Documentation Style Guide

This document defines the standards for GitLab documentation, including grammar, formatting, and more. For guidelines on specific words, see the word list.

For style questions, mention @tw-style in an issue or merge request. If you have access to the GitLab Slack workspace, use the #docs-processes channel.

The GitLab voice

The GitLab brand guidelines define the voice used by the larger organization.

Building on that guidance, the voice in the GitLab documentation strives to be concise, direct, and precise. The goal is to provide information that's easy to search and scan.

The voice in the documentation should be conversational but brief, friendly but succinct.

Documentation is the single source of truth (SSoT)

The GitLab documentation is the SSoT for all product information related to implementation, use, and troubleshooting. The documentation evolves continuously. It is updated with new products and features, and with improvements for clarity, accuracy, and completeness.

This policy prevents information silos, making it easier to find information about GitLab products. It also informs decisions about the kinds of content included in the documentation.

Topic types

GitLab uses topic types to organize the product documentation.

Topic types help users digest information more quickly. They also help address these issues:

• Content is hard to find. The GitLab docs are comprehensive and include a large amount of useful information. Topic types create repeatable patterns that make the content easier to scan and parse.
• Content is often written from the contributor's point of view. The GitLab docs are written by a variety of contributors. Topic types (tasks, specifically) help put information into a format that is geared toward helping others, rather than documenting how a feature was implemented.

Docs-first methodology

The product documentation should be a complete and trusted resource.

• If the answer to a question exists in documentation, share the link to the documentation instead of rephrasing the information.
• When you encounter information that's not available in GitLab documentation, create a merge request (MR) to add the information to the documentation. Then share the MR to communicate the information.

The more we reflexively add information to the documentation, the more the documentation helps others efficiently accomplish tasks and solve problems.

Writing for localization

The GitLab documentation is not localized, but we follow guidelines that help us write for a global audience.

The GitLab voice dictates that we write clearly and directly with translation in mind. Our style guide, word list, and Vale rules ensure consistency in the documentation.

When documentation is translated into other languages, the meaning of each word must be clear. The increasing use of machine translation, GitLab Duo Chat, and other AI tools means that consistency is even more important.

The following rules can help documentation be translated more efficiently.

Avoid:

• Phrases that hide the subject like there is and there are.
• Ambiguous pronouns like it.
• Words that end in -ing.
• Words that can be confused with one another like since and because.
• Latin abbreviations like e.g. and i.e..
• Culture-specific references like kill two birds with one stone.

Use:

• Standard text for links.
• Lists and tables instead of complex sentences and paragraphs.
• Common abbreviations like AI and CI/CD and abbreviations you've previously spelled out.

Also, keep the following guidance in mind:

• Be consistent with feature names and how to interact with them.
• Break up noun strings. For example, instead of project integration custom settings, use custom settings for project integrations.
• Format dates and times consistently and for an international audience.
• Use images, including screenshots, sparingly.
• For UI text, allow for up to 30% expansion and contraction in translation. To see how much a string expands or contracts in another language, paste the string into Google Translate and review the results. You can ask a colleague who speaks the language to verify if the translation is clear.

Markdown

All GitLab documentation is written in Markdown.

The documentation website uses GitLab Kramdown, a "flavored" Kramdown engine to render pages from Markdown to HTML. The use of Kramdown features is limited by our linters, so, use regular Markdown and follow the rules in the linked style guide. You can't use Kramdown-specific markup (for example, {:.class}).

For a complete Kramdown reference, see the GitLab Markdown Guide.

The Markdown format is tested by using markdownlint and Vale.

HTML in Markdown

Hard-coded HTML is valid, although it's discouraged from being used. HTML is permitted if:

• There's no equivalent markup in Markdown.
• Advanced tables are necessary.
• Special styling is required.
• Reviewed and approved by a technical writer.

Heading levels in Markdown

Each documentation page begins with a level 1 heading (#). This becomes the h1 element when the page is rendered to HTML. There can be only one level 1 heading per page.

• For each subsection, increment the heading level. In other words, increment the number of # characters in front of the topic title.
• Avoid heading levels greater than H5 (#####). If you need more than five heading levels, move the topics to a new page instead. Heading levels greater than H5 do not display in the right sidebar navigation.
• Do not skip a level. For example: ## > ####.
• Leave one blank line before and after the topic title.
• If you use code in topic titles, ensure the code is in backticks.

Backticks in Markdown

Use backticks for:

• Code blocks.
• Error messages.
• Commands, parameters, and filenames.
• Values. For example: "In the Name text box, type test."

Language

GitLab documentation should be clear and easy to understand.

• Avoid unnecessary words.
• Be clear, concise, and stick to the goal of the topic.
• Write in US English with US grammar. (Tested in British.yml.)

Active voice

In most cases, text is easier to understand and to translate if you use active voice instead of passive.

For example, use:

• The developer writes code for the application.

Instead of:

• Application code is written by the developer.

Sometimes, using GitLab as the subject can be awkward. For example, GitLab exports the report. In this case, you can use passive voice instead. For example, The report is exported.

Customer perspective

Focus on the functionality and benefits that GitLab brings to customer, rather than what GitLab has created.

For example, use:

• Use merge requests to compare code in the source and target branches.

Instead of:

• GitLab allows you to compare code.
• GitLab created the ability to let you compare code.
• Merge requests let you compare code.

Words that indicate you are not writing from a customer perspective are allow and enable. Try instead to use you and to speak directly to the user.

Building trust

Product documentation should be focused on providing clear, concise information, without the addition of sales or marketing text.

• Do not use words like easily or simply.
• Do not use marketing phrases like "This feature will save you time and money."

Instead, focus on facts and achievable goals. Be specific. For example:

• The build time can decrease when you use this feature.
• You can use this feature to save time when you create a project. The API creates the file and you do not need to manually intervene.

Capitalization

As a company, we tend toward lowercase.

Topic titles

Use sentence case for topic titles. For example:

• # Use variables to configure pipelines
• ## Use the To-Do List

UI text

When referring to specific user interface text, like a button label or menu item, use the same capitalization that's displayed in the user interface.

If you think the user interface text contains style mistakes, create an issue or an MR to propose a change to the user interface text.

Feature names

Feature names should be lowercase.

