Future Tense Detector

This rule helps maintain clear and direct writing by identifying instances of future tense in text. Writing in the present tense makes documentation more immediate, clearer, and easier to understand. Future tense can make content feel less actionable and can introduce unnecessary complexity or uncertainty in technical documentation.

The rule specifically looks for:

  • The word "will" (e.g., "The system will display an error")
  • Words ending in "ll" (typically contractions like "we'll", "it'll")
  • The phrase "we are going"
  • The terms "would-be" and "would be"

Examples:

✗ Incorrect:

- The application will show a dialog box
- We'll update the documentation later
- We are going to implement this feature
- This would be the best approach

✓ Better:

- The application shows a dialog box
- We update the documentation 
- We implement this feature
- This is the best approach

Rule Source

This rule comes from: https://github.com/jonathanalgar/smarteditor

Rule Definition

description: Use the present tense whenever possible
link: https://github.com/OutSystems/docs-validation/blob/master/style-guide/content.adoc#use-the-present-tense
extends: existence
message: "Possible future tense."
ignorecase: true
level: suggestion
tokens:
  - will
  - '[\w][ll]'
  - we are going
  - would-be
  - would be