Editing Pattern language (section)

===Usage===
Alexander encouraged people who used his system to expand his language with patterns of their own. In order to enable this, his books do not focus strictly on architecture or civil engineering; he also explains the general method of pattern languages. The original concept for the book ''A Pattern Language'' was that it would be published in the form of a 3-ring binder, so that pages could easily be added later; this proved impractical in publishing.<ref>Portland Urban Architecture Research Laboratory
Symposium 2009, presentation by 4 of 6 original authors of ''A Pattern Language''.</ref>  The pattern language approach has been used to document expertise in diverse fields. Some examples are [[Design pattern (architecture)|architectural patterns]], [[Design pattern (computer science)|computer science patterns]], [[interaction design pattern]]s, [[pedagogical patterns]], [[pattern gardening]], social action patterns, and group facilitation patterns. The pattern language approach has also been recommended as a way to promote [[civic intelligence]] by helping to coordinate actions for diverse people and communities who are working together on significant shared problems.<ref>For additional discussion of motivation and rationale as well as examples and experiments, see: {{cite web |last=Schuler |first=Douglas |url=http://publicsphereproject.org/sites/default/files/Critical%20Enablers%20of%20Civic%20Intelligence.reduced.pdf |title=Choosing success: pattern languages as critical enablers of civic intelligence |publisher=Portland Urban Architecture Research Laboratory Conference, Portland, OR, 2009 |website=publicsphereproject.org |access-date=6 March 2017}}</ref> Alexander's specifications for using pattern languages as well as creating new ones remain influential, and his books are referenced for style by experts in unrelated fields.

It is important to note that notations such as [[Unified Modeling Language|UML]] or the [[flowchart]] symbol collection are not pattern languages. They could more closely be compared to an alphabet: their symbols could be used to document a pattern language, but they are not a language by themselves. A [[recipe]] or other sequential set of steps to be followed, with only one correct path from start to finish, is also not a pattern language. However, the process of designing a new recipe might benefit from the use of a pattern language.