I’d Like to Write the World Some Docs @ Longhorn PHP 2023

In the before times, I was fortunate enough to have been invited to talk about automated testing at Longhorn PHP 2019. During my trip, I walked around Austin, dined with friends, drank in a Whole Foods, and had a blast doing karaoke.

They were simpler times. Better times.

While my memories of 2019 set a high bar, I’m going to try to have an even better time this year while I talk about documentation at Longhorn PHP 2023!

I’d Like to Write the World Some Docs

Coincidentally, the first version of this talk was written for the last Lone Star PHP (the spiritual predecessor to Longhorn PHP) in 2017. I’m pleased to have a chance to dust this off, update it, and talk about the importance of, strategies around, and automation related to technical documentation.

It takes a special kind of person to enjoy writing documentation; not only do I have to write [ideally] working code, but now I have to write words that a human being can understand? What is this madness?!

Luckily, good documentation isn’t limited to the confines of your codebase. By following common documentation standards, we can generate comprehensive manuals that instruct others how to integrate with our software. After all, to code is human, but to document is divine.

This will only be my second in-person appearance since the start of the pandemic (I was in Chicago in May for php[tek]), and I’m very pleased that Longhorn PHP will be offering a virtual option as well. Whether in-person or online, I hope you’re able to join me for another year of an excellent community conference!