However, in a few rare cases, features can be title case. These exceptions are:

• Added as a proper name to markdownlint, so they can be consistently applied across all documentation.
• Added to the word list.

If the term is not in the word list, ask a GitLab Technical Writer for advice.

Do not match the capitalization of terms or phrases on the Features page or features.yml by default.

Other terms

Capitalize names of:

• GitLab product tiers. For example, GitLab Free and GitLab Ultimate.
• Third-party organizations, software, and products. For example, Prometheus, Kubernetes, Git, and The Linux Foundation.
• Methods or methodologies. For example, Continuous Integration, Continuous Deployment, Scrum, and Agile.

Follow the capitalization style listed at the authoritative source for the entity, which may use non-standard case styles. For example: GitLab and npm.

Fake user information

You may need to include user information in entries such as a REST call or user profile. Do not use real user information or email addresses in GitLab documentation. For email addresses and names, use:

• Email addresses: Use an email address ending in example.com.
• Names: Use strings like example_username. Alternatively, use diverse or non-gendered names with common surnames, such as Sidney Jones, Zhang Wei, or Alex Garcia.

Fake URLs

When including sample URLs in the documentation, use:

• example.com when the domain name is generic.
• gitlab.example.com when referring only to self-managed GitLab instances. Use gitlab.com for GitLab SaaS instances.

Fake tokens

There may be times where a token is needed to demonstrate an API call using cURL or a variable used in CI. It is strongly advised not to use real tokens in documentation even if the probability of a token being exploited is low.

You can use these fake tokens as examples:

Contractions

Contractions are encouraged, and can create a friendly and informal tone, especially in tutorials, instructional documentation, and user interfaces.

Some contractions, however, should be avoided:

Possessives

Try to avoid using possessives ('s) for proper nouns, like organization or product names.

For example, instead of Docker's CLI, use the Docker CLI.

For details, see the Google documentation style guide.

Prepositions

Use prepositions at the end of the sentence when needed. Dangling or stranded prepositions are fine. For example:

• You can leave the group you're a member of.
• Share the credentials with users you want to give access to.

These constructions are more casual than the alternatives:

• You can leave the group of which you're a member.
• Share the credentials with users to which you want to give access.

Acronyms

If you use an acronym, spell it out on first use on a page. You do not need to spell it out more than once on a page.

• Titles: Try to avoid acronyms in topic titles, especially if the acronym is not widely used.
• Plurals: Try not to make acronyms plural. For example, use YAML files, not YAMLs. If you must make an acronym plural, do not use an apostrophe. For example, use APIs, not API's.
• Possessives: Use caution when making an acronym possessive. If possible, write the sentence to avoid making the acronym possessive. If you must make the acronym possessive, consider spelling out the words.

Numbers

For numbers in text, spell out zero through nine and use numbers for 10 and greater. For more information, see the Microsoft Style Guide.

Text

• Write in Markdown.

• Insert an empty line for new paragraphs.

• Insert an empty line between different markups (for example, after every paragraph, heading, list, and so on). Example:

  ## Heading
  
  Paragraph.
  
  - List item 1
  - List item 2

Line length

To make the source content easy to read, and to more easily compare diffs, follow these best practices when possible.

• Split long lines at approximately 100 characters.
• Start each new sentence on a new line.

Comments

To embed comments within Markdown, use standard HTML comments that are not rendered when published. Example:

<!-- This is a comment that is not rendered -->

Emphasis

Use bold rather than italic to provide emphasis. GitLab uses a sans-serif font and italic text does not stand out as much as it would in a serif font. For details, see Butterick's Practical Typography guide on bold or italic.

You can use italics when you are introducing a term for the first time. Otherwise, use bold.

• Use double asterisks (**) to mark a word or text in bold (**bold**).
• Use underscore (_) for text in italics (_italic_).
• Use greater than (>) for blockquotes.

Punctuation

Follow these guidelines for punctuation.

• End full sentences with a period, including full sentences in tables.
• Use serial (Oxford) commas before the final and or or in a list of three or more items. (Tested in OxfordComma.yml.)

When spacing content:

• Use one space between sentences. (Use of more than one space is tested in SentenceSpacing.yml.)
• Do not use non-breaking spaces. Use standard spaces instead. (Tested in lint-doc.sh.)
• Do not use tabs for indentation. Use spaces instead. You can configure your code editor to output spaces instead of tabs when pressing the Tab key.

Do not use these punctuation characters:

• ; (semicolon): Use two sentences instead.
• – (en dash) or — (em dash): Use separate sentences, or commas, instead.
• “ ” ‘ ’: Double or single typographer's ("curly") quotation marks. Use straight quotes instead. (Tested in NonStandardQuotes.yml.)

Placeholder text

In a code block, you might want to provide a command or configuration that uses specific values.

In these cases, use < and > to call out where a reader must replace text with their own value.

For example:

cp <your_source_directory> <your_destination_directory>

If the placeholder is not in a code block, use < and > and wrap the placeholder in a single backtick. For example:

Select **Grant admin consent for `<application_name>`**.

Keyboard commands

Use the HTML <kbd> tag when referring to keystroke presses. For example:

To stop the command, press <kbd>Control</kbd>+<kbd>C</kbd>.

When the docs are generated, the output is:

To stop the command, press Control+C.

Buttons in the UI

For elements with a visible label, use the label in bold with matching case.

For example: Select **Cancel**.

Text entered in the UI

If you want the user to type something in the UI, use backticks. For example:

In the **Commit message** text box, type `This is my merge request`.

Backticks are more precise than quotes. For example, in this string:

• In the Commit message text box, type "This is my merge request."

It's not clear whether the user should include the period in the string.

Inline code

Inline code style is applied inline with regular text. Use inline code style:

• For filenames or fragments of configuration files. For example, .gitlab-ci.yml, CODEOWNERS, and only: [main].
• For HTTP methods (HTTP POST) and HTTP status codes, both full (404 File Not Found) and abbreviated (404). For example: Send a DELETE request to delete the runner. Send a POST request to create one.

To apply inline code style, wrap the text in a single backtick (`). For example, this is inline code style.

Code blocks

Code block style separates code text from regular text. Use code block style for commands run in the command-line interface. Code block style is easier to copy and paste in a user's terminal window.

