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What should the separator be?

  • System > Preferences > Keyboard > Layouts > Apply System-Wide
  • System → Preferences → Keyboard → Layouts → Apply System-Wide
  • System --> Preferences --> Keyboard --> Layouts --> Apply System-Wide
  • System | Preferences | Keyboard | Layouts | Apply System-Wide
  • System/Preferences/Keyboard/Layouts/Apply System-Wide

Should they be italicized, or quoted?

  • Click Edit → Profile Preferences and then uncheck Terminal bell.
  • Click Edit → Profile Preferences and then uncheck Terminal bell.
  • Click "Edit" → "Profile Preferences" and then uncheck "Terminal bell".

What precedents are there in the Ubuntu and StackExchange communities?

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
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I don't think there's anything wrong with the first three. → is clearly the nicest character but it's a lot more effort for people to find and insert. I would say that all three are perfectly fine. There's also » which is commonly misused around the web (I say "misused" because it's a Spanish quotation mark, not a double-arrow IIRC).

The last two are somewhat less instructive. I read both / and | as "or" and they don't really show progression (eg click this, then click this)... But I'm certain people would understand them just as well as arrows.

The Ubuntu documentation writing guidelines defer to the Gnome documentation guidelines and they state that Applications ▸ Accessories ▸ Calculator be the standard flow. But again, ▸ isn't a standard keyboard character so I don't think it would be fair to assume that people would use this.

I certainly don't think it's worth the time converting from >, --> or even | to ▸. If anybody has a problem understanding, they have the power to comment and quickly ask for clarification. This isn't as static as the distribution documentation.

In short: as long as there's some sort of break between things and the flow makes sense, don't worry about it.

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3

I believe the first three you have cited are perfectly acceptable:

  • System > Preferences > Keyboard > Layouts > Apply System-Wide
  • System → Preferences → Keyboard → Layouts → Apply System-Wide
  • System --> Preferences --> Keyboard --> Layouts --> Apply System-Wide

Even add

  • System -> Preferences -> Keyboard -> Layouts -> Apply System-Wide

We can ask to have character set be added based to post formatting (IE have -> actually create →) In the end slashes and pipes are really reserved for use in commands on the command line (/ for paths and | for piping). Embedding text in the directions where you draw out the actual path by instructing them to do this next only dilutes the instructions more IMO.

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  • That would be awesome if some agreed-upon code like --> was rendered as the ▸ character specified in the GNOME documentation style guide.
    – ændrük
    Commented Sep 20, 2010 at 22:25
  • I'll check on that.
    – Marco Ceppi Mod
    Commented Sep 20, 2010 at 22:34
  • maybe the markdown could render it automatically?
    – Decio Lira
    Commented Sep 21, 2010 at 14:17
  • We can have it automatically replaced - however we have to agree upon a set of characters to have replaced.
    – Marco Ceppi Mod
    Commented Sep 22, 2010 at 16:55

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