title: About Ardour documentation
---
+<h2>Conventions Used In This Manual</h2>
+<p>
+This section covers some of the typographical and language conventions
+used in this manual.
+</p>
-
-
-<h3>Conventions Used In This Manual</h3>
-<p>This section covers some of the typographical and language conventions used in this manual.</p>
<h3>Keyboards and Modifiers</h3>
-<p>Keyboard bindings are shown like this: <kbd>s</kbd> or <kbd class="mod1">x</kbd>. <kbd>Ctrl-x</kbd> means "press the <kbd>Ctrl</kbd>, keep it pressed and then also press the <kbd>x</kbd> key. You may also see key combinations such as <kbd>Ctrl-Shift-e</kbd>, which mean that you should press the <kbd>Ctrl</kbd> key, then while keeping it pressed also press the <kbd>Shift</kbd> key and then while keeping them both pressed, finally press the <kbd>e</kbd> key.</p>
-<p>Note that different platforms have different conventions for which modifier key (Control or Command) to use as the primary or most common modifier. When viewing this manual from a machine identifying itself as running OS X, will see <kbd>Cmd-</kbd> where appropriate. On other machines you will see <kbd>Ctrl-</kbd></p>
+<p>
+Keyboard bindings are shown like this: <kbd>s</kbd> or <kbd class="mod1">x</kbd>.
+<kbd>Ctrl x</kbd> means "press the <kbd>Ctrl</kbd> key, keep it pressed and then also
+press the <kbd>x</kbd> key. You may also see key combinations such as
+<kbd class="mod12">e</kbd>, which mean that you should press the <kbd
+class="mod1"> </kbd> key, then while keeping it pressed also press the
+<kbd class="mod2"> </kbd> key and then while
+keeping them both pressed, finally press the <kbd>e</kbd> key.</p>
+<p>
+Note that different platforms have different conventions for which modifier key
+(Control or Command) to use as the primary or most common modifier. When viewing
+this manual from a machine identifying itself as running OS X, you will see
+<kbd>Cmd</kbd> where appropriate (for instance in the first example above).
+On other machines you will see <kbd>Ctrl</kbd> instead.
+</p>
+
<h3>Menu Items</h3>
-<p>Menu items are indicated like this: <code>Top > Next > Deeper</code> Each >-separated item indicates an item on a nested (sub) menu.</p>
+<p>
+Menu items are indicated like this:<br />
+<kbd class="menu">Top > Next > Deeper</kbd>. Each ">"-separated item
+indicates one level of a nested (sub-)menu.
+</p>
+
<h3>Preference/Dialog Options</h3>
-<p>Choices in various dialogs, notably the Preferences and Properties dialog, are indicated like this: <code>Edit > Preferences > Audio > Some Option</code> Each successive >-separated item indicates either a (sub) menu or tabbed dialog navigation. The final item is the one to choose/select/deselect, etc.</p>
+<p>
+Choices in various dialogs, notably the Preferences and Properties dialog, are
+indicated like this:<br />
+<kbd class="option">Edit > Preferences > Audio > Some Option</kbd>.
+Each successive item indicates either a (sub-) menu or a tabbed dialog
+navigation. The final item is the one to choose or select.
+</p>
+<p>
+If you are requested to deselect an option, you will see something like
+this:<br />
+<kbd class="optoff">Edit > Preferences > Audio > Some other
+Option</kbd>.
+</p>
+
+
<h3>Notes</h3>
-<blockquote><p>Important notes about things that might not otherwise be obvious are shown in this format</p></blockquote>
-<h3>"Context-click"</h3>
-<p>Many times the term <code>context-click</code> is used to indicate that you should (typically) right-click on a particular element of the graphical user interface. Although right-click is the common, default way to do this, there are other ways to accomplish the same thing - this term refers to any of them, and the result is always that a menu specific to the item you clicked on will be displayed.</p>
+<p class="note">
+Important notes about things that might not otherwise be obvious are shown in this
+format.
+</p>
+
+<h3>Warnings</h3>
+<p class="warning">
+Hairy issues that might cause things to go wrong, lose data, or impair sound
+quality is displayed in this way.
+</p>
+
+
<h3>Mouse Buttons</h3>
-<p>We refer to <a href="/setting-up-your-system/the-mouse">mouse buttons</a> as <kbd>Left</kbd>, <kbd>Middle</kbd> and <kbd>Right</kbd>. Ardour can use additional buttons, but they have no default behaviour in the program. </p>
+<p>
+We refer to <a href="/setting-up-your-system/the-mouse">mouse buttons</a> as
+<kbd class="mouse">Left</kbd>, <kbd class="mouse">Middle</kbd> and
+<kbd class="mouse">Right</kbd>. Ardour can use additional buttons, but they have
+no default behaviour in the program.
+</p>
+
+<h4>Mouse click modifiers</h4>
+<p>
+Many editing functions are performed by clicking the mouse while holding a
+modifier key, for example <kbd class="mouse mod1">Left</kbd>.
+
+</p>
+<h4>"Context-click"</h4>
+<p>Many times the term <kbd class="mouse">context-click</kbd> is used to indicate
+that you should (typically) right-click on a particular element of the graphical
+user interface. Although right-click is the common, default way to do this, there
+are other ways to accomplish the same thing - this term refers to any of them,
+and the result is always that a menu specific to the item you clicked on will be
+displayed.
+</p>
+
<h3>"The Pointer"</h3>
-<p>When the manual refers to the "pointer", it means the on-screen representation of the mouse position or the location of a touch action if you are using a touch interface.</p>
-
+<p>
+When the manual refers to the "pointer", it means the on-screen representation
+of the mouse position or the location of a touch action if you are using a touch
+interface.
+</p>
+
+<h3>Other user input</h3>
+<p>
+Ardour supports hardware controllers, such as banks of <kbd
+class="fader">faders</kbd>, <kbd class="knob">knobs</kbd>, or <kbd
+class="button">buttons</kbd>.
+</p>
+
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