This is an English style guide that we should follow to stay consistent in how we refer to common things in tutorials.
In general, we follow the AP style guide and the Apple Style Guide. This guide has some tweaks and clarifications on top of those. The guide also covers terms used within Unity tutorials.
##iOS Terms and Capitalization
Capitalize and style terms as below.
app Use app instead of application, unless application is more clear or refers to a non-iOS entity.
app delegate
app group
Auto Layout
button Use lowercase, including when instructing the reader to drag one into the scene.
build and run Use lowercase and do not bold.
CocoaPod
Cocos2d Whether and how to capitalize this (cocos2d? Cocos2D?) has been notoriously difficult to pin down, but currently, Cocos2d seems to be the most common form.
document outline
double-click
drop-down
editors Use lowercase; e.g. assistant editor, standard editor, scene editor.
frame rate FPS not fps
glance Use lowercase, including when instructing the reader to drag one into the scene.
group
image view
inspectors Capitalize when referring to a specific inspector in Xcode; e.g., Attributes Inspector, Identity Inspector.
Interface Builder
interface controller
Use lowercase, even when referring a specific, named instance such as the GroceryList interface controller.
iOS 7, iOS 8 Not iOS7 or iOS8.
keyboard keys Spell out and capitalize, whether alone or in multi-press combinations: Shift-Command-Option-X.
You press keys, you don't type or hit them.
label Use lowercase, including when instructing the reader to drag one into the scene.
menu
Object Library
OK Don't use okay or Ok.
onscreen and off-screen
OS X Not OSX.
Podfile
pop-up
project navigator
Retina and non-Retina
right-click
simulator iOS Simulator is a simulator app. Generally speaking, use lowercase simulator unless you omit the article:
Correct: run in the simulator
Correct: run in iOS Simulator (note lack of article)
Incorrect: run in the Simulator
It's OK to both use an article and capitalize Simulator if you are using it as an attributive noun:
Correct: close the Simulator window
storyboard
superclass
terminal OS X includes a terminal emulator program called Terminal. Generally speaking, use lowercase terminal unless you omit the article:
Correct: close the terminal
Correct: open a terminal window
Correct: use the terminal command
Correct: enter the following command into Terminal (note lack of article)
Correct: open Terminal (note lack of article)
Incorrect: open the Terminal
It's OK to both use an article and capitalize Terminal if you are using it as an attributive noun:
Correct: open a Terminal window
Correct: use the Terminal command
Correct: open the Terminal application
view controller
Watch app Not watch app or Watch App.
Xcode
bolding Use the bold style (<em> in WordPress) for things the reader needs to click, enter into a text field or otherwise notice. This includes file and directory names, but only those that are the action item of a nearby instruction.
Use the bold style to highlight important concepts that are being introduced for the first time.
For bolding in lists, see lists.
book references References to other books should be italicized:
Example: If you’re new to iOS development, we recommend you start with iOS Apprentice.
chapter references When referring to chapters in the same book, give the chapter number and place the chapter title in quotes:
Example: Chapter 15, “Performance Tips and Tricks”
References to chapters in other books can be written as follows:
Example: Check out the “Doing Cool Stuff” chapter of Ray’s Awesome Book.
coordinates (x, y) not (x,y)
Note that coordinate refers to one of the group (the x-coordinate), while coordinates refers to more than one and usually the entire group (the GPS coordinates of Cupertino).
emoticons These are not punctuation; sentences that end with an emoticon still need appropriate punctuation that should fall before the emoticon rather than after it.
file extensions either XXX or .xxx
game references Italicize the names of published games, like Super Mario Bros. or Angry Birds, but not the names of other software.
headers
-
Casing in tutorials: Capitalize headers, leaving any article, preposition or coordinating conjunction that is three letters or less lowercase, unless it is the first word in the heading. For example, it is important to capitalize the verb Go but not the word to in Where to Go From Here?
-
Casing in books: Use sentence casing by capitalizing only the first letter of the first word, except for proper nouns.
-
Placement: Insert when the subject moves from one point to another; more is usually better than less. Also ensure that if H2 and H3 headers are used they are nested appropriately. For example, there is no point in having a single H2 and then seventeen H3 headings for the rest of the article.
inline code Use the inline code style (<code> in WordPress) for all class, function and method names. Remember to use it for these words:
nil
if statement
while loop
if-else
Int
enum
switch statement
lists List items should be followed by colons, not dashes.
If a list includes items, bold them (<em> in WordPress). If the list items are code structures, use the bold style rather than the inline code style.
numbers vs. numerals Spell out whole numbers up to and including nine, as well as larger numbers that can be expressed in one or two words.
Examples: zero, one, nine, six million.
Use numerals for numbers greater than nine; for decimals and percentages; for numbers that express mathematical figures; for addresses, dates, the time of day, and page or chapter numbers; and when a numeral is important for identification purposes.
Examples: 10; 25,000; 30%; divide 15 by 3; Chapter 6; Highway 4; Room 2.
Numbers in series should be consistent.
Example: She went to five countries on four continents in sixteen days OR She went to 5 countries on 4 continents in 16 days.
Example: The final score was 13-1 OR The final score was thirteen to one.
Note: There are a lot of exceptions to these basic rules, so use your best judgment.
quotation marks Punctuation not essential to a quote should be placed outside of the quotes (British style) so as to avoid any possible confusion about whether a punctuation mark is part of a string or any other bit of code.
screen gestures You tap something on a screen, you don't click, touch or press it; the only exception to this is a long press on an object on the phone's screen.
Capitalize and style terms as below.
Animator
Animation View
Component
Coroutine
Game View
GameObject
Hierarchy
Inspector
Mecanim
Prefab
Project Browser
Scene
Scene View
Transform
UI
Unity Editor
animated gifs Use animated gifs only once for an operation. When repeating the operation, use either a screenshot or refer the reader back to the animated gif.
bolding Often times when writing Unity tutorials, bolding is a multistep step process when making adjustments. Bold each object in the process:
Example: In the Hierarchy, select the SpaceShip and from the Inspector, and inside the Alien Component, set the IsDead property to false.
project assets All assets in a project should be named using UpperCamelCase.
spoilers Use spoilers to "quiz" readers on repeated operations in the tutorial.
React
Typescript
Django
Laravel
Facebook
Microsoft
Google
Alibaba
D3
Tencent