Markdown Documentation Writer

When to use this Skill

Use this Skill when:

• Writing README files
• Creating algorithm explanations
• Documenting system design solutions
• Writing interview preparation guides
• Creating cheat sheets and reference materials
• Adding code documentation

Documentation Standards

1. Structure Guidelines

Every document should have:

1. Clear title (H1)
2. Brief description
3. Table of contents (for long docs)
4. Well-organized sections (H2, H3)
5. Code examples
6. Complexity analysis (for algorithms)
7. References/links

Standard Template:

# Title

Brief description of what this document covers.

## Table of Contents
- [Section 1](#section-1)
- [Section 2](#section-2)

## Section 1

Content...

## Section 2

Content...

## References
- [Link 1](url)

2. Algorithm Documentation Format

Use this structure for algorithm problems:

# Problem Number: Problem Title

**Difficulty**: Easy/Medium/Hard
**Topics**: Array, Two Pointers, Hash Table
**Companies**: Google, Amazon, Meta

## Problem Statement

[Clear description of the problem]

**Example 1:**

Input: [example input] Output: [example output] Explanation: [why this is the output]

**Constraints:**
- [List constraints]

## Approach

### Intuition

[Explain the key insight in simple terms]

### Algorithm

1. [Step 1]
2. [Step 2]
3. [Step 3]

### Complexity Analysis

- **Time Complexity**: O(n) - [Explain why]
- **Space Complexity**: O(1) - [Explain why]

## Solution

### Java
```java
class Solution {
    public ReturnType method(InputType param) {
        // Implementation
    }
}

Python

class Solution:
    def method(self, param: InputType) -> ReturnType:
        # Implementation

Alternative Approaches

Approach 2: [Name]

[Description]

Complexity: O(?) time, O(?) space

Comparison

Approach	Time	Space	Notes
Approach 1	O(n)	O(1)	Optimal
Approach 2	O(n²)	O(1)	Simpler code

Key Takeaways

• [Learning point 1]
• [Learning point 2]

Related Problems

• Problem A
• Problem B

### 3. System Design Documentation Format

**Follow the template structure:**

```markdown
# System Name: Brief Description

## 1. Requirements

### Functional Requirements
- Feature 1: [Description]
- Feature 2: [Description]

### Non-Functional Requirements
- **Scale**: X million DAU, Y QPS
- **Performance**: p99 latency < Z ms
- **Availability**: 99.9% uptime

## 2. Capacity Estimation

### Traffic
- Daily Active Users: 100M
- Requests per user: 10/day
- QPS: 100M * 10 / 86400 ≈ 11,574

### Storage
- Per user data: 1KB
- Total: 100M * 1KB = 100GB

### Bandwidth
- Average request size: 10KB
- Bandwidth: 11,574 QPS * 10KB ≈ 115MB/s

## 3. API Design

POST /api/resource GET /api/resource/{id} PUT /api/resource/{id} DELETE /api/resource/{id}

## 4. High-Level Architecture

[Client] → [Load Balancer] → [App Servers] ↓ [Cache] [DB]

## 5. Database Design

### Schema

```sql
CREATE TABLE users (
    id BIGSERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
    username VARCHAR(50) UNIQUE NOT NULL,
    created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT NOW()
);

Indexing Strategy

• Index on username for fast lookup
• Index on created_at for sorting

6. Detailed Component Design

Component 1: [Name]

Responsibility: [What it does]

Technology: [Specific tech choice]

Scaling: [How to scale]

7. Scalability & Reliability

Caching Strategy

• [Cache what, where, why]

Sharding Strategy

• [How to partition data]

Replication

• [Master-slave setup]

8. Trade-offs & Alternatives

Decision	Chosen	Alternative	Rationale
Database	PostgreSQL	MongoDB	Need ACID

9. Monitoring & Alerting

• Metrics to track: [List]
• Alerts: [When to trigger]

10. Security Considerations

• Authentication: [Method]
• Authorization: [Method]
• Data encryption: [At rest, in transit]

References

• [External resources]

### 4. Code Formatting

**Inline code**: Use `backticks` for variable names, commands, short code

**Code blocks**: Use fenced code blocks with language

```markdown
```java
public class Example {
    // Code here
}

**Supported languages:**
- `java`, `python`, `javascript`, `sql`, `bash`
- `json`, `yaml`, `xml`, `markdown`
- `c`, `cpp`, `scala`, `go`

### 5. Visual Elements

**Tables:**
```markdown
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|----------|----------|----------|
| Data 1   | Data 2   | Data 3   |

