Starting Everything with Technical Documentation. Do You Have this Habit?

The Issue

One of the important skills in the IT industry that many people tend to overlook is "reading documentation".

Docs, Documents, or Technical documentation is a comprehensive set of notes about a language, software, tool... The purpose of these documents is to guide us on how to use them. In addition, documents also contain important information to help us study and debug.

Therefore, a Docs page can be very long, making us overwhelmed, even bored with reading them. The amount of knowledge that Docs want to convey is quite dry, and it gets heavier as the complexity of the library increases.

However, that's also why Docs provide a lot of important information to help you approach the tool you're about to learn. I've advised many people to spend time studying the documentation before asking questions, but it seems that very few people listen, partly because they are afraid of wasting time and partly because they don't know where to start reading and how to read. So, is reading documentation really as scary as you have imagined for a long time, or how do you overcome that prejudice?

Reality

The fast pace of life requires us to acquire knowledge quickly and easily. But ironically, if you want to be fast, chances are you won't be thorough, and vice versa.

Short articles on websites and blogs seem to be favored by many people because of their timeliness and relatively short information reception time. Sometimes, reading them once can give you a good grasp of the topic. This is entirely true because most of these articles only focus on some specific aspects, making readers feel like they know the tool well. However, the rest of the knowledge, such as Descriptions, Architecture, Technical terms, Full feature list... can be found in the Docs.

I have interacted with many people and often find that they rarely have the habit of reading Docs. The evidence is that they often ask me very basic questions, which can be easily answered by spending a little time reviewing the documentation. But it seems that they have not cultivated the skill of reading documentation, and it is definitely a bad habit.

The Importance of Reading Documentation

Regularly reading docs helps you develop a habit of reading whenever you learn a new tool. Researching and exploring on your own, actively solving future problems at work without needing anyone's help because the amount of knowledge you have acquired in the docs is sufficient.

You will have a comprehensive understanding of the tool from an overview to the details, knowing what the tool does and the features it provides. You might even know the working mechanism and technical debugging in problem-solving. From there, you can improve your ability to use and debug the tool to a new level.

Advanced, in-depth knowledge in the documentation about the tool is necessary if you want to use the tool proficiently. Understanding the essence of the tool helps you improve your understanding and proficiency in using it. Moreover, you can contribute to the project if you are allowed to do so.

Documentation Reading Methods

Once you understand the importance of studying documentation, the next step is to learn how to read it.

It must be said that nowadays, documentation is well cared for and invested in terms of content. Most section headings are presented in a common format, making it easy for us to access. If you are just starting to read, pay attention, and you will notice that most of them have similarities. Being aware of this helps you approach future documents faster than usual.

Before delving deeper, take the time to read the introduction to learn what the library or tool can do. Although this information may be concise, it plays an important role as it determines whether you should continue with the tool or if the tool can solve the problem you are facing.

Then continue with the Quickstart section to see how to use the library quickly and easily. Quickstart is a guide on the fastest and simplest way to install and use the library. It can be a deployment method or the most basic functions to start with the library. Quickstart also helps you get an idea of the complexity of the tool you are about to learn, preparing you mentally.

Some documentation has a Tutorial section that provides a detailed guide on how to use the library. This is a series of articles that guide you from A-Z on how to implement one or more features that the tool provides. Through the Tutorial, you will learn how to implement the code provided by the library in the best way. It must be said that this is a very useful section that not all documents have. Therefore, if any documentation has a Tutorial section, you should definitely try to read it.

Continue reading other sections listed in the Menu section of the documentation. The main purpose is to see what additional knowledge the tool provides. Because the purpose of each tool differs and depends on the development team, the amount of information provided also varies. You need to read to see if the tool provides any additional features that will help solve future problems.

Some documentation presents the tool's ideology and architecture model for those who are interested, as well as how to contribute to the library. If you feel interested and want to contribute, you can read on. Otherwise, reading to understand the architecture is also a way to accumulate more knowledge for yourself.

There may also be a section called API Reference that classifies, lists, and provides detailed information about all the APIs in the library for easy look-up. The Classes, Functions, Options... that the tool provides can be numerous, and it's impossible to remember all the parameters and how to use them. This section is a quick way to look up issues.

Another thing worth noting is that most documentation is written in English. However, nowadays there are many tools that can help us translate multiple languages. As for me, who doesn't have a good command of English, I have the habit of using Google Translate to translate the documentation.

Conclusion

Documentation is an important part of any IT tool. It is thanks to the documentation that we can easily access the tool. The process of studying documentation may require time, but in return, you will be more proactive in your learning and work in the future.