[PATCH] docs: discourage use of list tables

[PATCH] docs: discourage use of list tables

[Jonathan Corbet]

Our documentation encourages the use of list-table formats, but that advice
runs counter to the objective of keeping the plain-text documentation as
useful and readable as possible.  Turn that advice around the other way so
that people don't keep adding these tables.

Signed-off-by: Jonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net>
---
 Documentation/doc-guide/sphinx.rst | 11 +++++------
 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/doc-guide/sphinx.rst b/Documentation/doc-guide/sphinx.rst
index 673cbb769c08..bb36f18ae9ac 100644
--- a/Documentation/doc-guide/sphinx.rst
+++ b/Documentation/doc-guide/sphinx.rst
@@ -261,12 +261,11 @@ please feel free to remove it.
 list tables
 -----------
 
-We recommend the use of *list table* formats. The *list table* formats are
-double-stage lists. Compared to the ASCII-art they might not be as
-comfortable for
-readers of the text files. Their advantage is that they are easy to
-create or modify and that the diff of a modification is much more meaningful,
-because it is limited to the modified content.
+The list-table formats can be useful for tables that are not easily laid
+out in the usual Sphinx ASCII-art formats.  These formats are nearly
+impossible for readers of the plain-text documents to understand, though,
+and should be avoided in the absence of a strong justification for their
+use.
 
 The ``flat-table`` is a double-stage list similar to the ``list-table`` with
 some additional features:
-- 
2.33.1

Re: [PATCH] docs: discourage use of list tables

[Randy Dunlap]

On 1/3/22 14:36, Jonathan Corbet wrote:
> Our documentation encourages the use of list-table formats, but that advice
> runs counter to the objective of keeping the plain-text documentation as
> useful and readable as possible.  Turn that advice around the other way so
> that people don't keep adding these tables.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Jonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net>

for sure.

Acked-by: Randy Dunlap <rdunlap@infradead.org>

Thanks.

> ---
>  Documentation/doc-guide/sphinx.rst | 11 +++++------
>  1 file changed, 5 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)
> 
> diff --git a/Documentation/doc-guide/sphinx.rst b/Documentation/doc-guide/sphinx.rst
> index 673cbb769c08..bb36f18ae9ac 100644
> --- a/Documentation/doc-guide/sphinx.rst
> +++ b/Documentation/doc-guide/sphinx.rst
> @@ -261,12 +261,11 @@ please feel free to remove it.
>  list tables
>  -----------
>  
> -We recommend the use of *list table* formats. The *list table* formats are
> -double-stage lists. Compared to the ASCII-art they might not be as
> -comfortable for
> -readers of the text files. Their advantage is that they are easy to
> -create or modify and that the diff of a modification is much more meaningful,
> -because it is limited to the modified content.
> +The list-table formats can be useful for tables that are not easily laid
> +out in the usual Sphinx ASCII-art formats.  These formats are nearly
> +impossible for readers of the plain-text documents to understand, though,
> +and should be avoided in the absence of a strong justification for their
> +use.
>  
>  The ``flat-table`` is a double-stage list similar to the ``list-table`` with
>  some additional features:

-- 
~Randy

Re: [PATCH] docs: discourage use of list tables

[Christoph Hellwig]

On Mon, Jan 03, 2022 at 03:36:56PM -0700, Jonathan Corbet wrote:
> Our documentation encourages the use of list-table formats, but that advice
> runs counter to the objective of keeping the plain-text documentation as
> useful and readable as possible.  Turn that advice around the other way so
> that people don't keep adding these tables.

Thanks!

Acked-by: Christoph Hellwig <hch@lst.de>