Novel Practices in Software Documentation for Continuous Delivery and Integration Using Feature Toggles
Nidhi Prashant Augustine, Banurekha Balaji, Suman De · 2023
In the field of software development, the practice of incremental feature delivery facilitates the implementation of continuous software delivery cycles characterized by a significant degree of flexibility and agility. The acceleration of software documentation distribution for these features can be facilitated through the utilization of feature toggles. In the context of the continuous delivery paradigm, technical writers frequently encounter the challenge of reverting the content associated with a particular feature if it is deemed unsuitable for deployment. The manual technique of rolling back has a propensity for errors and carries a significant likelihood of inadvertently disclosing feature documentation for features that have not been implemented. The primary aim of this work is to examine an implementation technique that facilitates the seamless integration between the feature repository and the documentation tool. This integration addresses two difficulties encountered by technical writers. The visibility of documentation is determined by the status of the feature in the feature repository, hence eliminating the need for manual roll-back. Furthermore, this feature aids technical writers in maintaining consistency inside their writing between present and forthcoming versions. The suggested implementation approach offers a means of communication between the feature repository and the documentation system through the utilization of an Application Programming Interface (API). The documentation delivery procedure for incremental feature delivery is streamlined by utilizing the feature repository as the authoritative source.