Windows Tools

Notational Conventions

Convention Meaning
bold In syntax, characters that you type exactly as shown, including commands and switches. In text, menu names and menu commands are also bold.
bold monospace Commands that you must type exactly as shown to get the results being discussed.
italic Variables for which you supply a specific value. For example, Filename.ext represents any valid file name.
Initial Capitals
(Filename.ext)
Names of files should begin with an initial capital letter, for example, Filename.ext. Paths and folders can be uppercase, lowercase, or mixed, according to how they actually appear in a standard installation of the application or the operating system.
ALL CAPITALS Used for acronyms.
monospace
Examples of code.
[ ] (square brackets) In syntax descriptions, square brackets enclose optional items. If you include the item, type only the information between them, not the square brackets themselves.
{choice1 | choice2} (braces) In syntax descriptions, braces enclose items which require a choice, such as {yes | no}. Type only one of the choices, not the braces or the dividing line.

Introduction