Urbit Developers
  • Hoon

    • Overview
    • Cheat Sheet
    • Irregular forms
    • Hoon Errors
    • Hoon Style Guide
    • Basic Types
    • Advanced Types
    • Auras
    • Arvo
    • Standard Library

      • 1a: Basic Arithmetic
      • 1b: Tree Addressing
      • 1c: Molds and Mold-Builders
      • 2a: Unit Logic
      • 2b: List Logic
      • 2c: Bit Arithmetic
      • 2d: Bit Logic
      • 2e: Insecure Hashing
      • 2f: Noun Ordering
      • 2g: Unsigned Powers
      • 2h: Set Logic
      • 2i: Map Logic
      • 2j: Jar and Jug Logic
      • 2k: Queue Logic
      • 2l: Container from Container
      • 2m: Container from Noun
      • 2n: Functional Hacks
      • 2o: Normalizing Containers
      • 2p: Serialization
      • 2q: Molds and Mold-Builders
      • 3a: Modular and Signed Ints
      • 3b: Floating Point
      • 3c: Urbit Time
      • 3d: SHA Hash Family
      • 3e: AES encryption (Removed)
      • 3f: Scrambling
      • 3g: Molds and Mold-Builders
      • 4a: Exotic Bases
      • 4b: Text Processing
      • 4c: Tank Printer
      • 4d: Parsing (Tracing)
      • 4e: Parsing (Combinators)
      • 4f: Parsing (Rule-Builders)
      • 4g: Parsing (Outside Caller)
      • 4h: Parsing (ASCII Glyphs)
      • 4i: Parsing (Useful Idioms)
      • 4j: Parsing (Bases and Base Digits)
      • 4k: Atom Printing
      • 4l: Atom Parsing
      • 4m: Formatting Functions
      • 4n: Virtualization
      • 4o: Molds
      • 5a: Compiler Utilities
      • 5b: Macro Expansion
      • 5c: Compiler Backend & Prettyprinter
      • 5d: Parser
      • 5e: Molds and mold builders
      • 5f: Profiling support
      • Runes

        • Constants (Atoms and Strings)
        • + lus · Arms
        • | bar · Cores
        • $ buc · Structures
        • % cen · Calls
        • : col · Cells
        • . dot · Nock
        • / fas · Imports
        • ^ ket · Casts
        • ; mic · Make
        • ~ sig · Hints
        • = tis · Subject
        • ? wut · Conditionals
        • ! zap · Wild
        • --, == Terminators
        • Limbs and wings

          • Limbs
          • Wings
          • Zuse

            • 2d(1-5): To JSON, Wains
            • 2d(6): From JSON
            • 2d(7): From JSON (unit)
            • 2e(2-3): Print & Parse JSON
            • 2m: Ordered Maps
          • Arvo

            • Overview
            • Ames

              • Overview
              • Cryptography
              • API Reference
              • Scry Reference
              • Data Types
              • Behn

                • Overview
                • API Reference
                • Scry Reference
                • Examples
                • Clay

                  • Overview
                  • Architecture
                  • Using Clay
                  • Data Types
                  • Scry Reference
                  • API Reference
                  • Examples
                  • Marks

                    • Overview
                    • Writing Marks
                    • Using Marks
                    • Examples
                  • Dill

                    • Overview
                    • API Reference
                    • Scry Reference
                    • Data Types
                    • Eyre

                      • Overview
                      • External API Reference
                      • Internal API Reference
                      • Scry Reference
                      • Data Types
                      • Guide
                      • Gall

                        • Overview
                        • API Reference
                        • Scry Reference
                        • Data Types
                        • Iris

                          • Overview
                          • API Reference
                          • Data Types
                          • Example
                          • Jael

                            • Overview
                            • API Reference
                            • Scry Reference
                            • Data Types
                            • Examples
                            • Khan

                              • Overview
                              • API Reference
                              • Data Types
                              • Example
                              • Threads

                                • Overview
                                • HTTP API
                                • Reference
                                • Strandio
                                • Gall

                                  • Start Thread
                                  • Take Result
                                  • Take Facts
                                  • Stop Thread
                                  • Poke Thread
                                  • Examples

                                    • Fetch JSON
                                    • Child Thread
                                    • Main-loop
                                    • Poke Agent
                                    • Scry
                                    • Take Fact
                                  • Concepts

                                    • Scries
                                    • Subscriptions
                                    • Tutorials

                                      • Move Trace
                                      • Reference

                                        • Cryptography
                                        • Filesystem Hierarchy
                                      • Nock

