Periodically on the Zone page, we post free resources we hope will be of interest to technical writers interested in documenting APIs.
Jim has recently been giving a new talk, “Documenting APIs: Your First Week on the Job” and the PowerPoint slides from the July 27th Silicon Valley STC Chapter meeting are available for download.
“When I Grow Up, I Want to Write API Docs” is a basic presentation about documenting APIs that Jim has given at STC regional conferences and chapter meetings.
We still have space in this training. The Session 1 2008 training dates are Monday, March 3, 2008, through Wednesday, April 23, 2008.
See the Training page for more information and to register.
Introduction to Developer Documentation is an introductory course in documenting Java APIs for individuals either new to writing developer documentation or who wish more guidance and structure than that provided by self-study of our book.
The course uses Documenting APIs: Writing Developer Documentation for Java APIs and SDKs as the textbook and also incorporates the four sample code projects and a course study guide. Download the syllabus for the course.
Interested in the training but not sure if it's right for you? Call the office (510.234.4046) and talk to us! Or send Viki an email if you want more information. She can also put you on the interested list for information about the next 2008 training, which we anticipate will start in September or October.
We are developing a series of trainings for technical writers who wish to learn the Java programming language and take the Sun Certified Associate for the Java Platform, Standard Edition, Exam Version 1.0 certification exam, which is commonly referred to as the SCJA Certification. This is a big project, and now that we've had two beta trainings, we have a better handle on it. Although we anticipate developing the curriculum to take at least a year, we feel it's an important project. Gaining the SCJA certification is one tangible way for a 'techie' tech writer to demonstrate Java language and OOP competency. If you are interested, once again send an email to Viki.
The Sun exam learning objectives for the SCJA certification can be found at http://www.sun.com/training/catalog/courses/CX-310-019.xml
Interested in the training but not sure if it's right for you? Call the office (510.234.4046) and talk to us! Or send Viki an email if you want more information. She'll put you on the "interested list" for more information about the next training.
Our book Documenting APIs: Writing Developer Documentation for Java APIs and SDKS is in its second printing. We are fulfilling orders now.
Please note that due to the deep discounts demanded by places such as Amazon, we are only selling the book through our web site, speaking engagements, and at conferences.
Included free of charge with the book is a 26-page study guide that covers the first three chapters. The study guide covers conceptual basics (including what is an API), an overview of developer documentation, and setting up your environment.
“Chapter 2 was WONDERFUL!!! I had so many 'aha moments', I quit counting them.”
Karen L. Hassan, TrueBaseline Corporation
Pittsburgh, PA
“I really like the fact that you have real source code projects for real applications
(like the TAFT project). You go through the exact steps to set it up and compile it, and
I get to see all the pieces of the code and what they do. This is great!”
Mark Giffin, Mark Giffin Consulting, Inc.
Los Angeles, CA