Microsoft® Manual of Style, Fourth Edition

Command syntax

Although computer users today use the graphical user interface to do most of their work, there are still many tasks that require typing commands or running programs at a command prompt.

For elements that the user must type as they appear in the text, use bold. For elements that are placeholders representing information that the user must supply, use italic.

Note

In text files where formatting is unavailable, substitute all uppercase for bold and all lowercase for italic.

The general form for presenting command syntax is as follows:

sample {+r | r} arguments [options]

where:

Element	Meaning
sample	Specifies the name of the command or utility.
{ }	Indicates a set of choices from which the user must choose one.
|	Separates two mutually exclusive ...