Liferay Style Guide

This is the style guide for the content Liferay publishes — both the product documentation and the courses. It sits on the shoulders of giants: The Chicago Manual of Style and Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style. Where this guide is silent, assume what is written there.

The guide has four overarching values:

  1. Content is comprehensive: it shows the reader everything they need to know.

  2. Content is concise: it gets to the point and avoids fluff.

  3. Content is cohesive: individual articles relate to an overall message.

  4. Content has clarity: the message is as clear as possible to the largest possible audience.

How the Guide Is Organized

ArticleWhat It Covers
Core StyleVoice, tone, phraseology, universal organizing principles, terminology, rule priorities, and tie-breakers. Applies to all Liferay content.
FormattingText emphasis, code, lists, tables, headings, images, admonitions, and file naming. Applies to all Liferay content.
Documentation StyleRules unique to product documentation: the six documentation types, their templates, multi-version handling, and documentation badges.
Course StyleRules unique to courses: course and module structure, the Clarity Vision Solutions case study, naming conventions, lesson and exercise patterns, learning objectives, assessments, and course visuals.

When writing or reviewing, read Core Style and Formatting first; they define the rules that govern the bulk of any article. Then consult the article that matches the content you’re producing.

You

The standards in this guide are the result of many years of defining, testing, and refining content. They are not perfect. If something is unclear or does not sit right, send feedback through Liferay Discuss.