api-ref-tone

Business

Tone of voice guidance for Highcharts API reference doclets - covering sentence structure, vocabulary, and phrasing patterns for public-facing TS doclets.

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Source SKILL.md: https://github.com/highcharts/highcharts/blob/HEAD/.agents/skills/api-ref-tone/SKILL.md

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Highcharts API Reference - Tone of Voice

Use this skill when writing or reviewing JSDoc/TSDoc doclets on public-facing TypeScript members (classes, methods, properties, events, options). Do not apply to @internal members.

Read ts/DOCLETS.md for tag syntax, formatting rules, and tooling. Linting enforces structural formatting - this skill covers wording and tone only.

Core principles

Factual, not instructional. Describe what something is or does, not what the developer should do.
Neutral, third-person. No "you", "we", "your chart", "our API".
Concise first sentence. The opening sentence is the summary. It must stand alone in generated docs. Keep it to one clear clause. Drop "This property…", "This method…", "This option…" - the tag already states the type.
Present tense throughout. "Returns a string", not "Will return a string".

Opening sentence patterns by member type

Member type	Pattern	Example
Property - specific instance	"The <thing> of the <owner>."	`The current pixel width of the chart.`
Property - singular optional/abstract item	"A <thing> for <purpose>."	`A class name for the data label.`
Property - collection	"A collection of <things>." / "An array containing <things>."	`All the current series in the chart.`
Property - boolean (on/off toggle)	"Whether <condition>."	`Whether the chart is in styled mode, meaning all presentational attributes are avoided.`
Property - boolean (feature enable/disable)	"Enable or disable <feature>."	`Enable or disable the data labels.`
Method	Imperative verb phrase naming what it returns or achieves.	`Translate a value in terms of axis units into pixels within the chart.`
Event callback	"Fires when <condition>."	`Fires when a point is clicked.`
Callback/function property	"Callback function to <purpose>."	`Callback function to format the data label as a string.`
Options interface / container object	"The <name> options for <owner/context>."	`The tooltip options for each individual series.`

"Whether" vs "Enable or disable": Use "Whether" when the boolean controls a behavioral condition. Use "Enable or disable" when the option's sole purpose is switching a named feature on or off (e.g. enabled, animation).

Vocabulary choices

Prefer:

"Returns" (not "Gives back", "Gets", "Provides")
"The chart" / "the axis" / "the series" (lowercase, no definite article repetition)
"pixels" (not "px" in prose)
`undefined` / `null` (code font in prose)
"the plot area" (not "plotting area" or "canvas")
"styled mode" (not "CSS mode")
"options" (not "config", "configuration", "settings")
"Read only." as a sentence prefix for immutable computed members (in addition to @readonly)

Programmatic references — option names, property names, and API identifiers in prose must be either in backticks or rephrased to natural language. Never leave them bare.

Good: "Enable data labels for the series." - natural language
Good: "Enable dataLabels for the series." - programmatic backtick-wrapped
Bad: "Enable dataLabels for the series." - bare identifier reference

Avoid:

"simply", "easily", "just", "straightforward"
"allows you to", "lets you", "enables you to" - rephrase as a noun phrase
"Note that", "Please note", "Keep in mind"
Passive voice where active is available ("The chart redraws" not "The chart is redrawn")

Multi-sentence structure

The first sentence is the summary. Everything after adds precision:

Clarify edge cases on a separate sentence: "In a logarithmic axis, this is the logarithm of the real value…"
Defaults or fallbacks as a separate sentence, but prefer @default tag over a sentence with the same info.
Cross-reference related members at the end of the description, before tags.

Wording in tag descriptions

@param and @return descriptions follow the same wording style as property descriptions: capital letter, definite article, full sentence. "The pixel value coordinate." not "pixel value coordinate".

For cross-references: use {@link} inline in prose for direct object/method references; use @see for "also relevant" pointers. For option-tree paths use the full URL form: [xAxis.categories](https://api.highcharts.com/highcharts/xAxis.categories).

Common mistakes to avoid

Wrong	Right
`Get the series by its id.`	`Returns the series, axis, or point matching the given id.`
`This property contains the current height.`	`The current pixel height of the chart.`
`Alignment method for data labels.`	`The alignment method for data labels.`
`How many decimals to show in each series' y value.`	`The number of decimals shown for each series' y value.`
`Note that in logarithmic axes…`	`In a logarithmic axis, this is the logarithm of the real value.`
`Fires when the user clicks a point.`	`Fires when a point is clicked.` (avoid attributing to "the user")
`An optional boolean that controls…`	`Whether \<condition\>.`
`A configuration object for the tooltip rendering of each series.`	`The tooltip options for each individual series.` (use "options", not "configuration object"; use "The" for a specific instance)
`Whether to render the xAxis.`	`Whether to render the x-axis.` or `Whether to render the` `xAxis` `.` (bare identifier - rephrase or wrap in backticks)
`Enable dataLabels for the series.`	`Enable data labels for the series.` or `Enable` `dataLabels` `for the series.` (natural language does not require hyphens - "data labels", not "data-labels")