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Ok, so I was going to start editing a couple of questions and answers to clean up the formatting and make them a bit more readable, but thought I'd check in here first. Is there a preferred way to indicate a screen item?

For example, if I'd instruct someone on how to check the phone OS version, I'd use inline code (Settings -> About phone -> Android version or Settings -> About phone -> Android version) to separate the clickable items from body text.

Another option would be to use the kbd tag (Settings->About phone->Android version), but in my opinion this seems a bit bulky.

It would be nice to have a standard way to format these things. Suggestions, comments?

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I think as long as it's clear you're good to do whatever you want. Like GAThrawn I would leave the keyboard buttons for actual buttons, though I tend to use bold or nothing for them myself. I also tend to use inline code for menu items.

I suppose in an ideal world we would have a standard, or perhaps site-specific ways to indicate various Android UI elements, but I don't think it's particularly important.

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  • Yes, I know it's not particularly important, but I like to have a unified formatting style. Maybe I'll stick with inline code.
    – aleksikallio
    Commented Jan 30, 2012 at 5:33
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I normally save the < kbd > tags for actual hardware buttons (or at least buttons that are normally hardware even if they're sometimes soft) like Power, Menu, Home, Back, etc.

For menu options and clicking on items on the screen I'd normally either bold them (or for long options like descriptions on tick boxes "enclose them in quotes".

So for your example I'd say Settings -> About phone -> Android version

Or Settings -> Display -> tick "Auto-rotate screen"

Or giving a Xoom the "three-fingered salute" would be hold down Power + Volume Up at the same time.

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