                                        • Nock Definition
                                        • Explanation
                                        • Example
                                        • Implementations
                                        • Vere

                                          • C Runtime System
                                          • Land of Nouns
                                          • API overview by prefix
                                          • C in Urbit
                                          • Writing Jets
                                          • Cryptography
                                          • Azimuth

                                            • Overview
                                            • Urbit HD Wallet
                                            • Azimuth Data Flow
                                            • Azimuth.eth
                                            • Ecliptic.eth
                                            • Advanced Azimuth Tools
                                            • Life and Rift
                                            • Layer 2

                                              • Layer 2 Overview
                                              • Layer 2 Actions
                                              • Transaction Format
                                              • Rollers
                                              • Roller HTTP RPC-API
                                              • Custom Roller Tutorial
                                            • Glossary

                                              • Agent
                                              • Ames
                                              • API
                                              • Aqua
                                              • Arm
                                              • Arvo
                                              • Atom
                                              • Aura
                                              • Aural ASCII
                                              • Azimuth
                                              • Battery
                                              • Behn
                                              • Bowl
                                              • Bridge
                                              • Bunt
                                              • Card
                                              • Case
                                              • Cask
                                              • Cell
                                              • Censures
                                              • Claims
                                              • Clay
                                              • Cold atom
                                              • Comet
                                              • Commit
                                              • Cons
                                              • Context
                                              • Cord
                                              • Core
                                              • Delegated Sending
                                              • Desk
                                              • Dill
                                              • Document Proposal
                                              • Dojo
                                              • Door
                                              • Double-boot
                                              • Dry Gate
                                              • Duct
                                              • Ecliptic
                                              • Entropy
                                              • Event Log
                                              • Eyre
                                              • Face
                                              • Fact
                                              • Foo Bar Baz
                                              • Galaxy
                                              • Gall
                                              • Garden
                                              • Gate
                                              • Generator
                                              • Gift
                                              • Glob
                                              • HD Wallet
                                              • Helm
                                              • Hood
                                              • Hoon
                                              • Invite Tree
                                              • Iris
                                              • Jael
                                              • Jet
                                              • Kelvin versioning
                                              • Kernel
                                              • Keyfile
                                              • Keywords
                                              • Khan
                                              • Kiln
                                              • Landscape
                                              • Leg
                                              • List
                                              • Loobean
                                              • Lull
                                              • Mark
                                              • Metals
                                              • Mold
                                              • Monad
                                              • Moon
                                              • Move
                                              • Nock
                                              • Noun
                                              • ~
                                              • OTA Updates
                                              • Path Prefix
                                              • Path
                                              • @p
                                              • Payload
                                              • Peek
                                              • pH
                                              • Pier
                                              • Pill
                                              • Planet
                                              • Poke
                                              • Proxies
                                              • Scry
                                              • Replay
                                              • Factory Reset
                                              • Roller
                                              • Naive rollups
                                              • Rune
                                              • Runtime
                                              • Sail
                                              • Sample
                                              • Scry
                                              • Senate
                                              • Ship
                                              • Slam
                                              • Spider
                                              • Sponsor
                                              • Star
                                              • String
                                              • Subject Oriented Programming
                                              • Subject
                                              • Subscription
                                              • Tape
                                              • Thread
                                              • Trap
                                              • Udon
                                              • Upgrade Proposal
                                              • Userspace
                                              • Vane
                                              • Vase
                                              • Vere
                                              • Voting
                                              • Warm atom
                                              • Wet Gate
                                              • Wing
                                              • Wire
                                              • Wrapper
                                              • ~zod
                                              • Zuse
                                              • Additional

                                                • Cryptography
                                                • Mips (Maps of Maps)
                                                • Software Distribution

                                                  • Overview
                                                  • Docket File
                                                  • Glob
                                                  • Docs App

                                                    • Overview
                                                    • File Format
                                                    • Index File
                                                    • Suggested Structure
                                                  Urbit Developers
                                                  • Hoon

                                                    • Overview
                                                    • Cheat Sheet
                                                    • Irregular forms
                                                    • Hoon Errors
                                                    • Hoon Style Guide
                                                    • Basic Types
                                                    • Advanced Types
                                                    • Auras
                                                    • Arvo
                                                    • Standard Library

