H.5 Conventions: Fonts and symbols
This manual uses the following symbol conventions:
- General font conventions
-
The following table explains the text formatting conventions used in this manual:
Font
Convention
Bold
Bold type indicates text on a window, other than the window title. Such text includes menus, menu options, buttons, radio box options, or explanatory labels. For example, bold is used in sentences such as the following:
-
From the File menu, choose Open.
-
Click the Cancel button.
-
In the Enter name entry box, type your name.
Italics
Italics are used to indicate a placeholder for some actual text provided by the user or system. Italics are also used for emphasis. For example:
-
Write the command as follows:
copy source-file target-file
-
The following message appears:
A file was not found. (file = file-name)
Italic characters are also used for emphasis. For example:
-
Do not delete the configuration file.
Monospace
Monospace characters indicate text that the user enters without change, or text (such as messages) output by the system. For example:
-
At the prompt, enter dir.
-
Use the send command to send mail.
-
The following message is displayed:
The password is incorrect.
-
- Conventions in syntax explanations
-
The following table explains the symbols used in this manual:
Symbol
Convention
|
In syntax explanations, a vertical bar separates multiple items, and has the meaning of OR. For example:
A|B|C means A, or B, or C.
{ }
In syntax explanations, curly brackets indicate that only one of the enclosed items is to be selected. For example:
{A|B|C} means only one of A, or B, or C.
[ ]
In syntax explanations, square brackets indicate that the enclosed item or items are optional. For example:
[A] means that you can specify A or nothing.
[B|C] means that you can specify B, or C, or nothing.
...
In coding, an ellipsis (...) indicates that one or more lines of coding have been omitted.
In syntax explanations, an ellipsis indicates that the immediately preceding item can be repeated as many times as necessary. For example:
A, B, B, ... means that, after you specify A, B, you can specify B as many times as necessary.
underline
Underlined characters indicate the default value.
Δ
A triangle indicates a space character.
Δ 0 indicates zero or more spaces or tabs.
Δ 1 indicates one or more spaces or tabs.
~
The item that precedes this symbol must be coded in accordance with the rule expressed within the symbols <> or (()) following the ~ symbol.
< >
Code the item in accordance with the lexical elements enclosed in the angle brackets:
- numeric
-
Numeric from 0 to 9. Unless otherwise specified, a number is decimal.
- alphabetic
-
Letter in the range A to Z, or a to z.
- alphanumeric
-
Letter or number. Unless otherwise specified, a number is decimal.
- unsigned integer
-
Number. A decimal unless otherwise specified.
- hexadecimal
-
Hexadecimal number (0 to 9, or A to F).
(( ))
Double parentheses enclose the range of specifiable values.
<< >>
Double angle brackets enclose the default assumed by the program when no value is specified.