# General coding guidelines

## Language

British English is preferred for user-facing text; this text should also be marked for translation (using the `django.utils.translation.gettext` function and `{% trans %}` template tag, for example). However, identifiers within code should use American English if the British or international spelling would conflict with built-in language keywords; for example, CSS code should consistently use the spelling `color` to avoid inconsistencies like `background-color: $colour-red`.

## File names

Where practical, try to adhere to the existing convention of file names within the folder where added.

Examples:

-   Django templates - `lower_snake_case.html`
-   Documentation - `lower_snake_case.md`