Document Conventions
The following sections describe how we use special fonts and symbols in AWS technical publications.
Special Fonts
There are a number of special fonts that we apply to text.
Code, Commands, and Values
The following table shows how we identify code snippets and samples.
| Use Case | Description/Example/Markup |
|---|---|
|
Code in text |
Inline code and commands are presented in a simple serif font. You can use the command |
|
Code blocks |
Blocks of sample code are set apart from the body, shaded and set in serif font. # ls -l /var/www/html/index.html -rw-rw-r-- 1 root root 1872 Jun 21 09:33 /var/www/html/index.html # date Wed Jun 21 09:33:42 EDT 2006 |
|
Logical values, constants, regular expressions, and abstracta |
These important expression types are presented inline and also have a simple serif font. If the value is |
|
User entered values |
Literal text that the user should type is presented in bold-serif. At the password prompt, type |
|
Variables |
If the user should replace the value of a variable or placeholder, the replaceable text is in italics and set off with arrow brackets. % ec2-register
|
Names and Labels
The following table shows different names and labels, and how we mark them.
| Use Case | Description/Example/Markup |
|---|---|
|
User interface controls and labels |
Denotes named items on the UI for easy identification. On the File menu, click Properties. |
|
AWS technical publication references |
References to AWS publications. For detailed conceptual information, refer again to the Amazon Route 53 Developer Guide. |
|
Action and command names |
In-text references to action or command names. Use the |
|
Element names |
In-text references to parameters, responses, headers, data types, etc. The operation accepts the parameter
|
|
Product and feature names |
When first mentioned, named features are italicized and linked to the glossary. An instance type is essentially a hardware archetype. |
Emphasis
Unusual or important words and phrases appear in italics.
You must sign up for an account before you can use the service.
Symbol Conventions
This section describes the common use of symbols.
| Convention | Symbol | Description/Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Call-outs |
|
A call-out is a number graphic in the body text to give you a visual reference. It is matched with a target that uses the same graphic in another block. You can use this resource regularly. |
|
Mutually exclusive parameters |
(Parentheses | and | vertical | bars) |
Within a code description, bar separators denote options from which the user must choose one.
% data = hdfread (start | stride | edge)
|
|
Optional parameters |
[square brackets] |
Within a code description, square brackets denote completely optional commands or parameters.
% sed [-n, -quiet]
|
|
Code variables |
<arrow brackets> |
Within a code sample, arrow brackets denote a variable that must be replaced with a valid value.
% ec2-register <
|
|
XML variables |
[square brackets] |
Use square brackets in XML examples to differentiate variables from other text and elements.
<CustomerId>[ID]</CustomerId>
|
