technicaltext

TechnicalText is a proposed specification for composing and exchanging technical documentation in a format that is both human-readable and machine-actionable. It is intended to support clear authoring, reliable localization, version tracking, and automated processing such as validation, indexing, and transformation into multiple output formats.

Core ideas include a lightweight markup that separates content from metadata, a defined set of metadata fields (author, revision, date, scope, audience), and structured content blocks for sections, figures, code samples, and bibliographic references. The format emphasizes unambiguous terminology, consistent cross-referencing, and support for metadata-driven rendering.

Content organization typically includes a metadata header, a narrative body with sections and subsections, and dedicated constructs for glossary terms, references, and change logs. Interoperability is pursued through vocabulary reuse, identifiers for terms and concepts, and export paths to common formats such as HTML, PDF, and machine-readable JSON or YAML representations.

Status and use: TechnicalText remains a conceptual framework or niche specification rather than a widely adopted standard. Some projects explore similar approaches under different names, often within documentation tooling ecosystems. Tooling may include linters, converters, and editors that enforce metadata schemas and provide consistency checks.

See also: Technical writing, Structured authoring, Lightweight markup languages, API documentation, Documentation generation.