UnifiedBits Documentation Guidelines

This repository outlines the documentation standards and best practices followed across all UnifiedBits projects. Whether the project is written in Python, JavaScript, Dart, or any other language, clear documentation ensures that every contributor can collaborate effectively and maintain code quality.

⚠️ While the examples here primarily use Python for illustration, the same principles apply across all programming languages used by UnifiedBits.

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📝 Why Documentation Matters

Proper documentation:

• Helps developers understand, use, and extend the codebase.
• Enables new team members to onboard efficiently.
• Allows external users to interact with tools without confusion.
• Keeps collaboration consistent, scalable, and transparent.

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🛠️ Guidelines for Writing Documentation

1. Project-Level Documentation

Each repository must include:

• README.md: A concise overview of the project, containing:
  • ✅ Project Overview
  • 🛠️ Installation Instructions
  • 🚀 Usage Guide
  • 📬 Contact/Support Info
  • 🤝 Contributing Guidelines
  • 📄 License

Example:

## Project Overview
A web platform for document AI processing using Hugging Face models.

## Installation
1. Clone: `git clone https://github.com/unifiedbits/project.git`
2. Install dependencies: `npm install` or `pip install -r requirements.txt`

## Usage
Run the app:
```bash
npm start
# or
python app.py

Contributing

Refer to our contribution guide.

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### 2. **Code Documentation**

All code should include:

- **Docstrings or Comments** for:
  - What the code **does**
  - Why it’s **needed**
  - How to **use** it (especially if reusable)

Examples in Python:

- **Function:**
```python
def calculate_area(radius):
    """
    Returns the area of a circle.

    Args:
        radius (float): Radius of the circle.
    Returns:
        float: Calculated area.
    """
    return math.pi * radius**2

• Class:

class DocumentProcessor:
    """
    A processor for analyzing and transforming documents.

    Methods:
        process(text): Prepares raw text for analysis.
        analyze(text): Performs sentiment and classification analysis.
    """

• Module-level:

# analysis.py
# Provides tools for processing and classifying document data.

For other languages like JavaScript, Dart, Go, etc., use their respective docblock conventions (e.g., /** ... */ in JS/Dart).

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3. API Documentation

Projects exposing APIs should document each endpoint with:

• Route & Method: e.g., POST /api/v1/documents
• Parameters: Query, body, and path params
• Request/Response structure
• Status codes & error formats

Example:

### POST /api/v1/upload

Uploads a document for AI processing.

#### Body:
- `file`: Binary file (multipart/form-data)
- `user_id`: Integer

#### Response:
200 OK
```json
{
  "message": "Upload successful",
  "document_id": 42
}

400 Bad Request – Missing file or invalid format

Tools: Swagger / Redoc / Postman Collections

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### 4. **Inline Comments**

Use inline comments for:

- Complex logic
- Edge cases or unusual behavior
- Important variable usage

Example:
```python
# Fetch data from the external API
response = requests.get(url)

# Raise an error if the request failed
if response.status_code != 200:
    raise Exception("Data fetch failed")

Keep inline comments short and relevant. Don't repeat what is already obvious from the code.

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5. Changelog Management

Each project should maintain a CHANGELOG.md using Semantic Versioning. It should include:

• ✅ Added
• 🛠 Changed
• 🐛 Fixed
• ⚠️ Deprecated
• ❌ Removed

Example:

## [1.1.0] - 2025-05-01
### Added
- JWT-based authentication for document endpoints

### Fixed
- API timeout issue during file upload

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🚀 Recommended Documentation Tools

Depending on the language or platform, here are some popular tools you can use to generate or maintain high-quality documentation:

Language / Platform	Recommended Tools
Python	Sphinx, MkDocs, pdoc
JavaScript / TypeScript	JSDoc, TypeDoc, Storybook
Dart / Flutter	Dartdoc
Java	Javadoc, AsciiDoc
Kotlin	Dokka
Go	Godoc, Go Swagger
C# / .NET	DocFX, Sandcastle
C / C++	Doxygen
Ruby	YARD
PHP	phpDocumentor
Rust	rustdoc
Swift	Jazzy, DocC
Elixir	ExDoc
REST APIs	Swagger (OpenAPI), Redoc, Postman
GraphQL APIs	GraphQL Docs, GraphQL Voyager, SpectaQL
General / Markdown-based	MkDocs, Docusaurus, Docsify, GitBook

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📚 References & Style Guides

Explore official documentation guidelines and best practices for various languages and tools:

🐍 Python

• PEP 257 – Python Docstring Conventions
• Google Python Style Guide

💻 JavaScript / TypeScript

• JSDoc Official Documentation
• TypeScript Documentation Style

🎯 Dart / Flutter

• Effective Dart – Documentation
• Dartdoc Guidelines

☕ Java

• Javadoc Guide (Oracle)

🚀 Kotlin

• Dokka Documentation

🦫 Rust

• The Rustdoc Book

🦀 C / C++

• Doxygen Documentation

🐘 PHP

• phpDocumentor Guide

💎 Ruby

• YARD Documentation Guide

🐧 C# / .NET

• Microsoft C# XML Documentation
• DocFX Documentation

☁️ API Standards

• Swagger (OpenAPI) Docs
• Redoc Documentation
• Postman Documentation Best Practices

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🧠 "Documentation is the bridge between your code and the world." – UnifiedBits

By maintaining consistent, thoughtful documentation, we build better software together—one line at a time.