Spell Checking Configuration Guide

This document explains the spell-checking rules and tools used in the InfluxData documentation repository.

Overview

The docs-v2 repository uses two complementary spell-checking tools:

1. Vale - Integrated documentation spell checker (runs in pre-commit hooks)
2. Codespell - Lightweight code comment spell checker (recommended for CI/CD)

Tool Comparison

Vale Configuration

File: .ci/vale/styles/InfluxDataDocs/Spelling.yml

Why Code Blocks Are Included

Unlike other documentation style checkers, this configuration intentionally includes code blocks (~code is NOT excluded). This is critical because:

1. Comments in examples - Users copy code blocks with comments:

   bashCopy

   # Download and verify the GPG key
   curl https://repos.influxdata.com/influxdata-archive.key
   

   Typos in such comments become part of user documentation/scripts.

2. Documentation strings - Code examples may include documentation:

   pythonCopy

   def create_database(name):
       """This funtion creates a new database."""  # ← typo caught
       pass
   

3. Inline comments - Shell script comments are checked:

   shCopy

   #!/bin/bash
   # Retrive configuration from server
   influxctl config get
   

Filter Patterns Explained

1. camelCase and snake_case Identifiers

(?:_*[a-z]+(?:[A-Z][a-z0-9]*)+(?:[A-Z][a-zA-Z0-9]*)*|[a-z_][a-z0-9]*_[a-z0-9_]*)

Why: Prevents false positives on variable/method names while NOT matching normal prose

Breakdown:

• camelCase: _*[a-z]+(?:[A-Z][a-z0-9]*)+(?:[A-Z][a-zA-Z0-9]*)*
  • Requires at least one uppercase letter (distinguishes myVariable from provide)
  • Allows leading underscores for private variables (_privateVar, __dunder__)
• snake_case: [a-z_][a-z0-9]*_[a-z0-9_]*
  • Requires at least one underscore
  • Distinguishes my_variable from normal words

Examples Ignored: myVariable, targetField, getCwd, _privateVar, my_variable, terminationGracePeriodSeconds

Examples NOT Ignored (caught by spell-checker): provide, database, variable (normal prose)

2. UPPER_CASE Constants

[A-Z_][A-Z0-9_]+

Why: Prevents false positives on environment variables and constants Examples Ignored: API_KEY, AWS_REGION, INFLUXDB_TOKEN Note: Matches AWS, API (even single uppercase acronyms) - acceptable in docs

3. Version Numbers

\d+\.\d+(?:\.\d+)*

Why: Version numbers aren't words Examples Ignored: 1.0, 2.3.1, 0.101.0, 1.2.3.4, v1.2.3 Note: Handles any number of version parts (2-part, 3-part, 4-part, etc.)

4. Hexadecimal Values

0[xX][0-9a-fA-F]+

Why: Hex values appear in code and aren't dictionary words Examples Ignored: 0xFF, 0xDEADBEEF, 0x1A

5. URLs and Paths

/[a-zA-Z0-9/_\-\.\{\}]+          # Paths: /api/v2/write
https?://[^\s\)\]>"]+ # Full URLs: https://docs.example.com

Why: URLs contain hyphens, slashes, and special chars Examples Ignored: /api/v2/write, /kapacitor/v1/, https://docs.influxdata.com

6. Shortcode Attributes

(?:endpoint|method|url|href|src|path)="[^"]+"

Why: Hugo shortcode attribute values often contain hyphens and special chars Examples Ignored: endpoint="https://...", method="POST" Future Enhancement: Add more attributes as needed (name, value, data, etc.)

7. Code Punctuation

[@#$%^&*()_+=\[\]{};:,.<>?/\\|-]+

Why: Symbols and special characters aren't words Examples Ignored: (), {}, [], ->, =>, |, etc.

Ignored Words

The configuration references two word lists:

• InfluxDataDocs/Terms/ignore.txt - Product and technical terms (non-English)
• InfluxDataDocs/Terms/query-functions.txt - InfluxQL/Flux function names

To add a word that should be ignored, edit the appropriate file.