                                                      • 1a: Basic Arithmetic
                                                      • 1b: Tree Addressing
                                                      • 1c: Molds and Mold-Builders
                                                      • 2a: Unit Logic
                                                      • 2b: List Logic
                                                      • 2c: Bit Arithmetic
                                                      • 2d: Bit Logic
                                                      • 2e: Insecure Hashing
                                                      • 2f: Noun Ordering
                                                      • 2g: Unsigned Powers
                                                      • 2h: Set Logic
                                                      • 2i: Map Logic
                                                      • 2j: Jar and Jug Logic
                                                      • 2k: Queue Logic
                                                      • 2l: Container from Container
                                                      • 2m: Container from Noun
                                                      • 2n: Functional Hacks
                                                      • 2o: Normalizing Containers
                                                      • 2p: Serialization
                                                      • 2q: Molds and Mold-Builders
                                                      • 3a: Modular and Signed Ints
                                                      • 3b: Floating Point
                                                      • 3c: Urbit Time
                                                      • 3d: SHA Hash Family
                                                      • 3e: AES encryption (Removed)
                                                      • 3f: Scrambling
                                                      • 3g: Molds and Mold-Builders
                                                      • 4a: Exotic Bases
                                                      • 4b: Text Processing
                                                      • 4c: Tank Printer
                                                      • 4d: Parsing (Tracing)
                                                      • 4e: Parsing (Combinators)
                                                      • 4f: Parsing (Rule-Builders)
                                                      • 4g: Parsing (Outside Caller)
                                                      • 4h: Parsing (ASCII Glyphs)
                                                      • 4i: Parsing (Useful Idioms)
                                                      • 4j: Parsing (Bases and Base Digits)
                                                      • 4k: Atom Printing
                                                      • 4l: Atom Parsing
                                                      • 4m: Formatting Functions
                                                      • 4n: Virtualization
                                                      • 4o: Molds
                                                      • 5a: Compiler Utilities
                                                      • 5b: Macro Expansion
                                                      • 5c: Compiler Backend & Prettyprinter
                                                      • 5d: Parser
                                                      • 5e: Molds and mold builders
                                                      • 5f: Profiling support
                                                      • Runes

                                                        • Constants (Atoms and Strings)
                                                        • + lus · Arms
                                                        • | bar · Cores
                                                        • $ buc · Structures
                                                        • % cen · Calls
                                                        • : col · Cells
                                                        • . dot · Nock
                                                        • / fas · Imports
                                                        • ^ ket · Casts
                                                        • ; mic · Make
                                                        • ~ sig · Hints
                                                        • = tis · Subject
                                                        • ? wut · Conditionals
                                                        • ! zap · Wild
                                                        • --, == Terminators
                                                        • Limbs and wings

                                                          • Limbs
                                                          • Wings
                                                          • Zuse

                                                            • 2d(1-5): To JSON, Wains
                                                            • 2d(6): From JSON
                                                            • 2d(7): From JSON (unit)
                                                            • 2e(2-3): Print & Parse JSON
                                                            • 2m: Ordered Maps
                                                          • Arvo

                                                            • Overview
                                                            • Ames

                                                              • Overview
                                                              • Cryptography
                                                              • API Reference
                                                              • Scry Reference
                                                              • Data Types
                                                              • Behn

                                                                • Overview
                                                                • API Reference
                                                                • Scry Reference
                                                                • Examples
                                                                • Clay

                                                                  • Overview
                                                                  • Architecture
                                                                  • Using Clay
                                                                  • Data Types
                                                                  • Scry Reference
                                                                  • API Reference
                                                                  • Examples
                                                                  • Marks

                                                                    • Overview
                                                                    • Writing Marks
                                                                    • Using Marks
                                                                    • Examples
                                                                  • Dill

                                                                    • Overview
                                                                    • API Reference
                                                                    • Scry Reference
                                                                    • Data Types
                                                                    • Eyre

                                                                      • Overview
                                                                      • External API Reference
                                                                      • Internal API Reference
                                                                      • Scry Reference
                                                                      • Data Types
                                                                      • Guide
                                                                      • Gall

                                                                        • Overview
                                                                        • API Reference
                                                                        • Scry Reference
                                                                        • Data Types
                                                                        • Iris

                                                                          • Overview
                                                                          • API Reference
                                                                          • Data Types
                                                                          • Example
                                                                          • Jael

                                                                            • Overview
                                                                            • API Reference
                                                                            • Scry Reference
                                                                            • Data Types
                                                                            • Examples
                                                                            • Khan

                                                                              • Overview
                                                                              • API Reference
                                                                              • Data Types
                                                                              • Example
                                                                              • Threads

                                                                                • Overview
                                                                                • HTTP API
                                                                                • Reference
                                                                                • Strandio
                                                                                • Gall

