timeless-001 should GuidesAPI docs Avoid time-anchored words and phrases (‘currently,’ ‘now,’ ‘new,’ ‘soon,’ ‘latest,’ ‘at present,’ ‘as of this writing’) in product and reference documentation.
Time-based content
Product and reference documentation is read long after it’s written, so it avoids wording that anchors it to a moment in time. This page covers time-anchored language, unreleased features, and the dated content types where time-anchored wording is fine.
Avoid time-anchored words
Section titled “Avoid time-anchored words”Examples
- ✓ The SDK supports Python 3.9 and later.
- ✗ The SDK currently supports the latest Python versions.
Rationale
Words like “currently” and “new” go stale, so evergreen documentation reads as dated once the moment passes.
Don’t document unreleased features
Section titled “Don’t document unreleased features”timeless-002 should GuidesAPI docs Do not document future features or products in technical documentation unless approved by legal counsel.
Examples
- ✓ The API supports multipart uploads.
- ✗ The next release will add support for streaming uploads.
Rationale
Documenting an unreleased feature can set wrong expectations or create legal exposure, so it waits for approval.
Time-anchored language in dated content
Section titled “Time-anchored language in dated content”timeless-003 should GuidesAPI docs Time-anchored language (‘new,’ ‘soon,’ and so on) is acceptable in time-stamped content such as blog posts, press releases, and release notes, but not in evergreen product documentation.
Examples
- ✓ In release notes: “New in this release: the CLI supports named profiles.”
- ✗ In product documentation: “The CLI now supports the new named-profiles feature.”
Rationale
Blog posts and release notes are tied to a date, so time-anchored language there stays accurate.