Proper documentation is vital for open-source projects, and in addition is also useful for virtually any commercial project too. A README file constitutes a big part of documentation, as this is the first file an end-user sees and should be clear, concise, comprehensive and maybe also a bit fun.

Further information can be found on the Open Source Guides website.

Our README structure is based on the above requirements, whilst being tailored to both our internal and external projects. Sections can include but are not limited to:

• Description (“what is this project all about”)
• Documentation (“where to find more”)

  • Link to FAQ if available
• Installation and Setup (“how to get it running”)

  • LabVIEW version
  • Dependencies
  • Configuration
• Developer Documentation (“how to make changes”)

  • Workflows
  • Error Code Range
• Credits (“who has worked on this”)
• Contributing (link to CONTRIBUTE.md)
• License (link to LINCENSE)

The file also usually contains screenshots, badges and several colourful icons, which makes it aesthetically pleasing.

https://gist.github.com/rxaviers/7360908

You can find an example readme file at https://code.hampel-soft.com/hse-labs/dokuwiki-examples/-/blob/main/README.md?ref_type=heads.