This book uses the following typographic conventions:
| Example | Description |
| STDIO.H | Uppercase letters indicate filenames, segment names, registers, and terms used at the operating-system command level. |
| char, _setcolor, __far | Bold type indicates C and C++ keywords, operators, language-specific characters, and library routines. Within discussions of syntax, bold type indicates that the text must be entered exactly as shown. |
| Many functions and constants begin with either a single or double underscore. These are part of the name and are mandatory. For example, to have the __cplusplus manifest constant be recognized by the compiler, you must enter the leading double underscore. | |
| expression | Words in italics indicate placeholders for information you must supply, such as a filename. |
| [[option]] | Items inside double square brackets are optional. |
| #pragma pack {1|2} | Braces and a vertical bar indicate a choice among two or more items. You must choose one of these items unless double square brackets ([[ ]]) surround the braces. |
| #include <io.h> | This font is used for examples, user input, program output, and error messages in text. |
| CL [[option...]] file... | Three dots (an ellipsis) following an item indicate that more items having the same form may appear. |
| while() { . . . } | A column or row of three dots tells you that part of an example program has been intentionally omitted. |
| CTRL+ENTER | Small capital letters are used to indicate the names of keys on the keyboard. When you see a plus sign (+) between two key names, you should hold down the first key while pressing the second. |
| The carriage-return key, sometimes marked as a bent arrow on the keyboard, is called ENTER. | |
| “argument” | Quotation marks enclose a new term the first time it is defined in text. |
| “C string” | Some C constructs, such as strings, require quotation marks. Quotation marks required by the language have the form “ ” and ' ' rather than “ ” and ' '. |
| Color Graphics Adapter (CGA) | The first time an acronym is used, it is usually spelled out. |
Note:
Microsoft documentation uses the term “DOS” to refer to both the MS-DOS̉ and IBM Personal Computer DOS operating systems. The name of a specific operating system is used to note features unique to that system.