Editing Documents
Learn how to effectively edit and maintain your documentation to keep it accurate, useful, and up-to-date.
Editing Workflow
1. Review and Plan
Before making changes:
- Identify the goal: What needs to be updated or improved?
- Check current state: Read through the existing content
- Plan changes: Outline what you’ll modify, add, or remove
- Consider impact: How will changes affect related documents?
2. Make Incremental Changes
- Start small: Make one logical change at a time
- Test frequently: Verify changes work as expected
- Preview locally: Use the development server to see changes
- Check links: Ensure all references remain valid
3. Review and Finalize
- Proofread: Check for typos, grammar, and clarity
- Validate structure: Ensure logical flow and organization
- Update metadata: Modify
updatedDate
and other frontmatter - Test thoroughly: Verify all examples and instructions work
Common Editing Tasks
Updating Content
When updating existing content:
Before:
## Installation
You can install our package using npm:
npm install @our-package/core
After - Added more package managers:
## Installation
You can install our package using your preferred package manager:
# Using npm
npm install @our-package/core
# Using yarn
yarn add @our-package/core
# Using pnpm
pnpm add @our-package/core
Improving Examples
Make examples more comprehensive:
// Before: Basic example
const app = createApp();
// After: Complete example with error handling
import { createApp } from '@our-package/core';
const app = createApp({
debug: process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development',
theme: 'light'
});
app.start().catch(error => {
console.error('Failed to start app:', error);
});
Adding Cross-References
Link related content:
<!-- Before -->
The sidebar will automatically update when you add new files.
<!-- After -->
The sidebar will automatically update when you add new files.
Learn more about [sidebar auto-generation](/en/v2/components/sidebar-generation).
Frontmatter Updates
Updating Dates
Always update the updatedDate
when making changes:
---
title: "Document Title"
# ... other fields
updatedDate: 2025-01-27 # Update to current date
---
Modifying Navigation
Update previous/next links when document order changes:
---
# ... other fields
prev:
text: "New Previous Document"
link: "/en/v2/guide/new-previous"
next:
text: "New Next Document"
link: "/en/v2/guide/new-next"
---
Changing Categories
When moving documents between categories:
---
# ... other fields
category: "advanced" # Changed from "guide"
categoryOrder: 3 # Update order as needed
---
Content Improvement Strategies
Enhance Clarity
Before:
Configure the app with the settings.
After:
Configure the app by passing an options object to `createApp()`:
const app = createApp({
debug: true,
theme: 'dark',
apiUrl: 'https://api.example.com'
});
Add Visual Elements
Include images, diagrams, or components to clarify concepts:
{/* Before: Text only */}
The sidebar shows all available documents organized by category.
{/* After: With visual aid */}
The sidebar shows all available documents organized by category:

For interactive navigation, see the [Navigation component](/en/v2/components/navigation).
Provide Context
Explain why something matters:
Before: Just instructions
Set `debug: true` in development.
After: With context
Set `debug: true` in development to enable detailed error messages and performance metrics:
const app = createApp({
debug: process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development'
});
This helps identify issues during development but should be disabled in production for performance.
Advanced Editing Techniques
Using MDX Components
Enhance documentation with interactive components:
import { Tabs, TabItem, Icon } from '@docs/ui';
## Package Manager Instructions
<Tabs>
<TabItem label="npm">
{/* bash code block */}
npm install @our-package/core
</TabItem>
<TabItem label="yarn">
{/* bash code block */}
yarn add @our-package/core
</TabItem>
<TabItem label="pnpm">
{/* bash code block */}
pnpm add @our-package/core
</TabItem>
</Tabs>
<Icon name="info" /> Choose the package manager that matches your project setup.
Creating Callouts
Use components to highlight important information:
import { Alert } from '@docs/ui';
<Alert type="warning">
<Icon name="triangle-alert" />
**Important:** Always backup your data before upgrading.
</Alert>
<Alert type="info">
<Icon name="info" />
**Tip:** Use the `--dry-run` flag to preview changes first.
</Alert>
Code Annotations
Add explanations to code blocks:
import { createApp } from '@our-package/core';
const app = createApp({
// Enable debug mode for development
debug: process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development',
// Set the UI theme
theme: 'light',
// Configure API endpoints
apiUrl: process.env.API_URL || 'https://api.example.com'
});
// Start the application
await app.start();
Quality Checklist
Before finalizing edits, verify:
- Accuracy: All information is correct and current
- Completeness: No missing steps or information
- Clarity: Easy to understand for the target audience
- Consistency: Matches style and terminology of other docs
- Links: All internal and external links work
- Examples: Code examples are tested and functional
- Metadata: Frontmatter is updated appropriately
- Structure: Logical flow and proper heading hierarchy
Collaboration Guidelines
Making Suggestions
When editing others’ work:
- Be constructive: Focus on improving clarity and accuracy
- Explain changes: Provide rationale for significant modifications
- Preserve voice: Maintain the original author’s writing style
- Test changes: Verify that your edits don’t break anything
Review Process
For team documentation:
- Draft changes in a feature branch
- Preview locally to verify formatting and links
- Request review from subject matter experts
- Address feedback and make necessary adjustments
- Merge changes after approval
Next Steps
Now that you understand editing best practices:
- Organize Content: Learn how to structure documentation effectively
- Use Components: Discover available UI components for enhanced documentation
- Advanced Topics: Explore customization and automation options