Avoid exclamation points (EK00012)
A neutral tone without exclamation points keeps documentation professional and builds reader trust. Learn why to avoid them, with examples.
Technical documentation reads as calm and neutral, so an exclamation point adds emphasis that readers don’t need and can read as hype. EkLine flags an exclamation point (rule EK00012) so you can replace it with a period.
Why avoid exclamation points in documentation?
Section titled “Why avoid exclamation points in documentation?”Exclamation points add emphasis that technical readers don’t need and can read as hype rather than help. A neutral, professional tone keeps the focus on the instructions and builds trust in your documentation. Periods also translate more predictably and keep a consistent voice across every page.
What EkLine flags
Section titled “What EkLine flags”EK00012 matches an exclamation point anywhere in your text.
- ❌ Incorrect: Welcome!
- ✅ Correct: Welcome.
- ❌ Incorrect: The build succeeded!
- ✅ Correct: The build succeeded.
How to fix
Section titled “How to fix”Replace the exclamation point with a period.
Why avoid exclamation points in documentation?
Section titled “Why avoid exclamation points in documentation?”Exclamation points add emphasis technical readers don’t need and can read as hype rather than help. A neutral tone keeps the focus on the instructions and builds trust.
When can you keep an exclamation point?
Section titled “When can you keep an exclamation point?”When it’s part of code — such as the logical NOT in !isReady — keep it and ignore the rule for that line.
Rule details
Section titled “Rule details”| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Rule ID | EK00012 |
| Category | Spelling and grammar |
| Default severity | Error |
| Enabled by default | Yes |
Ignore this rule
Section titled “Ignore this rule”To keep an exclamation point on one line, add an inline comment:
<!-- ekline-ignore-next-line EK00012 -- operator in inline code -->Set the guard to `!isReady` before you continue.To disable the rule across your project, add it to the ignore list in your configuration file.