Notational conventions, Typographical conventions – Dell Latitude L400 User Manual

Page 60

Advertising
background image

advanced technical reference material intended for experienced users or technicians.

 Notational Conventions

The following subsections list notational conventions used in this document.

Notes, Notices, and Cautions

Throughout this guide, blocks of text may be accompanied by an icon and printed in bold type or in italic type. These blocks are notes, notices, and
cautions, and they are used as follows:

 Typographical Conventions

The following list defines (where appropriate) and illustrates typographical conventions used as visual cues for specific elements of text throughout
this document:

l

Interface components are window titles, button and icon names, menu names and selections, and other options that appear on the monitor
screen or display. They are presented in bold.

Example: Click OK.

l

Keycaps, the labeling that appears on the keys on a keyboard, are enclosed in angle brackets.

Example: <Enter>

l

Key combinations are series of keys to be pressed simultaneously (unless otherwise indicated) to perform a single function.

Example: <Ctrl><Alt><Enter>

l

Commands presented in lowercase bold are for reference purposes only and are not intended to be typed at that particular point in the
discussion.

Example: "Use the setup command to . . . ."

In contrast, commands presented in the Courier New font are intended to be typed as part of an instruction.

Example: "Type format a: to format the diskette in drive A."

l

Filenames and directory names are presented in lowercase bold.

Examples: autoexec.bat and c:\windows

l

Syntax lines consist of a command and all its possible parameters. Commands are displayed in lowercase bold; variable parameters
(those for which you substitute a value) are displayed in lowercase italics; constant parameters are displayed in lowercase bold. The
brackets indicate items that are optional.

Example: del [drive:] [[path]filename] [/p]

l

Command lines consist of a command and may include one or more of the command's possible parameters. Command lines are
presented in the Courier New font.

Example: del c:\myfile.doc

l

Screen text is text that appears on the screen of your display or external monitor. It can be a system message, for example, or it can be text
that you are instructed to type as part of a command (referred to as a command line). Screen text is presented in the Courier New font.

Example: The following message appears on your screen:

No boot device available

l

Variables are symbols for which you substitute a value. They are presented in italics.

Example: module n (where n represents the memory module number)

NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your computer. 

NOTICE: A NOTICE indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the problem. 

CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates the potential for bodily harm and tells you how to avoid the problem. 

Advertising