Define/Explain WordPress Code Reference
The WordPress Code Reference is a library of information about the various classes, hooks, functions, and methods that WordPress uses. For each of these items, there is a page explaining what it is and the parameters it uses. It also includes examples of how it's used and an area where users can add thier own notes about using this feature within WordPress. The Code Reference is auto created by a program that looks through the WP core files. This keeps the data up to date as WordPress is ever evolving.
Document the WordPress the_date() Function
The the_date() function is a function that gets or displays the date a post was written. It will only list the date for first post in a loop. A similar function that will list all dates is get_the_date(). With the_date() function you can change the format of the date and display it immediately or add it to a variable.
Document the the_date() Format Parameters
This function takes the paramenters of $format, $before, $after, and $echo. The $format parameter specifices how the date will show. For example, specifying 'y-m-d' would return a yyyy-mm-dd date format. These formats are based on the PHP Date Formats. The $before & $after parameters specify what is displayed before and after the date. A good use for inserting HTML code before and after the date for formatting purposes. And the $echo parameter is a boolean that determines whether the date will be simply returned (generally saved into a variable) or echoed out right away.
Summary of the Documentation
The WordPress Code Reference is a very in-depth resource to learn about the functions, etc. that WordPress uses. This is especially helpful if you want to create your own themes and plugins. In addition to it offering information on all of the functions, hooks, classes, and methods, there is also detailed API documentation that leads you through learning how to create a plugin, short code, or various other API's. And because it is automatically updated, you know you will find the most recent information on WordPress as new features are added.