Splunk® Style Guide

Splunk Style Guide

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Formatting reference

Applying formatting to certain elements in text aids readers in their understanding of that text. Using consistent text formatting also helps readers scan text for the information they're looking for. Use these formatting conventions when you write Splunk documentation.

Documentation elements

When you are writing Splunk documentation, some parts of the written text, such as error messages and terms that you want a reader to search for, need to be distinguished from other parts of the sentence. Applying consistent text formatting for these elements helps a reader better understand the sentence and scan the information that they're looking for.

Element How to format Examples Comments
Error messages Quotation marks If you see an error message such as "Invalid input value", the add-on was unable to generate a certificate with the provided information.  
Keyboard shortcuts No formatting Select Alt+N for Windows or *nix or Control+N for Mac. Don't include spaces in the shortcut.
Manual names Italics, headline-style capitalization See Managing connections in the Splunk Data Stream Processor in the Connect to Data Sources and Destinations with DSP manual. See Manual names, topic titles, and section headings for more information.
Topic titles and section headings Sentence-style capitalization See Pass values to the class constructor in the Splunk Developer Portal. See Manual names, topic titles, and section headings for more information.
Words that are offset from the meaning of your sentence Quotation marks Search for "Query tables" on the Microsoft website.  

Computer elements

When written out in text, some computer elements, such as file structure components and location elements like hosts and ports, can be difficult to discern from other parts of the sentence. Addressing these elements in text as well as applying text formatting increases the readability and scannability of the text.

Element How to format Example Comments
Directories, folders, repositories No formatting the $SPLUNK_HOME/bin/etc/apps folder

the \bin\etc\apps folder

Start partial directories with a forward slash ( / ) for *nix or a backslash ( \ ) for Windows. Enclose placeholder variables in angle brackets.
Expressions Inline monospaced font Ensure delay > 10 evaluates to True.

The following regular expression defines valid identifiers for the scheme name: [0-9a-zA-Z][0-9a-zA-Z_-]*

 
File extensions No formatting a text (.txt) file

a .tgz extension

 
File names No formatting Navigate to the fields.conf file.  
File paths No formatting $SPLUNK_HOME/bin/splunkd
%SPLUNK_HOME%\bin\splunkd.exe
List both the *nix and Windows file paths, in that order.
File types All capital letters
a TXT file

in JSON format
a PDF

 
Hosts and ports No formatting http://localhost:8000 No formatting for the host or port itself. Enclose placeholder variables in angle brackets.
Placeholder variables Angle brackets http://<hostname:port>

host=<your_hostname>

 
Tags (HTML, XML) Inline monospaced font a <div> tag

the <dashboard> element

 
UI elements, including menu items, drop-down lists, buttons, text entry fields, panels, and dialog boxes Bold type Select Settings, then Data inputs.

In the Set Source Type step of the Add Data guided setup, select Timestamp.
In the Name field, enter your name.

Use the word "then" or equivalent text to separate the names of menus.
URIs, URLs See the Comments column Open https://prod.spacebridge.spl.mobi/health_check in a web browser.

Open port 443 outbound to prod.spacebridge.spl.mobi to allow the WebSocket connection.

Include http:// or https:// and www. Don't capitalize any letters in the link. Prevent fake links from rendering.

It's okay to apply special formatting like inline monospaced font if that's how the authoring tool prevents the fake link from rendering.
User input in the UI Bold type For the Destination field, enter ca_counties.

In the Title field, enter Top recipients by mailer.

 

Splunk-specific elements

There are components specific to Splunk software, such as indexes, knowledge objects, SPL commands, and so on, that take text formatting for ease of reading.

Element How to format Example
Index names Bold type Save the file in the main index.
Input names Bold type Select the myhost data input.
Knowledge objects such as fields, event types, lookups, tags, aliases, and data models Inline monospaced font The default field index identifies the index in which the event is located.

The IP address uses the mainoffice tag.

Searches Search bar or monospaced font block See the following examples:
Search results Search table See the following example: untable in the Splunk Enterprise Search Reference manual.
Source types Inline monospaced font This entry defines the access_combined source type.
SPL commands, elements, functions, macros, and other search content Inline monospaced font Enter | inputlookup ca_county_lookup to test your geospatial lookup.

Use the geom command to perform the lookup.
Use the apply function.
Include a custom metrics index in the itsi_im_metrics_indexes search macro.

Splexicon links Bold type Use geospatial lookups to return results that Splunk software can use to generate a choropleth map visualization.
Tenant names Bold type Use the system tenant.

Find the getstartedtutorial01 tenant.

Token names No formatting Update your access token.
User roles and capabilities No formatting You need the admin role to configure the settings.

If the user holds the admin_all_objects capability, they can make changes to any object on the instance.