Lists:

Unordered:
- Item 1
  - Nested item
- Item 2

Ordered:
1. First step
2. Second step
3. Third step

Emphasis:

*italic* or _italic_
**bold** or __bold__
***bold italic***
`code`
~~strikethrough~~

Links:

[Link text](URL)
[Link with title](URL "Title")
[Reference link][ref]

[ref]: URL "Title"

Images:

![Alt text](image-url)
![Alt text](image-url "Title")

6. Complexity Analysis Documentation

Standard format:

## Complexity Analysis

### Time Complexity: O(n log n)
- Sorting takes O(n log n)
- Single pass takes O(n)
- Overall: O(n log n)

### Space Complexity: O(n)
- Hash map stores n elements: O(n)
- Result array: O(n)
- Overall: O(n)

### Optimization Notes
- Can reduce space to O(1) by modifying input in-place
- Trade-off: Destroys original input

Complexity cheat sheet to reference:

| Notation | Name | Example |
|----------|------|---------|
| O(1) | Constant | Array access |
| O(log n) | Logarithmic | Binary search |
| O(n) | Linear | Array scan |
| O(n log n) | Linearithmic | Merge sort |
| O(n²) | Quadratic | Nested loops |
| O(2ⁿ) | Exponential | Recursive Fibonacci |
| O(n!) | Factorial | Permutations |

7. Writing Style Guidelines

Be Clear:

• Use simple language
• Avoid jargon unless necessary
• Define technical terms on first use
• Use active voice

Be Concise:

• Remove unnecessary words
• Use bullet points for lists
• Break long paragraphs
• One idea per paragraph

Be Consistent:

• Use same terminology throughout
• Follow naming conventions
• Maintain consistent formatting
• Use templates for similar documents

Examples:

❌ Bad:

The algorithm basically works by iterating through the array and
then it checks if the element is what we're looking for.

✅ Good:

The algorithm iterates through the array to find the target element.

8. Interview Preparation Docs

Pattern template:

# Pattern Name

## When to Use
- [Characteristic 1]
- [Characteristic 2]

## Template Code

```python
def pattern_template(arr):
    # Step 1: Setup

    # Step 2: Main logic

    # Step 3: Return result

Example Problems

1. Problem 1 - Easy
2. Problem 2 - Medium
3. Problem 3 - Hard

Key Points

• [Tip 1]
• [Tip 2]

### 9. Cheat Sheet Format

**Keep it scannable:**
```markdown
# Topic Cheat Sheet

## Quick Reference

| Operation | Syntax | Complexity |
|-----------|--------|------------|
| Access | arr[i] | O(1) |
| Search | arr.indexOf(x) | O(n) |

## Common Patterns

### Pattern 1
```code
// Code snippet

Use when: [Description]

Pattern 2

// Code snippet

Use when: [Description]

Gotchas

• ⚠️ [Common mistake 1]
• ⚠️ [Common mistake 2]

### 10. Document Maintenance

**Version control:**
- Use git to track changes
- Write meaningful commit messages
- Keep documents up to date with code

**Cross-references:**
- Link related documents
- Reference source code files
- Point to external resources

**Validation:**
- Check all links work
- Verify code examples compile
- Test complexity analysis accuracy

## Project-Specific Guidelines

**For CS_basics repository:**

1. **Algorithm problems**: Use detailed format with multiple languages
2. **System design**: Follow `00_template.md` structure
3. **Cheat sheets**: Keep in `doc/` directory
4. **Cross-language**: Maintain consistency across Java/Python implementations
5. **Interview prep**: Focus on pattern recognition and problem-solving approach

**File organization:**

doc/ ├── algorithm_patterns/ │ ├── two_pointers.md │ └── sliding_window.md ├── data_structure/ │ └── complexity_chart.md └── system_design/ └── case_studies/

## Quality Checklist

Before finalizing documentation:
- [ ] Clear title and description
- [ ] Proper heading hierarchy
- [ ] Code examples tested and working
- [ ] Complexity analysis included
- [ ] Consistent formatting
- [ ] No broken links
- [ ] Spell-checked
- [ ] Follows project conventions
- [ ] Related content linked

## Tools & References

**Markdown validation:**
- Check syntax with markdown linters
- Preview before committing
- Use consistent line breaks

**Useful symbols:**
- ✅ Checkmark for correct approach
- ❌ X for incorrect approach
- ⚠️ Warning for gotchas
- 💡 Bulb for tips
- 📝 Note for important points