Mnemonics Guidelines

4/19/2010

A mnemonic is single key, not used in combination with CTRL, ALT, or SHIFT keys, that activates a menu command in an open menu. When a hardware keyboard is present, mnemonics are displayed. The mnemonic is shown as an underlined letter in each menu command. If you do not provide mnemonics for an application, they are auto-assigned.

When you assign mnemonics to menu commands, consider the following guidelines:

• Choose the mnemonic in the following order of preference:
  1. Use the first letter of the command name unless another letter provides a better mnemonic association.
  2. If the first letter is already assigned to another command, use a letter that is as close as possible to the first letter of the command name.
  3. Use a distinctive consonant in the command name.
  4. Use a vowel in the command name.
• Avoid duplication of mnemonic assignments or use of a letter that is difficult to see. Otherwise, choose the mnemonic in the following order of preference:
  1. Letter that is next to a letter with a descender.
  2. Letter with descender, such as p, g, q, or y.
  3. Letter that is narrow, such as i or l.
• Do not assign mnemonics to commands that are not included on menus, such as the Finish, Cancel, or Next command buttons.

See Also

Concepts

User Interface Control Guidelines
Capitalization and Punctuation Guidelines
List View Guidelines

Other Resources