To apply code block style, wrap the text in triple backticks (three `) and add a syntax highlighting hint. For example:

```plaintext
This is codeblock style
```

When using code block style:

• Use quadruple backticks (four `) to apply code block style when the code block you are styling has triple backticks in it. For example, when illustrating code block style.
• Add a blank line above and below code blocks.
• Syntax highlight hints are required for code blocks. See the list of supported languages and lexers for available syntax highlighters. Use plaintext if no better hint is available.

cURL commands in code blocks

See cURL commands for information about styling cURL commands.

Lists

Use lists to present information in a format that is easier to scan.

• Make all items in the list parallel. For example, do not start some bullets with nouns and others with verbs.

• Do not use a period if the phrase is not a full sentence.

• Use a period after every sentence. Do not use semicolons or commas.

• Give all items the same punctuation.

• Start list items with a capital letter.

• Separate the introductory phrase from explanatory text with a colon (:). For example:

  You can:
  
  - Do this thing.
  - Do this other thing.

Choose between an ordered or unordered list

Use ordered lists for a sequence of steps. For example:

Follow these steps to do something.

1. First, do the first step.
1. Then, do the next step.
1. Finally, do the last step.

Use an unordered lists when the steps do not need to be completed in order. For example:

These things are imported:

- Thing 1
- Thing 2
- Thing 3

List markup

• Use dashes (-) for unordered lists instead of asterisks (*).
• Start every item in an ordered list with 1.. When rendered, the list items are sequential.
• Leave a blank line before and after a list.
• Begin a line with spaces (not tabs) to denote a nested sub-item.

Nesting inside a list item

You can nest items under a list item, so they render with the same indentation as the list item. You can do this with:

• Code blocks
• Blockquotes
• Alert boxes
• Images
• Tabs

Nested items should always align with the first character of the list item. For unordered lists (using -), use two spaces for each level of indentation:

- Unordered list item 1

  A line nested using 2 spaces to align with the `U` above.

- Unordered list item 2

  > A quote block that will nest
  > inside list item 2.

- Unordered list item 3

  ```plaintext
  a code block that nests inside list item 3
  ```

- Unordered list item 4

  ![an image that will nest inside list item 4](image.png)

For ordered lists, use three spaces for each level of indentation:

1. Ordered list item 1

   A line nested using 3 spaces to align with the `O` above.

You can nest lists in other lists.

1. Ordered list item one.
1. Ordered list item two.
   - Nested unordered list item one.
   - Nested unordered list item two.
1. Ordered list item three.

- Unordered list item one.
- Unordered list item two.
  1. Nested ordered list item one.
  1. Nested ordered list item two.
- Unordered list item three.

Tables

Tables should be used to describe complex information in a straightforward manner. In many cases, an unordered list is sufficient to describe a list of items with a single, simple description per item. But, if you have data that's best described by a matrix, tables are the best choice.

Creation guidelines

To keep tables accessible and scannable, tables should not have any empty cells. If there is no otherwise meaningful value for a cell, consider entering N/A for 'not applicable' or None.

To help keep tables easier to maintain, you can:

• Add additional spaces to make the column widths consistent. For example:

  | App name | Description         | Requirements |
  |----------|---------------------|--------------|
  | App 1    | Description text 1. | A, B, and C. |
  | App 2    | Description text 2. | None         |

• Skip the additional spaces in the rightmost column for tables that are very wide. For example:

  | Setting   | Default | Description |
  |-----------|---------|-------------|
  | Setting 1 | `1000`  | A short description. |
  | Setting 2 | `2000`  | A long description that would make the table too wide and add too much whitespace if every cell in this column was aligned. |
  | Setting 3 | `0`     | Another short description. |

Editor extensions for table formatting

To ensure consistent table formatting across all Markdown files, consider formatting your tables with the VS Code Markdown Table Formatter. To configure this extension to follow the guidelines above, enable the Follow header row length setting. To enable the setting:

• In the UI:

  1. In the VS Code menu, go to Code > Settings > Settings.
  2. Search for Limit Last Column Length.
  3. In the Limit Last Column Length dropdown list, select Follow header row length.

• In your VS Code settings.json, add a new line with:

  {
    "markdown-table-formatter.limitLastColumnLength": "Follow header row length"
  }

To format a table with this extension, select the entire table, right-click the selection, and select Format Selection With. Select Markdown Table Formatter in the VS Code Command Palette.

Alternatively, if you use Sublime Text you can try the Markdown Table Formatter plugin, but it does not have a Follow header row length setting.

Updates to existing tables

When you add or edit rows in an existing table, the cells in the new rows might be wider. If you realign the columns to account for the width, the diff becomes difficult to read, because the entire table shows as modified.

Markdown tables naturally fall out of alignment over time, but still render correctly on docs.gitlab.com. The technical writing team can realign cells the next time the page is refactored.

Table headers

Use sentence case for table headers. For example, Keyword value or Project name.

Feature tables

When creating tables of lists of features (such the features available to each role on the Permissions page), use these phrases:

Don't use **{dotted-circle}** and **{check-circle}** in API documentation. Instead, follow the API topic template.

Footnotes

Use footnotes below tables only when you cannot include the content in the table itself. For example, use footnotes when you must:

• Provide the same information in several table cells.
• Include content that would disrupt the table's layout.

Footnote format

In the table, use the HTML superscript tag <sup> for each footnote. Put the tag at the end after any punctuation mark.

For example:

| App name | Description                    |
|:---------|:-------------------------------|
| App A    | Description text. <sup>1</sup> |
| App B    | Description text. <sup>2</sup> |

When you add a footnote, do not re-sort the existing tags in the table.

For the footnotes below the table, use **Footnotes:** followed by an ordered list.

For example:

**Footnotes:**

1. This is the first footnote.
1. This is the second footnote.

The table and footnotes would render as follows:

Footnotes:

1. This is the first footnote.
2. This is the second footnote.

More than five footnotes

If you have five or more footnotes that you cannot include in the table itself, you can use consecutive numbers for the list items. If you use consecutive numbers, you must disable Markdown rule 029:

**Footnotes:**

<!-- Disable ordered list rule https://github.com/DavidAnson/markdownlint/blob/main/doc/Rules.md#md029---ordered-list-item-prefix -->
<!-- markdownlint-disable MD029 -->

1. This is the first footnote.
2. This is the second footnote.
3. This is the third footnote.
4. This is the fourth footnote.
5. This is the fifth footnote.

