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Hi, I am Valerie

Valerie Schipka

Technical Writer

I’m a technical writer with four years of experience specializing in software documentation using a docs-as-code approach. My work involves version control with Git, collaborative review workflows, and writing in markup languages. I also configure and maintain static site generators to publish user documentation, knowledge base articles, and tutorials.

Docs-as-Code
Software Documentation
Knowledge Management
Animations & Graphics
Learning New Skills
Monday Morning

Skills

Markdown + Static Site Generators
Markdown + Static Site Generators

Markdown is a markup language for creating formatted text for the web. Nowadays I write most documentation content in Markdown and publish it using static site generators.

LaTeX
LaTeX

LaTeX is software for typesetting documents with an emphasis on scientific symbols and mathetical formulas. I used to write scientific documents and lab reports in LaTeX (MiKTeX).

Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office

I’m an experienced user of the Microsoft Office Suite. This includes not only writing documentation in MS Word, but also setting up building blocks (text snippets) for company wide use.

Git
Git

I have experience with git-based version control and hosting. This includes GitHub Pages and git clients like GitHub Desktop and Fork.

HelpSmith
HelpSmith

HelpSmith is an authoring tool to create help files, print documents and more. I have basic knowledge in using HelpSmith to create software documentation that is delivered as part of a software as a .chm file.

Camtasia
Camtasia

Lately I’ve been getting into Camtasia to create tutorials and onboarding videos for publication on YouTube, as well as short animations to embed into our web documentation.

Autodesk Inventor (3D CAD)
Autodesk Inventor (3D CAD)

I have basic software skills with 3D CAD software (Autodesk Inventor, CATIA V5) to create simple 3D models and 2D technical drawings.

Adobe PhotoshopCC
Adobe PhotoshopCC

I regularly use PhotoshopCC for basic image editing and cropping to enhance screenshots, create info graphics and UI elements. Other image editting software I use are Paint.NET and Greenshot.

Adobe InDesign CS5
Adobe InDesign CS5

I used to do a lot of layouting and document preprarations for print. My InDesign print history includes posters in multiple formats and sizes, books with glue and stitch binding, business cards and small merchandise.

Recent Posts

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List Recently Updated Pages in MkDocs

When maintaining documentation with MkDocs, it can be helpful to give readers a quick overview of what’s been updated recently. There are a few ways to convey this kind of information, like: Adding revision dates to the bottom of individual pages using the mkdocs-git-revision-date-localized-plugin Displaying a page status (e.g. “draft”, “new”, “updated”) next to the page title in the navigation via the status feature of the Material theme However, both of these methods require the user to either open the page or scroll through the navigation to discover what’s new.

Saturday, July 26, 2025 | 4 minutes Read
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How to Use Structured Data in MkDocs

Have you ever wondered how some documentation pages show up in search results with features like expandable FAQs, breadcrumb trails, or instructional step-by-steps? That’s the power of structured data. Structured data refers to a standardized format for providing information about a web page and classifying its content. It helps search engines understand the content of the page more accurately and display it in enhanced ways directly in search results. The Material theme for MkDocs already offers a solid foundation for SEO, but there are still ways to fine-tune and improve how individual pages are indexed and presented.

Friday, May 16, 2025 | 3 minutes Read
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Custom Ordered List Styles for Linear Workflows

So, today I want to talk a little bit about ordered lists in MkDocs and the Material theme. Recently, I felt the need to include some linear workflows in a few Knowledge Base articles. Most of these Knowledge Base articles contain How-To’s that involve tasks with a lot of steps or tasks that need to be performed in a 3rd-party software. For situations like this I like to group the steps into more digestible subtasks and list them as a “general workflow” before getting into the details.

Sunday, March 30, 2025 | 3 minutes Read