# doc (9-doc.us)

A doc is a document, usually a file with text. People ask for a doc when they want something written down, like a report or a guide.

## What a model may hear
- documentation comment (programming languages): treat the word as a special marker in source code that generates help pages
- doctor function (Clojure and some Lisps): run a diagnostic or print debug info about a value
- DOM Document object (web browsers): access the root of a web page's structure in JavaScript
- Docker container (informal tech speech): confuse it with 'docker' or container commands
- .doc file format (Microsoft Office): assume the old binary Word format rather than any document

## Where people and models part ways
- Says: "make me a doc"
  Means: write a document for me
  May be taken as: generate a code comment block or Javadoc template
  Say instead: "write a document or article for me"
- Says: "check the doc"
  Means: look at the instructions I wrote
  May be taken as: parse the HTML Document object or query documentation strings in code
  Say instead: "read the instructions in the file I shared"
- Says: "send me the docs"
  Means: email me the paperwork
  May be taken as: fetch API documentation or generate code reference pages
  Say instead: "email me the files or paperwork"
- Says: "doc this for me"
  Means: write this up
  May be taken as: insert documentation comments into code or annotate a data structure
  Say instead: "write this up as a description or summary"

## Tips
- Say 'document' or 'file' instead of 'doc' when you want prose
- Say 'documentation' when you mean help pages or manuals
- Say 'write up' or 'draft' to avoid code-comment confusion
- If you mean a Word file, say '.docx' or 'Word file' to be specific
- In programming contexts, 'doc' is fine; elsewhere, spell it out

## Often confused with
- docs: plural often means documentation, not multiple files
- dock: a place for ships or a UI panel, not a document
- docker: container software, sounds similar in fast speech
- dot: a period or graph node, not a document
- docx: the newer Word format specifically
- DOM: web page structure, pronounced the same in some accents