<!-- markdownlint-enable MD029 -->

Quotes

Valid for Markdown content only, not for front matter entries:

• Standard quotes: double quotes ("). Example: "This is wrapped in double quotes".
• Quote inside a quote: double quotes (") wrap single quotes ('). Example: "This sentence 'quotes' something in a quote".

For other punctuation rules, refer to the Pajamas Design System Punctuation section. This is overridden by the documentation-specific punctuation rules.

Links

Links help the docs adhere to the single source of truth principle.

However, you should avoid putting too many links on any page. Too many links can hinder readability.

• Do not duplicate links on the same page. For example, on Page A, do not link to Page B multiple times.
• Avoid multiple links in a single paragraph.
• Avoid multiple links in a single task.
• On any one page, try not to use more than 15 links to other pages.
• Consider using Related topics to reduce links that interrupt the flow of a task.
• Try to avoid anchor links to sections on the same page. Let users rely on the right navigation instead.

Links within the same repository

To link to another page in the same repository, use a relative file path. For example, ../user/gitlab_com/index.md.

Use inline link Markdown markup [Text](https://example.com), rather than reference-style links, like [Text][identifier].

Put the entire link on a single line so that linters can find it.

Links in separate repositories

To link to a page in a different repository, use an absolute URL. For example, to link from a page in the GitLab repository to the Charts repository, use a URL like https://docs.gitlab.com/charts/.

Anchor links

Each topic title has an anchor link. For example, a topic with the title ## This is an example has the anchor #this-is-an-example.

The first topic title on a page (the h1) has an anchor link, but do not use it. Link to the page instead.

With Kramdown, you can add a custom ID to an HTML element, but these IDs don't work in /help, so you should not use them.

When you change topic title text, the anchor link changes. To avoid broken links:

• Do not use step numbers in topic titles.
• When possible, do not use words that might change in the future.

Changing links and titles

When you change a topic title, the anchor link changes. To ensure you update any related links, search these directories:

• doc/*
• app/views/*
• ee/app/views/*

If you do not fix these links, the ui-docs-lint job in your merge request fails.

Text for links

Follow these guidelines for link text.

Standard text

As much as possible, use text that follows one of these patterns:

• For more information, see [LINK TEXT](LINK).
• To [DO THIS THING], see [LINK TEXT](LINK)

For example:

• For more information, see [merge requests](LINK).
• To create a review app, see [review apps](LINK).

You can expand on this text by using phrases like For more information about this feature, see...

Do not use the following constructions:

• Learn more about...
• To read more....
• For more information, see the [Merge requests](LINK) page.
• For more information, see the [Merge requests](LINK) documentation.

Descriptive text rather than here

Use descriptive text for links, rather than words like here or this page.

For example, instead of:

• For more information, see [this page](LINK).
• For more information, go [here](LINK).

Use:

• For more information, see [merge requests](LINK).

Links to issues

When linking to an issue, include the issue number in the link. For example:

• For more information, see [issue 12345](LINK).

Do not use the pound sign (issue #12345).

Links to external documentation

When possible, avoid links to external documentation. These links can easily become outdated, and are difficult to maintain.

• They lead to link rot.
• They create issues with maintenance.

Sometimes links are required. They might clarify troubleshooting steps or help prevent duplication of content. Sometimes they are more precise and will be maintained more actively.

For each external link you add, weigh the customer benefit with the maintenance difficulties.

Confidential or restricted access links

Don't link directly to:

• Confidential issues.
• Internal handbook pages.
• Project features that require special permissions to view.

These links fail for:

• Those without sufficient permissions.
• Automated link checkers.

If you must use one of these links:

• If the link is to a confidential issue or internal handbook page, mention that the issue or page is visible only to GitLab team members.
• If the link requires a specific role or permissions, mention that information.
• Put the link in backticks so that it does not cause link checkers to fail.

Examples:

GitLab team members can view more information in this confidential issue:
`https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/<issue_number>`

GitLab team members can view more information in this internal handbook page: https://internal.gitlab.com/handbook/<link>

Users with the Maintainer role for the project can use the pipeline editor:
`https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/ci/editor`

Link to specific lines of code

When linking to specific lines in a file, link to a commit instead of to the branch. Lines of code change over time. Linking to a line by using the commit link ensures the user lands on the line you're referring to. The Permalink button, displayed when viewing a file in a project, provides a link to the most recent commit of that file.

• Do: [link to line 3](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/blob/11f17c56d8b7f0b752562d78a4298a3a95b5ce66/.gitlab/issue_templates/Feature%20proposal.md#L3)
• Don't: [link to line 3](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/blob/master/.gitlab/issue_templates/Feature%20proposal.md#L3).

If that linked expression has changed line numbers due to additional commits, you can still search the file for that query. In this case, update the document to ensure it links to the most recent version of the file.

Navigation

When documenting how to navigate the GitLab UI:

• Always use location, then action.
  • From the Visibility dropdown list (location), select Public (action).
• Be brief and specific. For example:
  • Do: Select Save.
  • Do not: Select Save for the changes to take effect.
• If a step must include a reason, start the step with it. This helps the user scan more quickly.
  • Do: To view the changes, in the merge request, select the link.
  • Do not: Select the link in the merge request to view the changes.

Names for menus

Use these terms when referring to the main GitLab user interface elements:

• Left sidebar: This is the navigation sidebar on the left of the user interface.
  • Do not use the phrase context switcher or switch contexts. Instead, try to direct the user to the exact location with a set of repeatable steps.
  • Do not use the phrase the **Explore** menu or the **Your work** sidebar. Instead, use the left sidebar.
• Right sidebar: This is the navigation sidebar on the right of the user interface, specific to the open issue, merge request, or epic.

Names for UI elements

UI elements, like button and checkbox names, should be bold. Guidance for each individual UI element is in the word list.

How to write navigation task steps

To be consistent, use these examples to write navigation steps in a task topic. Although alternative steps might exist, including items pinned by default, use these steps instead.

To open project settings:

1. On the left sidebar, select **Search or go to** and find your project.
1. Select **Settings > CI/CD**.
1. Expand **General pipelines**.