                                                                                  • Start Thread
                                                                                  • Take Result
                                                                                  • Take Facts
                                                                                  • Stop Thread
                                                                                  • Poke Thread
                                                                                  • Examples

                                                                                    • Fetch JSON
                                                                                    • Child Thread
                                                                                    • Main-loop
                                                                                    • Poke Agent
                                                                                    • Scry
                                                                                    • Take Fact
                                                                                  • Concepts

                                                                                    • Scries
                                                                                    • Subscriptions
                                                                                    • Tutorials

                                                                                      • Move Trace
                                                                                      • Reference

                                                                                        • Cryptography
                                                                                        • Filesystem Hierarchy
                                                                                      • Nock

                                                                                        • Nock Definition
                                                                                        • Explanation
                                                                                        • Example
                                                                                        • Implementations
                                                                                        • Vere

                                                                                          • C Runtime System
                                                                                          • Land of Nouns
                                                                                          • API overview by prefix
                                                                                          • C in Urbit
                                                                                          • Writing Jets
                                                                                          • Cryptography
                                                                                          • Azimuth

                                                                                            • Overview
                                                                                            • Urbit HD Wallet
                                                                                            • Azimuth Data Flow
                                                                                            • Azimuth.eth
                                                                                            • Ecliptic.eth
                                                                                            • Advanced Azimuth Tools
                                                                                            • Life and Rift
                                                                                            • Layer 2

                                                                                              • Layer 2 Overview
                                                                                              • Layer 2 Actions
                                                                                              • Transaction Format
                                                                                              • Rollers
                                                                                              • Roller HTTP RPC-API
                                                                                              • Custom Roller Tutorial
                                                                                            • Glossary

                                                                                              • Agent
                                                                                              • Ames
                                                                                              • API
                                                                                              • Aqua
                                                                                              • Arm
                                                                                              • Arvo
                                                                                              • Atom
                                                                                              • Aura
                                                                                              • Aural ASCII
                                                                                              • Azimuth
                                                                                              • Battery
                                                                                              • Behn
                                                                                              • Bowl
                                                                                              • Bridge
                                                                                              • Bunt
                                                                                              • Card
                                                                                              • Case
                                                                                              • Cask
                                                                                              • Cell
                                                                                              • Censures
                                                                                              • Claims
                                                                                              • Clay
                                                                                              • Cold atom
                                                                                              • Comet
                                                                                              • Commit
                                                                                              • Cons
                                                                                              • Context
                                                                                              • Cord
                                                                                              • Core
                                                                                              • Delegated Sending
                                                                                              • Desk
                                                                                              • Dill
                                                                                              • Document Proposal
                                                                                              • Dojo
                                                                                              • Door
                                                                                              • Double-boot
                                                                                              • Dry Gate
                                                                                              • Duct
                                                                                              • Ecliptic
                                                                                              • Entropy
                                                                                              • Event Log
                                                                                              • Eyre
                                                                                              • Face
                                                                                              • Fact
                                                                                              • Foo Bar Baz
                                                                                              • Galaxy
                                                                                              • Gall
                                                                                              • Garden
                                                                                              • Gate
                                                                                              • Generator
                                                                                              • Gift
                                                                                              • Glob
                                                                                              • HD Wallet
                                                                                              • Helm
                                                                                              • Hood
                                                                                              • Hoon
                                                                                              • Invite Tree
                                                                                              • Iris
                                                                                              • Jael
                                                                                              • Jet
                                                                                              • Kelvin versioning
                                                                                              • Kernel
                                                                                              • Keyfile
                                                                                              • Keywords
                                                                                              • Khan
                                                                                              • Kiln
                                                                                              • Landscape
                                                                                              • Leg
                                                                                              • List
                                                                                              • Loobean
                                                                                              • Lull
                                                                                              • Mark
                                                                                              • Metals
                                                                                              • Mold
                                                                                              • Monad
                                                                                              • Moon
                                                                                              • Move
                                                                                              • Nock
                                                                                              • Noun
                                                                                              • ~
                                                                                              • OTA Updates
                                                                                              • Path Prefix
                                                                                              • Path
                                                                                              • @p
                                                                                              • Payload
                                                                                              • Peek
                                                                                              • pH
                                                                                              • Pier
                                                                                              • Pill
                                                                                              • Planet
                                                                                              • Poke
                                                                                              • Proxies
                                                                                              • Scry
                                                                                              • Replay
                                                                                              • Factory Reset
                                                                                              • Roller
                                                                                              • Naive rollups
                                                                                              • Rune
                                                                                              • Runtime
                                                                                              • Sail
                                                                                              • Sample
                                                                                              • Scry
                                                                                              • Senate
                                                                                              • Ship
                                                                                              • Slam
                                                                                              • Spider
                                                                                              • Sponsor
                                                                                              • Star
                                                                                              • String
                                                                                              • Subject Oriented Programming
                                                                                              • Subject
                                                                                              • Subscription
                                                                                              • Tape
                                                                                              • Thread
                                                                                              • Trap
                                                                                              • Udon
                                                                                              • Upgrade Proposal
                                                                                              • Userspace
                                                                                              • Vane
                                                                                              • Vase
                                                                                              • Vere
                                                                                              • Voting
                                                                                              • Warm atom
                                                                                              • Wet Gate
                                                                                              • Wing
                                                                                              • Wire
                                                                                              • Wrapper
                                                                                              • ~zod
                                                                                              • Zuse
                                                                                              • Additional

