Designing the Graphical User Interface › Guidelines for Window and Dialog Box Design › Mnemonics

Mnemonics

A mnemonic is an assigned character in a menu item, push button, or selection field prompt. The user can type the mnemonic, in uppercase or lowercase, for a choice to select it instead of using the mouse.

The mnemonic is identified by an underscore. This is a visual cue to the user that the mnemonic can be selected.

The following list explains guidelines for mnemonics:

• Use the first letter of the choice when possible; otherwise, assign the first available relevant, meaningful, and unique letter in the text.
• Use the same mnemonic for a choice throughout the application.
• Make each mnemonic unique.
• In a generated application, mnemonic selection is not valid if the cursor is positioned in an entry field or a list box. The mnemonic will work with the ALT key regardless of the accelerator setting.