To open group settings:

1. On the left sidebar, select **Search or go to** and find your group.
1. Select **Settings > CI/CD**.
1. Expand **General pipelines**.

To open either project or group settings:

1. On the left sidebar, select **Search or go to** and find your project or group.
1. Select **Settings > CI/CD**.
1. Expand **General pipelines**.

To create a project:

1. On the left sidebar, at the top, select **Create new** (**{plus}**) and **New project/repository**.

To create a group:

1. On the left sidebar, at the top, select **Create new** (**{plus}**) and **New group**.

To open the Admin Area:

1. On the left sidebar, at the bottom, select **Admin Area**.
1. Select **Settings > CI/CD**.

You do not need to repeat On the left sidebar in your second step.

To open the Your work menu item:

1. On the left sidebar, select **Search or go to**.
1. Select **Your work**.

To select your avatar:

1. On the left sidebar, select your avatar.

To save the selection in some dropdown lists:

1. Go to your issue.
1. On the right sidebar, in the **Iteration** section, select **Edit**.
1. From the dropdown list, select the iteration to associate this issue with.
1. Select any area outside the dropdown list.

To view all your projects:

1. On the left sidebar, select **Search or go to**.
1. Select **View all my projects**.

To view all your groups:

1. On the left sidebar, select **Search or go to**.
1. Select **View all my groups**.

Optional steps

If a step is optional, start the step with the word Optional followed by a period.

For example:

1. Optional. Enter a description for the job.

Recommended steps

If a step is recommended, start the step with the word Recommended followed by a period.

For example:

1. Recommended. Enter a description for the job.

Documenting multiple fields at once

If the UI text sufficiently explains the fields in a section, do not include a task step for every field. Instead, summarize multiple fields in a single task step.

Use the phrase Complete the fields.

For example:

1. On the left sidebar, select Search or go to and find your project.
2. Select Settings > Repository.
3. Expand Push rules.
4. Complete the fields.

If you are documenting multiple fields and only one field needs explanation, do it in the same step:

1. Expand Push rules.
2. Complete the fields. Branch name must be a regular expression.

To describe multiple fields, use unordered list items:

1. Expand General pipelines.
2. Complete the fields.
   • Branch name must be a regular expression.
   • User must be a user with at least the Maintainer role.

Images

Images, including screenshots, can help a reader better understand a concept. However, they should be used sparingly because:

• They tend to become out-of-date.
• They are difficult and expensive to localize.
• They cannot be read by screen readers.

When needed, use images to help the reader understand:

• Where they are in a complicated process.
• How they should interact with the application.

Capture the image

When you take screenshots:

• Ensure it provides value. Don't use lorem ipsum text. Try to replicate how the feature would be used in a real-world scenario, and use realistic text.
• Capture only the relevant UI. Don't include unnecessary white space or areas of the UI that don't help illustrate the point. The sidebars in GitLab can change, so don't include them in screenshots unless absolutely necessary.
• Keep it small. If you don't need to show the full width of the screen, don't. Reduce the size of your browser window as much as possible to keep elements close together and reduce empty space. Try to keep the screenshot dimensions as small as possible.
• Review how the image renders on the page. Preview the image locally or use the review app in the merge request. Make sure the image isn't blurry or overwhelming.
• Be consistent. Coordinate screenshots with the other screenshots already on a documentation page for a consistent reading experience. Ensure your navigation theme is Indigo and the syntax highlighting theme is Light. These are the default preferences.

Add callouts

If you need to emphasize an area in a screenshot, use an arrow.

• For color, use #EE2604. If you use the Preview application on macOS, this is the default red.
• For the line width, use 3 pt. If you use the Preview application on macOS, this is the third line in the list.
• Use the arrow style shown in the following image.
• If you have multiple arrows, make them parallel when possible.

Save the image

• Resize any wide or tall screenshots if needed, but make sure the screenshot is still clear after being resized and compressed.
• All images must be compressed to 100KB or less. In many cases, 25-50KB or less is often possible without reducing image quality.
• Save the image with a lowercase filename that's descriptive of the feature or concept in the image:
  • If the image is of the GitLab interface, append the GitLab version to the filename, based on this format: image_name_vX_Y.png. For example, for a screenshot taken from the pipelines page of GitLab 11.1, a valid name is pipelines_v11_1.png.
  • If you're adding an illustration that doesn't include parts of the user interface, add the release number corresponding to the release the image was added to. For an MR added to 11.1's milestone, a valid name for an illustration is devops_diagram_v11_1.png.
• Place images in a separate directory named img/ in the same directory where the .md document that you're working on is located.
• Consider using PNG images instead of JPEG.
• Compress GIFs with https://ezgif.com/optimize or similar tool.
• Images should be used (only when necessary) to illustrate the description of a process, not to replace it.
• See also how to link and embed videos to illustrate the documentation.

Add the image link to content

The Markdown code for including an image in a document is: ![Image description which will be the alt tag](img/document_image_title_vX_Y.png)

The image description is the alt text for the rendered image on the documentation site. For accessibility and SEO, use descriptions that:

• Are accurate, succinct, and unique.
• Don't use image of or graphic of to describe the image.

Compress images

You should always compress any new images you add to the documentation. One known tool is pngquant, which is cross-platform and open source. Install it by visiting the official website and following the instructions for your OS.

If you use macOS and want all screenshots to be compressed automatically, read One simple trick to make your screenshots 80% smaller.

GitLab has a Ruby script that you can use to simplify the manual process. In the root directory of your local copy of https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab, run in a terminal:

• Before compressing, if you want, check that all documentation PNG images have been compressed:

  bin/pngquant lint

• Compress all documentation PNG images using pngquant:

  bin/pngquant compress

• Compress specific files:

  bin/pngquant compress doc/user/img/award_emoji_select.png doc/user/img/markdown_logo.png

• Compress all PNG files in a specific directory:

  bin/pngquant compress doc/user/img

Animated images

Avoid using animated images (such as animated GIFs). They can be distracting and annoying for users.

If you're describing a complicated interaction in the user interface and want to include a visual representation to help readers understand it, you can:

• Use a static image (screenshot) and if necessary, add callouts to emphasize an area of the screen.
• Create a short video of the interaction and link to it.