                                                                                                • Cryptography
                                                                                                • Mips (Maps of Maps)
                                                                                                • Software Distribution

                                                                                                  • Overview
                                                                                                  • Docket File
                                                                                                  • Glob
                                                                                                  • Docs App

                                                                                                    • Overview
                                                                                                    • File Format
                                                                                                    • Index File
                                                                                                    • Suggested Structure
                                                                                                  Reference/Additional/Docs App

                                                                                                  Suggested Structure

                                                                                                  Here we'll discuss recommendations and best practices for your docs. The %docs app doesn't impose any restrictions on the structure of your docs, so you're free to do things differently if you feel it's appropriate.

                                                                                                  User docs

                                                                                                  For the most part, user documentation depends on the nature of your app, so it's up to you how you document it. There are, however, a couple of things that are advisable to include:

                                                                                                  General info

                                                                                                  You should include some of the following information (as appropriate) in either a distinct informational document or at the top of the first document:

                                                                                                  • Publisher/developer/contributors: Your @p, the @p you distribute the app from, people who have helped build the app, etc.
                                                                                                  • License: MIT, GPL, etc.
                                                                                                  • Source: Github link (or similar) for the repo containing the source code.
                                                                                                  • Issues: Where to file issues (typically also the Github repo).
                                                                                                  • Group: If you have a group associated with your app (for support, discussion, or what have you), you can include the ~host/group-name.
                                                                                                  • Any other metadata, links, info, etc, you feel are appropriate to include.

                                                                                                  Changelog

                                                                                                  Another useful document is a changelog. For each version you release, you can add a new section at the top with the version number, release date, and a brief summary of the changes.


                                                                                                  Developer docs

                                                                                                  Like user docs, you're free to document things as you see fit, but it's helpful to include particular things with a standard format. These are documented below.

                                                                                                  Note: If your desk has a dev version, it's advisable to link to it somewhere sensible in the developer documentation.

                                                                                                  API Reference

                                                                                                  If there's any chance other developers will want to interface with agents on your desk, you should include reference information about the scry endpoints, pokes, subscription paths, and (if appropriate) data types of each agent.

                                                                                                  These things can either be on a single page, or each have their own separate page, depending on their complexity.

                                                                                                  Scry endpoints

                                                                                                  Scry endpoints may either be organised by their paths or by short summaries of each endpoint's purpose. Scry paths should be in the format /[care]/rest/of/path, like /x/foo/bar. Any variable parts of the scry path should have square brackets like /x/foo/[ship]. The data type of the response should be specified, and it's helpful to include an example of a scry and the pretty-printed response in a codeblock.

                                                                                                  Pokes

                                                                                                  Any poke actions an agent will accept should be documented. It's helpful to include an example poke. You may also wish to provide a JSON example if people can interact with your agent through Eyre's channel system or similar.

                                                                                                  If your agent's pokes are organised around something like an "action" tagged union structure, the poke reference might work better as a kind of data type reference for that action structure rather than specifically pokes.

                                                                                                  Subscriptions

                                                                                                  Subscription paths should be documented in a similar manner to the scry reference. If the updates your agent can send out to subscribers are organised around something like an "update" tagged union structure, the subscription reference might work better as just a brief path reference, and documentation of the updates can be done separately.

                                                                                                  Data types

                                                                                                  The inclusion of a data types section depends on the complexity of an agent's data types. If such a reference is appropriate, it's best to structure it with a separate section for each type. The type definition should be included in a codeblock, as well as a brief description of its purpose.

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                                                                                                  Last modified August 30, 2023