This document uses the following typographic conventions:
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Components of the user interface are represented by capital letters on each major word in the name of the component, such as PushButton.
See Compliance Conventions later in this Preface for an explanation of the asterisks (*) that appear in the margins.
Since not all keyboards are the same, it is difficult to give style guidelines that are correct for every manufacturer's keyboard. To solve this problem, this guide describes keys using a model keyboard mechanism. Wherever keyboard input is specified, the keys are indicated by the engraving they have on the OSF/Motif model keyboard. The model keyboard does not correspond directly to any existing keyboard, rather it assumes a keyboard with an ideal set of keys.
In addition to the standard letter, number, and character keys, the OSF/Motif model keyboard is composed of the following special keys:
The OSF/Motif model keyboard also contains the following optional keys, which, although useful, are either not necessary or may be created by combinations of other keys:
Throughout this guide, behavior is described in terms of model keyboard keys. When a behavior takes advantage of an optional key from the model keyboard, it is also described in terms of the required special keys. Each of the keys described on the OSF/Motif model keyboard must be available either as specified or using other keys or key combinations if the specified key is unavailable. A few of the more important alternative key bindings are described here for your convenience.
Mouse buttons are described in this guide using a virtual button mechanism to better describe behavior independent from the number of buttons on the mouse. This guide assumes a 3-button mouse. On a 3-button mouse, the leftmost mouse button is usually defined as BSelect, the middle mouse button is usually defined as BTransfer, and the rightmost mouse button is usually defined as BMenu. Details about how virtual mouse buttons are usually defined are given in The Input Device Model.