Automatic screenshot generator

You can use an automatic screenshot generator to take and compress screenshots.

1. Set up the GitLab Development Kit (GDK).
2. Navigate to the subdirectory with your cloned GitLab repository, typically gdk/gitlab.
3. Make sure that your GDK database is fully migrated: bin/rake db:migrate RAILS_ENV=development.
4. Install pngquant, see the tool website for more information: pngquant
5. Run scripts/docs_screenshots.rb spec/docs_screenshots/<name_of_screenshot_generator>.rb <milestone-version>.
6. Identify the location of the screenshots, based on the gitlab/doc location defined by the it parameter in your script.
7. Commit the newly created screenshots.

Extending the tool

To add an additional screenshot generator:

1. In the spec/docs_screenshots directory, add a new file with a _docs.rb extension.

2. Add the following information to your file:

   require 'spec_helper'
   
   RSpec.describe '<What I am taking screenshots of>', :js do
     include DocsScreenshotHelpers # Helper that enables the screenshots taking mechanism
   
     before do
       page.driver.browser.manage.window.resize_to(1366, 1024) # length and width of the page
     end

3. To each it block, add the path where the screenshot is saved:

   it '<path/to/images/directory>'

You can take a screenshot of a page with visit <path>. To avoid blank screenshots, use expect to wait for the content to load.

Single-element screenshots

You can take a screenshot of a single element.

• Add the following to your screenshot generator file:

  screenshot_area = find('<element>') # Find the element
  scroll_to screenshot_area # Scroll to the element
  expect(screenshot_area).to have_content '<content>' # Wait for the content you want to capture
  set_crop_data(screenshot_area, <padding>) # Capture the element with added padding

Use spec/docs_screenshots/container_registry_docs.rb as a guide to create your own scripts.

Emoji

Don't use the Markdown emoji format, for example :smile:, for any purpose. Use GitLab SVG icons instead.

Use of emoji in Markdown requires GitLab Flavored Markdown, which is not supported by Kramdown, the Markdown rendering engine used for GitLab documentation.

GitLab SVG icons

• Introduced in GitLab 12.7.

You can use icons from the GitLab SVG library directly in the documentation. For example, **{tanuki}** renders as: {tanuki}.

In most cases, you should avoid using the icons in text. However, you can use an icon when hover text is the only available way to describe a UI element. For example, Delete or Edit buttons often have hover text only.

When you do use an icon, start with the hover text and follow it with the SVG reference in parentheses.

• Avoid: Select **{pencil}** **Edit**. This generates as: Select {pencil} Edit.
• Use instead: Select **Edit** (**{pencil}**). This generates as: Select Edit ({pencil}).

Do not use words to describe the icon:

• Avoid: Select **Erase job log** (the trash icon).
• Use instead: Select **Erase job log** (**{remove}**). This generates as: Select Erase job log ({remove}).

When the button doesn't have any hover text, you can describe the icon. Follow up by creating a UX bug issue to add hover text to the button to improve accessibility.

• Avoid: Select **{ellipsis_v}**.
• Use instead: Select the vertical ellipsis (**{ellipsis_v}**). This generates as: Select the vertical ellipsis ({ellipsis_v}).

Videos

Adding GitLab YouTube video tutorials to the documentation is highly encouraged, unless the video is outdated. Videos should not replace documentation, but complement or illustrate it. If content in a video is fundamental to a feature and its key use cases, but isn't adequately covered in the documentation, you should:

• Add this detail to the documentation text.
• Create an issue to review the video and update the page.

Do not upload videos to the product repositories. Link or embed them instead.

Link to video

To link to a video, include a YouTube icon so that readers can scan the page for videos before reading. Include the video's publication date after the link, to help identify videos that might be out-of-date.

<i class="fa fa-youtube-play youtube" aria-hidden="true"></i>
For an overview, see [Video Title](link-to-video).
<!-- Video published on YYYY-MM-DD -->

You can link any up-to-date video that's useful to the GitLab user.

Embed videos

• Introduced in GitLab 12.1.

The GitLab documentation site supports embedded videos.

You can embed videos from the official YouTube account for GitLab only. For videos from other sources, link them instead.

In most cases, link to a video, because embedded videos take up a lot of space on the page and can be distracting to readers.

To embed a video:

1. Copy the code from this procedure and paste it into your Markdown file. Leave a blank line above and below it. Do not edit the code (don't remove or add any spaces).
2. In YouTube, visit the video URL you want to display. Copy the regular URL from your browser (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO-ID) and replace the video title and link in the line under <div class="video-fallback">.
3. In YouTube, select Share, and then select Embed.
4. Copy the <iframe> source (src) URL only (https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/VIDEO-ID), and paste it, replacing the content of the src field in the iframe tag.
5. Include the video's publication date below the link, to help identify videos that might be out-of-date.

leave a blank line here
<div class="video-fallback">
  See the video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqL6BMOySIQ">Video title</a>.
</div>
<figure class="video-container">
  <iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/MqL6BMOySIQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen> </iframe>
</figure>
<!-- Video published on YYYY-MM-DD -->
leave a blank line here

This is how it renders on the GitLab documentation site:

With this formatting:

• The figure tag is required for semantic SEO and the video-container class is necessary to make sure the video is responsive and displays on different mobile devices.
• The <div class="video-fallback"> is a fallback necessary for /help, because the GitLab Markdown processor doesn't support iframes. It's hidden on the documentation site, but is displayed by /help.
• The www.youtube-nocookie.com domain enables the Privacy Enhanced Mode of the YouTube embedded player. This mode allows users with restricted cookie preferences to view embedded videos.

Link to click-through demos

Linking to click-through demos should follow similar guidelines to videos.

For a click-through demo, see [Demo Title](link-to-demo).
<!-- Demo published on YYYY-MM-DD -->

Alert boxes

Use alert boxes to call attention to information. Use them sparingly, and never have an alert box immediately follow another alert box.

Alert boxes are generated when one of these words is followed by a line break:

• FLAG:
• NOTE:
• WARNING:
• INFO: (Marketing only)
• DISCLAIMER:
• DETAILS:

For example:

NOTE:
This is something to note.

To display an alert box for multiple paragraphs, lists, or headings, use blockquotes instead.

