computer science

Mallard (documentation)

Mallard (documentation) is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Mallard (documentation) rather than just read about it. In short: Mallard is a markup language for the creation of help pages and user documentation for applications (technical documentation). Mallard 1.0 was released on 23 July 2013.

Key takeaways

Mallard (documentation) belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Mallard (documentation) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Mallard (documentation) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Mallard is a markup language for the creation of help pages and user documentation for applications (technical documentation). Mallard 1.0 was released on 23 July 2013. Mallard is an XML language. Similar to DocBook, it defines the logical structure of a document. The documents are then displayed in a help browser, which creates links between the documents. Concepts such as guides and topics provide means for reaching help pages in different ways. At the moment, GNOME applications such as Web, Eye of GNOME, Evince and others use Mallard for documentation purposes. Mallard is the preferred system for the Gnome Documentation. Mallard pages can be viewed in Yelp, a GNOME help browser. Further output formats are planned that can be generated via the command line using the tools that are provided via Gitorious:

HTML LaTeX Dot

References

External links http://projectmallard.org/ project Mallard main page https://github.com/projectmallard sources and tools at GitHub

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Mallard (documentation)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Mallard (documentation) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Mallard (documentation) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Mallard (documentation) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Mallard (documentation)

In research: Mallard (documentation) appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Mallard (documentation) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Mallard (documentation) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Document-centric XML-based standards, GNOME, Markup languages, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Mallard (documentation) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Mallard (documentation) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Mallard (documentation) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Mallard (documentation) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mallard (documentation) in simple terms?

Mallard is a markup language for the creation of help pages and user documentation for applications (technical documentation). Mallard 1.0 was released on 23 July 2013.

Why does Mallard (documentation) matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Mallard (documentation)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Mallard (documentation).