manual/include/about-ardours-documentation.html

<h2>Conventions Used In This Manual</h2>

<p>
  This section covers some of the typographical and language conventions
  used in this manual.
</p>

<h3>Keyboards and Modifiers</h3>

<p>
  <dfn>Keyboard bindings</dfn> are shown like this: <kbd>s</kbd> or
  <kbd class="mod1">x</kbd>.
</p>

<p>
  <kbd class="mod1">x</kbd> means "press the <kbd class="mod1n"></kbd>
  key, keep it pressed and then also press the <kbd>x</kbd> key".
</p>

<p>
  Combinations such as <kbd class="mod12">e</kbd> may be seen, which means
  "hold down the <kbd class="mod1n"></kbd> key <em>and</em> the <kbd
  class="mod2n"></kbd> key, and then, while keeping them both down, press the
  <kbd>e</kbd> key".
</p>

<p class="note">
  Different platforms have different conventions for which modifier key
  (Control or Command) to use as the primary or most common modifier. When
  viewing this manual from a machine identifying itself as running OS X,
  <kbd>Cmd</kbd> will be seen where appropriate (for instance in the first
  example above). On other machines <kbd>Ctrl</kbd> will be seen instead.
</p>

<h3>Mouse Buttons</h3>

<p>
 <a href="@@mouse">Mouse buttons</a> are referred to as <kbd
 class="mouse">Left</kbd>, <kbd class="mouse">Middle</kbd> and <kbd
 class="mouse">Right</kbd>. Ardour can use additional buttons, but they have no
 default behaviour in the program.
</p>

<h4>Mouse Click Modifiers</h4>

<p>
  Many editing functions are performed by clicking the mouse while holding a
  modifier key, for example <kbd class="mouse mod1">Left</kbd>.
</p>

<h4>Mouse Wheel</h4>

<p>
  Some GUI elements can optionally be controlled with the mouse wheel when
  the pointer is hovering over them. The notation for mouse wheel action is
  <kbd class="mouse">&uArr;</kbd> <kbd class="mouse">&lArr;</kbd>
  <kbd class="mouse">&dArr;</kbd> <kbd class="mouse">&rArr;</kbd>.
</p>

<h4>Context-click</h4>

<p>
  The term <dfn>context-click</dfn> is used to indicate a <kbd
  class="mouse">Right</kbd>-click on a particular element of the graphical user
  interface. Although right-click is the common, default way to do this, there
  are other ways to accomplish the same thing&mdash;this term refers to any of
  them, and the result is always that a menu specific to the item clicked on
  will be displayed.
</p>

<h4>"The Pointer"</h4>

<p>
  When the manual refers to the "pointer", it means the on-screen
  representation of the mouse position or the location of a touch action if
  touch interface is being used.
</p>

<h3>Other User Input</h3>

<p>
  Ardour supports hardware controllers, such as banks of <kbd
  class="fader">faders</kbd>, <kbd class="knob">knobs</kbd>, or <kbd
  class="button">buttons</kbd>.
</p>

<h3>Menu Items</h3>

<p>
  Menu items are indicated like this: <kbd class="menu">Top &gt; Next &gt;
  Deeper</kbd>. Each "&gt;"-separated item indicates one level of a nested menu
  or sub-menu.
</p>

<h3>OSC Messages</h3>

<p>
  OSC messages, whether sent or received, are displayed like this: <kbd class="osc">/transport_stop</kbd>.
</p>

<h3>Preference/Dialog Options</h3>

<p>
  Choices in various dialogs, notably the Preferences and Properties dialog,
  are indicated thus:
</p>

<p>
  <kbd class="option">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; Audio &gt; Some Option</kbd>.
</p>

<p>
  Each successive item indicates either a menu, sub-menu, or a tabbed dialog
  navigation. The final item is the one to choose or select.
</p>

<p>
  If an option is deselected, it will look like this:
</p>

<p>
  <kbd class="optoff">Edit &gt; Preferences &gt; Audio &gt; Some other
  Option</kbd>.
</p>

<h3>User Input</h3>

<p>
  Some dialogs or features may require the user to input data <kbd class="input">such as this</kbd>. In rare cases, certain operations will be required to be performed at the command line of the operating system:
</p>

<kbd class="cmd lin">cat /proc/cpuinfo</kbd>
<kbd class="cmd mac">sleep 3600</kbd>
<kbd class="cmd win">ping www.google.com</kbd>

<h3>Program Output</h3>

<p>
  Important messages from Ardour or other programs will be displayed <samp>like
  this</samp>.
</p>

<h3>Notes</h3>

<p class="note">
  Important notes about things that might not otherwise be obvious are shown in
  this format.
</p>

<h3>Warnings</h3>

<p class="warning">
  Hairy issues that might cause things to go wrong, lose data, impair sound
  quality, or eat your proverbial goldfish, are displayed in this way.
</p>