Alert boxes render only on the GitLab documentation site (https://docs.gitlab.com). In the GitLab product help, alert boxes appear as plain text.

Flag

Use this alert type to describe a feature's availability. For information about how to format FLAG alerts, see Document features deployed behind feature flags.

Note

Use notes sparingly. Too many notes can make topics difficult to scan.

Instead of adding a note:

• Re-write the sentence as part of a paragraph.
• Put the information into its own paragraph.
• Put the content under a new topic title.

If you must use a note, use this format:

NOTE:
This is something to note.

It renders on the GitLab documentation site as:

NOTE: This is something to note.

Warning

Use a warning to indicate deprecated features, or to provide a warning about procedures that have the potential for data loss.

WARNING:
This is something to be warned about.

It renders on the GitLab documentation site as:

WARNING: This is something to be warned about.

Info

The Marketing team uses the INFO alert to add information relating to sales and marketing efforts.

The text in an INFO: alert always renders in a floating text box to the right of the text around it. To view the rendered GitLab docs site, check the review app in the MR. You might need to move the text up or down in the surrounding text, depending on where you'd like to floating box to appear.

For example, if your page has text like this:

This is an introductory paragraph. GitLab uses the SSH protocol to securely communicate with Git.
When you use SSH keys to authenticate to the GitLab remote server,
you don't need to supply your username and password each time.

INFO:
Here is some information. This information is an important addition to how you
work with GitLab and you might want to consider it.

And here is another paragraph. GitLab uses the SSH protocol to securely communicate with Git.
When you use SSH keys to authenticate to the GitLab remote server,
you don't need to supply your username and password each time.

And here is another paragraph. GitLab uses the SSH protocol to securely communicate with Git.
When you use SSH keys to authenticate to the GitLab remote server,
you don't need to supply your username and password each time.

It renders on the GitLab documentation site as:

This is an introductory paragraph. GitLab uses the SSH protocol to securely communicate with Git. When you use SSH keys to authenticate to the GitLab remote server, you don't need to supply your username and password each time.

INFO: Here is some information. This information is an important addition to how you work with GitLab and you might want to consider it.

And here is another paragraph. GitLab uses the SSH protocol to securely communicate with Git. When you use SSH keys to authenticate to the GitLab remote server, you don't need to supply your username and password each time.

And here is another paragraph. GitLab uses the SSH protocol to securely communicate with Git. When you use SSH keys to authenticate to the GitLab remote server, you don't need to supply your username and password each time.

Disclaimer

Use to describe future functionality only. For more information, see Legal disclaimer for future features.

Details

DETAILS: alert boxes are used for tier badges.

Blockquotes

For highlighting a text inside a blockquote, use this format:

> This is a blockquote.

It renders on the GitLab documentation site as:

This is a blockquote.

If the text spans multiple lines, you can split them.

For multiple paragraphs, use the symbol > before every line:

> This is the first paragraph.
>
> This is the second paragraph.
>
> - This is a list item
> - Second item in the list

It renders on the GitLab documentation site as:

This is the first paragraph.

This is the second paragraph.

• This is a list item
• Second item in the list

Tabs

On the docs site, you can format text so it's displayed as tabs.

To create a set of tabs, follow this example:

::Tabs

:::TabTitle Tab One

Here's some content in tab one.

:::TabTitle Tab Two

Here's some other content in tab two.

::EndTabs

This code renders on the GitLab documentation site as:

::Tabs

:::TabTitle Tab One

Here's some content in tab one.

:::TabTitle Tab Two

Here's some other content in tab two.

::EndTabs

For tab titles, be brief and consistent. Ensure they are parallel, and start each with a capital letter. For example:

• Linux package (Omnibus), Helm chart (Kubernetes) (when documenting configuration edits, follow the configuration edits guide)
• 15.1 and earlier, 15.2 and later

Until we implement automated testing for broken links to tabs (Issue 1355), do not link directly to a single tab, even though they do have unique URL parameters.

See Pajamas for more details on tabs.

Plagiarism

Do not copy and paste content from other sources unless it is a limited quotation with the source cited. Typically it is better to rephrase relevant information in your own words or link out to the other source.

Products and features

Refer to the information in this section when describing products and features in the GitLab product documentation.

Avoid line breaks in names

If a feature or product name contains spaces, don't split the name with a line break. When names change, it is more complicated to search or grep text that has line breaks.

Product tier badges

Tier badges provide information about a feature and are displayed under the topic title.

When to add tier badges

Assign tier badges under:

• Most H1 topic titles, except the pages under doc/development/* and doc/solutions/*.
• Topic titles that don't apply to the same tier as the H1.

The H1 tier badge should be the badge that applies to the lowest tier for the features on the page.

When not to add tier badges

Do not assign tier badges:

• When a feature does not have one obvious subscription tier or offering. For example, if a feature applies to one tier for SaaS and a different tier for self-managed.

In this case, do any or all of the following:

• Use a NOTE in an alert box to describe the tiers.
• Add tier badges under other topic titles where this information makes more sense.
• Do not add tier badges under the H1.

Pages that don't need a tier badge

Some pages won't have a tier badge, because no obvious tier badge applies. For example:

• Tutorials.
• Pages that compare features from different tiers.
• Pages in the /development folder. These pages are automatically assigned a Contribute badge.
• Pages in the /solutions folder. These pages are automatically assigned a Solutions badge.

Available product tier badges

Tier badges are how we refer to the information that's displayed under a topic title.

Tier badges include the tier, offering, status, and history.

The Markdown for tier badges should look like the following:

# Topic title

DETAILS:
**Tier:** Free, Premium, Ultimate
**Offering:** GitLab.com, Self-managed, GitLab Dedicated
**Status:** Experiment

> - [Introduced](<link-to-issue>) in GitLab 16.3.
> - Updated in GitLab 16.4.

For offering, use any combination of these words, in this order, separated by commas:

• GitLab.com
• Self-managed
• GitLab Dedicated

For example:

• GitLab.com
• GitLab.com, Self-managed
• Self-managed
• Self-managed, GitLab Dedicated

For tier, choose one:

• Free, Premium, Ultimate
• Premium, Ultimate
• Ultimate

For status, choose one:

• Beta
• Experiment

Generally available features should not have a status.

