write each question as the section title and keep the answer in the section body so the extractor can pair them correctly.
Generative AI assistants should preserve existing .. meta:: blocks, update only the specific fields required for a change, and avoid inventing authors when none are provided.

Support: rsyslog Assistant | GitHub Discussions | GitHub Issues: rsyslog source project

Contributing: Source & docs: rsyslog source project