Use Cliche Data in Documentation

# Use Cliche Data in Documentation

When updating or writing documentation for a tool, **never include real data** that was provided in prompts, local configuration, scripts, task files, or any other implementation-specific source. Documentation must use only generic, commonly recognized placeholder data that cannot expose sensitive information.

## Why This Matters

A tool's source code and local configuration often contain real names, real email addresses, real organization details, and real domain names. These values are necessary for the tool to function, but they have **no place in public-facing documentation**. Leaking real data into docs can expose:

- Internal business names and contacts
- Email addresses and domain names
- Client or customer identifiers
- Account names and credentials
- Organization-specific terminology that reveals private operations

## Core Rule

> **If data came from a prompt, a local file, a script, a config, or a task — it does NOT go into documentation.**
>
> Documentation examples use only well-known, fictional, or obviously placeholder data.

## What Counts as Real Data

Any value that originates from:

- **Local configuration files** (e.g., `config.json`, `.env`, account modules)
- **Scripts and task files** (e.g., batch scripts, shell scripts, task runners)
- **Prompt context** (e.g., data the user supplies when asking an agent to build or update the tool)
- **Map or filter files** (e.g., JSON mappings, data extraction rules)
- **Git-ignored files** (e.g., files excluded from version control that contain environment-specific values)

## Approved Placeholder Data for Documentation

Use these generic, cliche substitutes in all documentation and examples:

| Category | Approved Placeholder Examples |
| --- | --- |
| **People** | Jane Doe, John Smith, Alice, Bob |
| **Email addresses** | `jane.doe@example.com`, `admin@example.org` |
| **Organizations** | Acme Corp, Contoso, Northwind Traders |
| **Domains** | `example.com`, `example.org`, `example.net` |
| **Addresses** | 123 Main Street, Suite 100, Springfield |
| **Phone numbers** | `(555) 123-4567` |
| **Accounts / usernames** | `demo-user`, `test-account` |
| **File paths** | `accounts/acme.mjs`, `config/reports.json` |
| **Project names** | My Project, Sample App, Demo Tool |

## Match the Placeholder to the Context

A placeholder is only correct if it is **plausible in the surrounding context**. A generic name that violates OS conventions, tooling norms, or the workflow being described is just as misleading as a real value. Pick substitutes that fit the platform, the tool, and the role the value plays.

### Choose Paths That Match the Platform

| OS / context | Use | Avoid |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Windows, per-user data | `C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\AcmeApp\` | `/home/user/...`, `~/.config/...` |
| Windows, per-machine shared data | `C:\ProgramData\AcmeApp\` | `C:\Users\<user>\...` |
| Windows, temporary | `%TEMP%\acme\` or `C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Temp\acme\` | `/tmp/acme/` |
| POSIX, per-user data | `~/.config/acme/`, `~/.local/share/acme/` | `C:\Users\<user>\...` |
| POSIX, temporary | `/tmp/acme/` | `%TEMP%\acme\` |
| Cross-platform examples | Show both, or use `<config-dir>/acme/` | Picking one silently |

When the surrounding text or code is OS-specific (a `.bat` file, a `.jsx` running on Windows, a `bash` snippet), the path placeholder must match that OS. When the docs are platform-neutral, either show both forms or use a clearly abstract token (`<install-dir>`, `<config-dir>`).

### Match the Scope to the Workflow

The placeholder must sit in a location that makes sense for the kind of data it represents:

| Data role | Plausible placeholder location |
| --- | --- |
| Per-user logs and runtime output | User-profile folder (`C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\<App>\logs\`, `~/.local/state/<app>/`) |
| Per-user settings | User config folder (`%APPDATA%\<App>\`, `~/.config/<app>/`) |
| Machine-wide shared state | `C:\ProgramData\<App>\`, `/var/lib/<app>/` |
| Project-local working files | Repository-relative paths (`./build/`, `./tmp/`) |
| Generated output artifacts | Project output folder (`./dist/`, `./out/`) |

A user-driven script that writes a debug log should not place that log in `C:\ProgramData\…` (machine-shared); a service that maintains shared state should not place it in `~/.config/…` (per-user). Pick the location a real implementation of that role would pick.

### Match the Identifier to the Domain

When the example uses an identifier (account name, project name, dataset key), choose a placeholder consistent with the surrounding domain vocabulary.

- A CRM example: `acme-corp`, `northwind-traders`.
- A geographic dataset example: `springfield`, `region-west`.
- A developer tooling example: `demo-app`, `sample-project`.

Do not mix domains (`acme-corp` inside a geographic-data example reads as wrong even though both names are approved generically).

### Self-Check

Before committing a placeholder, ask:

- Does the path syntax match the OS shown in the same code block?
- Does the location match the **role** of the data (user vs. machine, runtime vs. config, local vs. shared)?
- Does the identifier match the **domain** of the surrounding example?

If any answer is no, swap the placeholder for one that fits.

## How to Apply This Rule

### When Adding a Feature

If you add a feature using real account data (e.g., a script named after a real client), document the feature using a fictional account name instead.

**Real implementation file:** an account module configured for a specific business

**Documentation example:**

```javascript
// accounts/acme.mjs — Example account configuration
export default {
  name: 'Acme Corp',
  email: 'reports@example.com',
  folder: 'INBOX',
};
```

### When Updating Configuration Docs

If a config file references real domains, real paths, or real credentials, replace every real value with a placeholder before including it in documentation.

**Documentation example:**

```json
{
  "host": "imap.example.com",
  "user": "admin@example.com",
  "folder": "INBOX/Reports",
  "outputDir": "./downloads"
}
```

### When Writing Script Examples

If a script automates a task for a specific organization, the documentation example must use a generic organization name and generic parameters.

**Documentation example:**

```batch
@echo off
REM Example: Run the extraction task for Acme Corp
node extractEmail.mjs --account acme --task download
```

## The Boundary Between Code and Docs

| Context | Real Data Allowed? |
| --- | --- |
| Local scripts and config files used at runtime | Yes |
| Git-ignored files with environment-specific values | Yes |
| Prompt data provided to build or configure the tool | Yes (in code only) |
| README.md, docs/ folder, and example templates | **No — use placeholders only** |
| CHANGELOG.md entries | **No — describe changes generically** |
| Code comments in committed source files | **No — keep generic** |

## One Exception

A word from real data may appear in documentation **only** if it is a common English word used in its ordinary sense and **not** in the context of an example. For instance, the word "development" is acceptable in a sentence like "This tool is under active development" even if it also appears in a real organization name.

## Summary

Documentation is public. Implementation data is private. Keep them separate. Every example in every doc file should pass a simple test: *could a stranger read this and learn nothing about the real users, clients, or organizations behind this tool?* If the answer is no, replace the data with cliche placeholders.