Inline tier badges

Do not add tier badges inline with other text. The single source of truth for a feature should be the topic where the functionality is described.

If you need to mention a tier inline, write it in plain text. For example, for an API topic:

IDs of the users to assign the issue to. Ultimate only.

For more examples, see the REST API style guide.

Administrator documentation tier badges

Topics that are only for instance administrators should have the Self-managed tier. Instance administrator documentation often includes sections that mention:

• Changing the gitlab.rb or gitlab.yml files.
• Accessing the rails console or running Rake tasks.
• Doing things in the Admin Area.

These pages should also mention if the tasks can only be accomplished by an instance administrator.

Specific sections

Certain styles should be applied to specific sections. Styles for specific sections are outlined in this section.

Help and feedback section

This section (introduced in GitLab 11.4) is displayed at the end of each document and can be omitted by adding a key into the front matter:

---
feedback: false
---

The default is to leave it there. If you want to omit it from a document, you must check with a technical writer before doing so.

The click events in the feedback section are tracked with Google Tag Manager. The conversions can be viewed on Google Analytics by navigating to Behavior > Events > Top events > docs.

GitLab restart

When a restart or reconfigure of GitLab is required, avoid duplication by linking to doc/administration/restart_gitlab.md with text like this, replacing 'reconfigure' with 'restart' as needed:

Save the file and [reconfigure GitLab](../../../administration/restart_gitlab.md)
for the changes to take effect.

If the document resides outside of the doc/ directory, use the full path instead of the relative link: https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/administration/restart_gitlab.html.

How to document different installation methods

GitLab supports five official installation methods. If you're referring to words as part of sentences and titles, use the following phrases:

• Linux package
• Helm chart
• GitLab Operator
• Docker
• Self-compiled

It's OK to add the explanatory parentheses when using tabs:

• Linux package (Omnibus)
• Helm chart (Kubernetes)
• GitLab Operator (Kubernetes)
• Docker
• Self-compiled (source)

Use tabs to describe a self-managed configuration procedure

Configuration procedures can require users to edit configuration files, reconfigure GitLab, or restart GitLab. In this case:

• Use tabs to differentiate among the various installation methods.
• Use the installation methods names exactly as described in the previous list.
• Use them in the order described below.
• Indent the code blocks to line up with the list item they belong to.
• Use the appropriate syntax highlighting for each code block (ruby, shell, or yaml).
• For the YAML files, always include the parent settings.
• The final step to reconfigure or restart GitLab can be used verbatim since it's the same every time.

When describing a configuration edit, you can use and edit to your liking the following snippet:

::Tabs

:::TabTitle Linux package (Omnibus)

1. Edit `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb`:

   ```ruby
   external_url "https://gitlab.example.com"
   ```

1. Save the file and reconfigure GitLab:

   ```shell
   sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure
   ```

:::TabTitle Helm chart (Kubernetes)

1. Export the Helm values:

   ```shell
   helm get values gitlab > gitlab_values.yaml
   ```

1. Edit `gitlab_values.yaml`:

   ```yaml
   global:
     hosts:
       gitlab:
         name: gitlab.example.com
   ```

1. Save the file and apply the new values:

   ```shell
   helm upgrade -f gitlab_values.yaml gitlab gitlab/gitlab
   ```

:::TabTitle Docker

1. Edit `docker-compose.yml`:

   ```yaml
   version: "3.6"
   services:
     gitlab:
       environment:
         GITLAB_OMNIBUS_CONFIG: |
           external_url "https://gitlab.example.com"
   ```

1. Save the file and restart GitLab:

   ```shell
   docker compose up -d
   ```

:::TabTitle Self-compiled (source)

1. Edit `/home/git/gitlab/config/gitlab.yml`:

   ```yaml
   production: &base
     gitlab:
       host: "gitlab.example.com"
   ```

1. Save the file and restart GitLab:

   ```shell
   # For systems running systemd
   sudo systemctl restart gitlab.target

   # For systems running SysV init
   sudo service gitlab restart
   ```

::EndTabs

It renders as:

::Tabs

:::TabTitle Linux package (Omnibus)

1. Edit /etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb:

   external_url "https://gitlab.example.com"

2. Save the file and reconfigure GitLab:

   sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure

:::TabTitle Helm chart (Kubernetes)

1. Export the Helm values:

   helm get values gitlab > gitlab_values.yaml

2. Edit gitlab_values.yaml:

   global:
     hosts:
       gitlab:
         name: gitlab.example.com

3. Save the file and apply the new values:

   helm upgrade -f gitlab_values.yaml gitlab gitlab/gitlab

:::TabTitle Docker

1. Edit docker-compose.yml:

   version: "3.6"
   services:
     gitlab:
       environment:
         GITLAB_OMNIBUS_CONFIG: |
           external_url "https://gitlab.example.com"

2. Save the file and restart GitLab:

   docker compose up -d

:::TabTitle Self-compiled (source)

1. Edit /home/git/gitlab/config/gitlab.yml:

   production: &base
     gitlab:
       host: "gitlab.example.com"

2. Save the file and restart GitLab:

   # For systems running systemd
   sudo systemctl restart gitlab.target
   
   # For systems running SysV init
   sudo service gitlab restart

::EndTabs

Changes for a version upgrade

To document upgrade notes and changes, create a new page for each major version of GitLab. For an example, see GitLab 16 changes. Use the following template to add information to the page.

# GitLab X changes

DETAILS:
**Tier:** Free, Premium, Ultimate
**Offering:** GitLab.com, Self-managed, GitLab Dedicated

This page contains upgrade information for minor and patch versions of GitLab X. Review these instructions for:

- Your installation type.
- All versions between your current version and your target version.

For more information about upgrading GitLab Helm Chart, see [the release notes for X.0](https://docs.gitlab.com/charts/releases/X_0.html).

## X.Y.1 (add the latest version at the top of the page)

- General upgrade notes and issues.
- ...

### Linux package installations

- Information specific to Linux package installations.
- ...

### Self-compiled installations

- Information specific to self-compiled installations.
- ...

### Geo installations

DETAILS:
**Tier:** Premium, Ultimate
**Offering:** Self-managed

 - Information specific to Geo.
 - ...

## X.Y.0

 ...