Configuration files

Splunk configuration files, or .conf files, are specific to the Splunk platform, and readers of Splunk documentation often need information about how to manage these files or edit settings within them. The following table shows how to format text about Splunk configuration files and the elements within them, such as stanzas, attributes, and values.

Element How to format Example Comments
Attributes or settings Inline monospaced font httpport

enableSplunkWebSSL

Configuration files in text Monospaced font block See the following pages for examples of configuration files referenced in Splunk documentation:
Configuration file names No formatting Navigate to the fields.conf file.
Configuration file parameters, arguments, and stanza names in a paragraph Inline monospaced font Set the maxDist value to 60 in the fields.conf file.

Edit the [splunktcp] stanza.

Enclose stanza names in square brackets.
Values Inline monospaced font In the [settings] stanza, map httpport to 12800.

Set enableSplunkWebSSL=true.

Command-line interface (CLI) elements

Splunk documentation often covers tasks admins and developers must complete in the command-line interface and can include things they must enter in the CLI. Presenting CLI elements, such as commands, command names, and options and parameters, with text formatting can distinguish the elements from the rest of the text and aid in readability.

Element How to format Example Comments
A complete command Inline monospaced font See the following examples:  
Command line arguments in a numbered list or longer than one line Monospaced font block See the following examples:  
Command line arguments in a paragraph Inline monospaced font You can also use the command line by entering ./splunk apply cluster-bundle in the CLI.  
Command names Inline monospaced font Use the dedup command to remove identical events.

Run the btool command.

 
Command options or parameters Inline monospaced font -u <username> Enclose placeholder variables in angle brackets.

REST API

There are documentation formatting conventions for many REST API elements, like endpoints, methods, parameters, requests and responses, and so on. The following table shows formatting conventions for REST API elements in Splunk documentation, which align with industry trends for presenting written information about REST APIs.

Element How to format Example Comments
API names No formatting the collect2 API

You can securely store, update, retrieve, and delete secrets using the Splunk platform REST API.
Replace your token values, file path, and name of your app package in the Splunk AppInspect API.

 
Endpoints Bold type for endpoint name, inline monospaced font for usage the provisioner endpoint

/system/provisioner/v1beta1/tenants
the apps/local/<appname> endpoint
apps/local/<appname>

 
HTTP or REST API methods All capital letters, inline monospaced font, depending on use Submit a GET request.

GET /system/provisioner/v1beta1/tenants/

Enter the request name in all capital letters. When using a method and endpoint together, use inline monospaced font.
JSON bodies Monospaced font block See the following examples:  
Object names Bold type the handle object  
REST API requests and responses Monospaced font block See the following examples:  
REST response body Monospaced font block See the following examples:  
Request parameters Inline monospaced font "earliest_time": "-30m"  
Returned REST response value Inline monospaced font IACQlgX2dSVNz7HVDRA9StAm0j  

Code

When writing code, you must apply text formatting to a number of elements. Using consistent formatting helps separate the code elements from the rest of the text, aiding in readability and scannability. Use the following logic when formatting code.

Element How to format Example Comments
Arguments Inline monospaced font Pass in arg1 as the argument for the param1 parameter and arg2 as the argument for the param2 parameter.  
Classes Inline monospaced font The MyClass class Capitalize class names.
Code elements and usage Inline monospaced font operators such as +, !=, and AND

keywords such as if, else, and return tags such as <div/>

 
Code examples Monospaced font block See the following examples:  
Constants All capital letters DEBUG_STREAMEVENTS  
Function names in code Monospaced font block or inline monospaced font, depending on use Pass your arguments into the myFunction function. For example: myFunction(arg1, arg2) Most function names appear in code samples, where they are formatted as inline monospaced font in a sentence or within a code block when it stands apart as an example.
Hexadecimal numbers All capital letters for alphabetical characters in the hexadecimal number #FF0000
0xFF0000
%FF0000
U+FF0000
 
HTTP status codes Inline monospaced font 4xx

503: Service too busy

Use a lowercase "x" to represent a range.
Methods Inline monospaced font The myMethod method  
Parameters Inline monospaced font This function accepts two parameters, param1 and param2.  
Placeholder variables Angle brackets Open the /etc/apps/<your_app_name>/appserver/ folder.  
Properties Monospaced font block or inline monospaced font, depending on use See the following examples: Most properties appear in code samples, where they are formatted as a monospaced font block. Use inline monospaced font when referring to a property in a sentence.
Simple XML elements Inline monospaced font Find the <title>all</title> element.  
Simple XML source code for dashboards Monospaced font block See the following example: Simple XML Reference in the Splunk Enterprise Dashboards and Visualizations manual.  
User-created values Bold type the value of the myStr parameter is hello  
Last modified on 06 October, 2023
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This documentation applies to the following versions of Splunk® Style Guide: current


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