Application Conventions

Application Conventions

These are currently proposed conventions and are subject to discussion and confirmation.

General Language

• Strings are set via the localisation file.
• British English spelling is preferred.
• Prefer "Member" over "User" in the context of a group.
• Actions should be labelled (such as on buttons) in simplest "ACTION SUBJECT" form, e.g.
  • "New member" -> link to new member form
  • "Create group" -> button on new group form
  • "Delete issue" -> delete an issue

Domain Terms

• Group: Cycling Campaigning Organisation
• Issue: A geographically-located problem raised by a User
• Member: a User that belongs to one or more Groups.

Forms

• Field horizontally adjacent to label by default.
• Labels right-aligned.
• Labels have first word capitalized and remaining lowercase.
• Required fields are designated by an asterisk at the end of the label.
• Labels do not have colons.
• Submit buttons causing creation should say "Create ITEM".
• Buttons causing an update should just say "Save" or "Save ITEM" (not "Update").
• Form labels, hints, placeholders, and actions are set via the localisation file.

HTML and CSS

• Use HTML5 elements where applicable.
• Use dashes over underscores for class and ID names.
• Give a container that represents a collection a meaningful name, such as a table of groups should have a class of "groups".
• If required for JavaScript hooks or similar, use Rails' dom_id to name individual items in a model collection.

Spelling

• "Email" over "e-mail"