---
title: "Remember"
description: "Recall bits of information that could not be memorized, from parameters to error codes."
doc_version: "2025-01-09"
last_updated: "2026-08-08"
canonical_url: "https://7act.org/actions/remember/"
language: "en"
license: "CC BY 4.0"
---

# Remember

One of the things that keeps documentation alive after years and years of use is its value as reference. We browse the pages of manuals to remember (recall, retrieve, lookup) bits of information that we couldn't memorize, from parameters to error codes to acceptable values.

Examples of docs that address remembering are [Docker's Dockerfile reference](https://docs.docker.com/reference/dockerfile/) and [GitLab's CI/CD YAML syntax reference](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/yaml/). They present easily searchable, highly structured information on the bits of pieces that the user needs to recall to perform various incantations.

Reference documentation is the bedrock of long-term product usability. While docs created to fulfill other actions may be read once and internalized, reference material remains perpetually valuable as users deepen their expertise and tackle increasingly sophisticated implementations.


## What the user wants to do

Reference keeps documentation alive after years of use. Users browse manuals to remember, recall, retrieve, or look up bits of information they could not memorize.

## Signals that your docs miss it

- Users search for a parameter or error code and find nothing.
- Reference material is scattered across blog posts and chat logs.
- There is no searchable, structured reference for the product's syntax or settings.

## Two examples in the wild

- [Dockerfile reference](https://docs.docker.com/reference/dockerfile/)
- [GitLab CI/CD YAML syntax reference](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/yaml/)

## Common content types

- DITA: <reference>, <refsyn>, <properties>
- Diataxis: Reference
- Good Docs Project: Reference, Glossary

## One metric

reference hit rate — Share of reference lookups that return the right page.

## Sitemap

- [Seven-Action Documentation Model](https://7act.org/index.md)
- [Introduction](https://7act.org/rationale/index.md)
- [Actions](https://7act.org/actions/index.md)
- [Appraise](https://7act.org/actions/appraise/index.md)
- [Understand](https://7act.org/actions/understand/index.md)
- [Explore](https://7act.org/actions/explore/index.md)
- [Practice](https://7act.org/actions/practice/index.md)
- [Remember](https://7act.org/actions/remember/index.md)
- [Develop](https://7act.org/actions/develop/index.md)
- [Troubleshoot](https://7act.org/actions/troubleshoot/index.md)
- [Glossary](https://7act.org/glossary/index.md)
- [Seven-Action Documentation skill](https://7act.org/skill/index.md)