Coding guidelines

On this page:

• ℹ️ General guidelines
• 🔤 Content (strings and microcopy)

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ℹ️ General guidelines

We strive to auto-enforce coding standards as much as possible and follow common practices you'll find in other projects to simplify onboarding.

Here's a quick run-down of the main points:

• Install the recommended extensions in VS Code to apply guidelines and auto-format code on save.
• Document everything.
• Documentation should be inline, with the code.
• Every folder should have a README.
• Add inline comments to all major code blocks.
• Resolve all lint errors before submitting PRs.
• Follow standard language conventions:
  • PowerShell guidelines
  • Bicep lint rules

🔤 Content (strings and microcopy)

We adhere to the Microsoft style guide. There's a ton to keep in mind in this space, from capitalization to terms to specific phrasing and more. A few quick tips to be aware of:

• Use bigger ideas, fewer words
• Write like you speak
• Project friendliness
• Get to the point fast
• Be brief
• When in doubt, don't capitalize – Always use sentence casing, not Title Casing, unless it's a product name.
• Avoid end punctuation on titles, headings, subheads, UI titles, and items in a list that are three or fewer words.
• Remember the last comma – Always use a comma before "and" and "or" in a list of 3 or more items.
• Don't be spacey
• Revise weak writing

Learn more