Documentation Typographical Conventions

Apex and Visualforce​​ documentation uses the following typographical conventions.

Convention Description
Courier font In descriptions of syntax, monospace font indicates items that you should type as shown, except for brackets. For example:
Public class HelloWorld 
Italics In descriptions of syntax, italics represent variables. You supply the actual value. In the following example, three values need to be supplied: datatype variable_name [ = value];
If the syntax is bold and italic, the text represents a code element that needs a value supplied by you, such as a class name or variable value:
 public static class YourClassHere { ... }
Bold Courier font In code samples and syntax descriptions, bold courier font emphasizes a portion of the code or syntax.
< > In descriptions of syntax, less-than and greater-than symbols (< >) are typed exactly as shown.
<apex:pageBlockTable value="{!account.Contacts}" var="contact">
   <apex:column value="{!contact.Name}"/>
   <apex:column value="{!contact.MailingCity}"/>
   <apex:column value="{!contact.Phone}"/>
</apex:pageBlockTable>
{ } In descriptions of syntax, braces ({ }) are typed exactly as shown.
<apex:page>
    Hello {!$User.FirstName}!
</apex:page>
[ ] In descriptions of syntax, anything included in brackets is optional. In the following example, specifying value is optional:
 data_type variable_name [ = value];
| In descriptions of syntax, the pipe sign means “or”. You can do one of the following (not all). In the following example, you can create a new unpopulated set in one of two ways, or you can populate the set:
Set<data_type> set_name 
   [= new Set<data_type>();] |
   [= new Set<data_type{value [, value2. . .] };] |
   ;
Previous
Next