Formatting common text elements
Consistent text formatting helps readers locate and interpret information. Follow these formatting conventions for common text elements.
For information about referring to UI elements, see Formatting text in instructions.
See also
Capitalization
Formatting developer text elements
Procedures and instructions
| Element | Convention | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Database names | Bold. The capitalization of database names varies. | Contoso database |
| Emphasis | It's OK to use italic formatting sparingly for emphasis. | Cybercriminals might call you and claim to be from Microsoft. Be aware that Microsoft will never call you to charge for security or software fixes. |
| Error messages | Sentence-style capitalization. Enclose in quotation marks when referencing error messages in text. | We can't find a scanner. Hmm … looks like that's a broken link. If you see the error message, "Check scanner status and try again," use Windows Update to check for the latest drivers for your device. |
| File attributes | All lowercase. | hidden system read-only To remove the hidden attribute from all files in a folder .... |
| File name extensions | All lowercase. | .mdb .doc |
| File names | Title-style capitalization. It's OK to use internal caps in file names for readability. | My Taxes for 2016 MyTaxesFor2016 |
| Folder and directory names | Sentence-style capitalization. It's OK to use internal capital letters in folder and directory names for readability. | Vacation and sick pay MyFiles\Accounting\Payroll\VacPay |
| Macros | Usually all uppercase. Use bold formatting if predefined. Might be monospace if user defined. Treatment varies. | LOWORDMASKROP |
| Markup language elements (tags) | Bold. Capitalization varies. | <img> <input type=text> <!DOCTYPE html> |
| Mathematical constants and variables | Italic. | a2 + b2 = c2 |
| New terms | Italicize the first mention of a new term if you're going to define it immediately in text. | Microsoft Exchange consists of both server and client components. |
| Ports | All uppercase. | LPT1 |
| Products, services, apps, and trademarks | Usually title-style capitalization. Check the Microsoft trademark list for capitalization of trademarked names. | Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse Microsoft Word Surface Pro Notepad Network Connections |
| UI text or strings | Sentence-style capitalization. | Find on page Read aloud Hide selected items |
| URLs | All lowercase for complete URLs. If necessary, line-break long URLs before a slash. Don't hyphenate. See also URLs and web addresses |
www.microsoft.com msdn.microsoft.com/downloads |