Reference Documentation

This section provides comprehensive reference documentation for the ReX content system’s APIs, types, and implementations.

Overview

Reference documentation serves as the authoritative source for detailed information about the system’s interfaces, types, and behaviors. It provides the technical specifics that developers need when implementing or extending the system.

Documentation Structure

Reference documentation is organized into the following sections:

Core Reference

• Core: Fundamental APIs and operations that form the foundation of the content system
  • API: Public interfaces for core functionality
  • Operations: Standard operations for content manipulation
  • Types: Core type definitions
  • Implementations: Reference implementations of core interfaces

Layer-Specific Reference

• Adapters: Storage abstraction layer components

  • Types: Adapter-specific type definitions
  • Implementations: Standard adapter implementations

• Middleware: Enhancement layer components

  • Interfaces: Middleware function signatures
  • Pipeline: Middleware composition utilities
  • Types: Middleware-specific type definitions
  • Implementations: Standard middleware implementations

• Utilities: Helper functions and shared utilities

  • API Options: Configuration options for API functions
  • Operation Options: Options for content operations
  • Schema: Schema validation utilities
  • Types: Utility type definitions

Specialized Areas

• Errors: Error system documentation

  • Error Types: Standard error class hierarchy
  • Error Handling: Error handling patterns and utilities

• History: History tracking system

  • Interfaces: History tracking interfaces
  • Types: History-related type definitions
  • Vector Clock: Vector clock implementation details

• Collaboration: Collaborative editing support

  • Interfaces: Collaboration interfaces
  • Types: Collaboration-related type definitions

Documentation Standards

Each reference document follows a consistent structure:

1. Overview: Brief description of the component’s purpose
2. Interface: Detailed API documentation with signatures and types
3. Parameters: Complete parameter descriptions with types and defaults
4. Return Values: Description of return values and types
5. Errors: Possible errors that might be thrown or returned
6. Examples: Concrete usage examples
7. See Also: Links to related documentation

Type Documentation

Type definitions include:

• Type Signature: Complete TypeScript type definition
• Properties: Documentation for each property
• Generic Parameters: Explanation of generic type parameters
• Constraints: Type constraints and conditional types
• Examples: Usage examples showing the type in context

API Documentation

API documentation includes:

• Function Signature: Complete function signature with types
• Description: Detailed explanation of function behavior
• Parameters: Each parameter with type, description, and default value
• Return Value: Return type and description
• Error Handling: How errors are handled or returned
• Side Effects: Any side effects the function might have
• Examples: Concrete usage examples
• Implementation Notes: Important details about the implementation

Using Reference Documentation

For the most effective use of reference documentation:

1. Start with the relevant interface documentation
2. Review the type definitions for parameters and return values
3. Check example code for typical usage patterns
4. Look for related documentation in the “See Also” section

The reference documentation is designed to be both comprehensive for experienced users and accessible for newcomers, with progressive disclosure of complexity.