CONTRIBUTING.md

Contributing

Thank you for your interest in contributing to the React Docs!

Code of Conduct

Facebook has adopted a Code of Conduct that we expect project participants to adhere to. Please read the full text so that you can understand what actions will and will not be tolerated.

Technical Writing Tips

This is a good summary for things to keep in mind when writing technical docs.

Guidelines for Text

Different sections intentionally have different styles.

The documentation is divided into sections to cater to different learning styles and use cases. When editing an article, try to match the surrounding text in tone and style. When creating a new article, try to match the tone of the other articles in the same section. Learn about the motivation behind each section below.

Learn React is designed to introduce fundamental concepts in a step-by-step way. Each individual article in Learn React builds on the knowledge from the previous ones, so make sure not to add any "cyclical dependencies" between them. It is important that the reader can start with the first article and work their way to the last Learn React article without ever having to "look ahead" for a definition. This explains some ordering choices (e.g. that state is explained before events, or that "thinking in React" doesn't use refs). Learn React also serves as a reference manual for React concepts, so it is important to be very strict about their definitions and relationships between them.

API Reference is organized by APIs rather than concepts. It is intended to be exhaustive. Any corner cases or recommendations that were skipped for brevity in Learn React should be mentioned in the reference documentation for the corresponding APIs.

Try to follow your own instructions.

When writing step-by-step instructions (e.g. how to install something), try to forget everything you know about the topic, and actually follow the instructions you wrote, a single step at time. Often you will discover that there is implicit knowledge that you forgot to mention, or that there are missing or out-of-order steps in the instructions. Bonus points for getting somebody else to follow the steps and watching what they struggle with. Often it would be something very simple that you have not anticipated.

Guidelines for Code Examples

Syntax

Prefer JSX to createElement.

Ignore this if you're specifically describing createElement.

Use const where possible, otherwise let. Don't use var.

Ignore this if you're specifically writing about ES5.

Don't use ES6 features when equivalent ES5 features have no downsides.

Remember that ES6 is still new to a lot of people. While we use it in many places (const / let, classes, arrow functions), if the equivalent ES5 code is just as straightforward and readable, consider using it.

In particular, you should prefer named function declarations over const myFunction = () => ... arrows for top-level functions. However, you should use arrow functions where they provide a tangible improvement (such as preserving this context inside a component). Consider both sides of the tradeoff when deciding whether to use a new feature.

Don't use features that aren't standardized yet.

For example, don't write this:

class MyComponent extends React.Component {
  state = {value: ''};
  handleChange = (e) => {
    this.setState({value: e.target.value});
  };
}

Instead, do write this:

class MyComponent extends React.Component {
  constructor(props) {
    super(props);
    this.handleChange = this.handleChange.bind(this);
    this.state = {value: ''};
  }
  handleChange(e) {
    this.setState({value: e.target.value});
  }
}

Ignore this rule if you're specifically describing an experimental proposal. Make sure to mention its experimental nature in the code and in the surrounding text.

Style

• Use semicolons.
• No space between function names and parens (method() {} not method () {}).
• When in doubt, use the default style favored by Prettier.

Highlighting

Use js as the highlighting language in Markdown code blocks:

```js
// code
```

Sometimes you'll see blocks with numbers.
They tell the website to highlight specific lines.

You can highlight a single line:

```js {2}
function hello() {
  // this line will get highlighted
}
```

A range of lines:

```js {2-4}
function hello() {
  // these lines
  // will get
  // highlighted
}
```

Or even multiple ranges:

```js {2-4,6}
function hello() {
  // these lines
  // will get
  // highlighted
  console.log('hello');
  // also this one
  console.log('there');
}
```

Be mindful that if you move some code in an example with highlighting, you also need to update the highlighting.

Don't be afraid to often use highlighting! It is very valuable when you need to focus the reader's attention on a particular detail that's easy to miss.