Codespell Configuration

File: .codespellrc

Dictionary Choice: "clear"

Why "clear" (not "rare" or "code"):

• clear - Unambiguous spelling errors only

  • Examples: "recieve" → "receive", "occured" → "occurred"
  • False positive rate: ~1%

• rare - Includes uncommon but valid English words

  • Would flag legitimate technical terms
  • False positive rate: ~15-20%

• code - Includes code-specific words

  • Too aggressive for documentation
  • False positive rate: ~25-30%

Skip Directories

skip = public,node_modules,dist,.git,.vale,api-docs

• public - Generated HTML (not source)
• node_modules - npm dependencies (not our code)
• dist - Compiled TypeScript output (not source)
• .git - Repository metadata
• .vale - Vale configuration and cache
• api-docs - Generated OpenAPI specifications (many false positives)

Ignored Words

ignore-words-list = aks,invokable

• aks - Azure Kubernetes Service (acronym)
• invokable - InfluxData product branding term (scriptable tasks/queries)

To add more:

1. Edit .codespellrc
2. Add word to ignore-words-list (comma-separated)
3. Add inline comment explaining why

Running Spell Checkers

Vale (Pre-commit)

Vale automatically runs on files you commit via Lefthook.

Manual check:

# Check all content
docker compose run -T vale content/**/*.md

# Check specific file
docker compose run -T vale content/influxdb/cloud/reference/cli.md

Codespell (Manual/CI)

# Check entire content directory
codespell content/ --builtin clear

# Check specific directory
codespell content/influxdb3/core/

# Interactive mode (prompts for fixes)
codespell content/ --builtin clear -i 3

# Auto-fix (USE WITH CAUTION)
codespell content/ --builtin clear -w

Rule Validation

The spell-checking rules are designed to:

✅ Catch real spelling errors (true positives) ✅ Ignore code patterns, identifiers, and paths (false negative prevention) ✅ Respect product branding terms (invokable, Flux, InfluxQL) ✅ Work seamlessly in existing workflows

Manual Validation

Create a test file with various patterns:

# Test camelCase handling
echo "variable myVariable is defined" | codespell

# Test version numbers
echo "InfluxDB version 2.3.1 is released" | codespell

# Test real typos (should be caught)
echo "recieve the data" | codespell

Troubleshooting

Vale: False Positives

Problem: Vale flags a word that should be valid

Solutions:

1. Check if it's a code identifier (camelCase, UPPER_CASE, hex, version)
2. Add to InfluxDataDocs/Terms/ignore.txt if it's a technical term
3. Add filter pattern to .ci/vale/styles/InfluxDataDocs/Spelling.yml if it's a pattern

Codespell: False Positives

Problem: Codespell flags a legitimate term

Solutions:

1. Add to ignore-words-list in .codespellrc
2. Add skip directory if entire directory should be excluded
3. Use -i 3 (interactive mode) to review before accepting

Both Tools: Missing Real Errors

Problem: A real typo isn't caught

Solutions:

1. Verify it's actually a typo (not a branding term or intentional)
2. Check if it's in excluded scope (tables, URLs, code identifiers)
3. Report as GitHub issue for tool improvement

Contributing

When adding content:

1. Use semantic line feeds (one sentence per line)
2. Run Vale pre-commit checks before committing
3. Test code block comments for typos
4. Avoid adding to ignore lists when possible
5. Document why you excluded a term (if necessary)

Related Files

• .ci/vale/styles/InfluxDataDocs/ - Vale rule configuration
• .codespellrc - Codespell configuration
• .codespellignore - Codespell ignore word list
• DOCS-CONTRIBUTING.md - General contribution guidelines
• DOCS-TESTING.md - Testing and validation guide

Future Improvements

1. Create comprehensive test suite for spell-checking rules
2. Document how to add product-specific branding terms
3. Consider adding codespell to CI/CD pipeline
4. Monitor and update ignore lists quarterly