formatting instructions

Author: mwunderl

instra/tutorial-gen/3b-validate-tutorial.md

@@ -1,6 +1,26 @@
 # validate tutorial
 
 Validating the content of the AWS CLI tutorial and surface issues about the generated content.
+## formatting and style
+
+Review the tutorial markdown for proper formatting:
+
+**Backticks usage:**
+- Use backticks for all inline code, commands, file paths, resource IDs, status values, and technical terms
+- Examples: `aws s3 ls`, `my-bucket-name`, `ACTIVE`, `~/path/to/file`, `us-east-1`
+- Never use double quotes around backticked content (avoid `"~/file"`, use `~/file`)
+
+**Tilde usage:**
+- Use tildes (`~`) only in code blocks to represent home directory paths
+- Replace tildes meaning "approximately" with the word "approximately" 
+- Examples: "approximately $0.50/hour" not "~$0.50/hour"
+
+**Quotes usage:**
+- Avoid double quotes around technical terms, file names, or commands in descriptive text
+- Use backticks instead: `filename.txt` not "filename.txt"
+- Keep quotes only for actual quoted speech or JSON string values in code blocks
+
+Document any formatting issues in 3-formatting.md.
 
 ## deprecated features
 
@@ -24,4 +44,4 @@ Check the tutorial for issues from an application architecure standpoint. Consid
 
 ## improvements over baseline
 
-Review the baseline tutorial for errors and omissions that were fixed by following the authoring instructions, or caught by validation. Note any issues in 3-baseline.md.
+Review the baseline tutorial for errors and omissions that were fixed by following the authoring instructions, or caught by validation. Note any issues in 3-baseline.md.

instra/tutorial-gen/4-address-feedback.md

@@ -1,7 +1,22 @@
 # address feedback
 
 Review the instructions for creating a tutorial, and the test results from previous steps. Address issues that arose during testing, as long as they are valid and don't contradict your instructions.
-
+## formatting and style
+
+If the previous step identified any formatting issues, fix them:
+
+**Backticks corrections:**
+- Replace double quotes around technical terms with backticks
+- Remove redundant quotes around backticked content
+- Ensure all commands, file paths, resource IDs, and status values use backticks
+
+**Tilde corrections:**
+- Replace tildes meaning "approximately" with the word "approximately"
+- Ensure tildes are only used in code blocks for home directory paths
+
+**Quote corrections:**
+- Remove unnecessary double quotes around technical terms in descriptive text
+- Maintain quotes only for actual quoted content or JSON strings in code blocks
 ## deprecated features
 
 If the previous step identified any deprecated features, revise the scripts and tutorial to use recommended features that provide the same functionality. If there isn't a newer feature available that provides the same functionality, remove the steps that use the deprecated feature. If the tutorial can't be completed without these steps, generate an error report and ask the user what to do next.
@@ -16,4 +31,4 @@ If the previous step identified any issues with security or architecture best pr
 
 ## readme
 
-Generate a readme file that provides a high level overview of the tutorial and a list of the resources within.
+Generate a readme file that provides a high level overview of the tutorial and a list of the resources within.