# Writing style

> The rules for every text in Iris, from a button label to a page of these docs.

## Rules

- **Say less.** Cut every word that does not help. If a description only repeats the label or the title, delete it.
- **Use the glossary terms.** One term for one thing, and no internal words (see below).
- **Use sentence case:** "Copy page", not "Copy Page".
- **Name the action on a button:** "Save topic", not "OK" or "Submit".
- **Say what to do in an error:** "Enter a name.", not "Request failed".
- **Use the same punctuation everywhere.** No full stop on toasts, labels, buttons or titles: "Link copied". Sentence text ends with a full stop.

## Terms

| Use                                 | Not                                          |
| ----------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| contact                             | visitor, user (for the person in the widget) |
| identity token                      | user hash, session token, widget token       |
| identity secret                     | API key, app secret, HMAC key                |
| contact attribute                   | metadata, custom data, traits                |
| page context                        | context (alone), metadata                    |
| launcher                            | bubble, chat button                          |
| launcher offset                     | padding, margin                              |
| workspace                           | tenant, account, project                     |
| App ID (in text), `appId` (in code) | app id, widget id                            |

"Your user" is the signed-in user of your product. When that user writes in the widget, Iris calls them a contact.