---
title: 'User interface (GUI) guidelines'
metaTitle: 'Prisma docs style guide: GUI guidelines'
metaDescription: 'On this page you can find information about the Prisma guidelines for documenting UI elements and steps to walk users through interfaces.'
tocDepth: 3
search: false
---

## Use numbered lists to document UI steps

To document a complete task (such as _Create a new project_), use numbered lists to organize separate steps into a sequence of steps.

- Use indented numbered lists to document substeps.
- Avoid numbered lists that comprise more than 10 steps or steps that comprise more than 10 substeps.
- If you have more than 10 steps or steps with more than 5-10 substeps, consider separating into multiple tasks.

## Write each step as a single action with a clear verb

Each step (numbered item) must include a verb that guides the completion of the step.

```md
<!-- Bad -->

The status changes to **Completed**.

<!-- Good -->

From **Status**, select **Completed**.
```

Make sure that steps are discrete and that their related verbs sound instructive. Do not put more than one action in a single step unless the step finishes with the action to confirm or cancel that involves the click of a specific button or UI control.

```md
<!-- Bad -->

When you click **Invite Member** and the **Add member** pop-up opens, select the role for the new team member.

<!-- Good -->

1. Click **Invite Member**.
2. In the **Add member** pop-up, select the role for the new team member and click **Invite**.
```

## Document step results only for important outcomes

If you need to describe the results of a step, separate them with a line break so that they appear indented on a new line under the step.

```md
<!-- Good -->

1. Click **Invite Member**.<br />
   Your team member receives an email with a link to join the project.
```

Avoid the description of obvious results that happen when a user carries out a step.

```md
<!-- Bad -->

1. From the **Edit** menu, select **Copy**.<br />
   The text is copied to the clipboard.
```

## Format the names of UI elements with bold

Use bold for the names of all UI controls.

| UI element                      | Example                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| ------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| buttons                         | Click **Next**.<br />Click **Cancel**.                                                                                                                                                                    |
| radio buttons                   | Under **Payment method**, select **Wire transfer**.                                                                                                                                                       |
| checkboxes                      | • Select **Include sample data**.<br />• Clear **Include sample data**.                                                                                                                                   |
| drop-down menus                 | • From **GitHub Accounts & Organizations**, select an account or organization.<br />• From **Static IPs**, select **Enabled**.<br />• From **Branch**, select the repository branch for this environment. |
| links                           | Click **Learn more**.                                                                                                                                                                                     |
| menu names                      | Click **File**.                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| menu items                      | Select **Open**.                                                                                                                                                                                          |
| menu cascades                   | Select **File** > **Save**.                                                                                                                                                                               |
| hamburger menu / three-dot menu | • Click the three-dot menu and select **Make default**.<br />• Click the hamburger menu and select **Make default**.                                                                                      |
| tab                             | • Select the **macOS** tab.<br />• Click the **Network** tab.                                                                                                                                             |
| page                            | On the **Configure project** page, …                                                                                                                                                                      |
| window                          | In the **Payment information** pop-up window, enter the details for your payment method.                                                                                                                  |
| screen/tab                      | On the **Data Browser** screen, select a record.                                                                                                                                                          |
| pane/panel                      | In the **Configuration** panel, click **Network**.                                                                                                                                                        |
| section                         | Under **Accelerate**, select **Enabled** from **Static IPs**.                                                                                                                                             |

## Identify UI elements at the beginning of steps

When you document an interaction with a UI element, begin steps with a reference to the name of the UI element to help readers navigate and scan the listed steps more easily.

```md
<!-- Bad -->

1. Enter a name for your project in **Display Name**.
2. Select a GitHub account or an organization from **GitHub Accounts & Organizations**.
3. Select **Create a repository**.
4. (Optional) Enter a name for the repository in **Repository Name**.

<!-- Good -->

1. In **Display Name**, enter a name for your project.
2. From the **GitHub Accounts & Organizations** drop-down menu, select a GitHub account or an organization.
3. Select **Create a repository**.
4. (Optional) In **Repository Name**, enter a name for the repository.
```

## Identify optional steps

Add the text (Optional) at the beginning of optional steps. Do so even when they are written with an “If…” statement.

```md
<!-- Good -->

1. (Optional) From **Static IPs**, select **Enabled** if your database is behind a firewall and you can only configure external access from specific IP addresses. Copy the IP addresses and add them to the allowlist of your database.
2. (Optional) If your database is behind a firewall and you can only configure external access from specific IP addresses, then from **Static IPs**, select **Enabled**.

<!-- Bad -->

1. If your database is behind a firewall and you can only configure external access from specific IP addresses, then from **Static IPs**, select **Enabled**.
```

## Avoid excessive use of UI terminology

It can feel excessive to include the UI term for each UI element when you write steps for interacting with UI.

To make UI steps easier to read, in most cases you can omit the UI term for each UI element.

### Example 1: drop-down menu
```md
<!-- Bad -->

From the **GitHub Accounts & Organizations** drop-down menu, select a GitHub account or an organization.

<!-- Good -->

From **GitHub Accounts & Organizations**, select a GitHub account or an organization.
```

### Example 2: text box
```md
<!-- Bad -->

In the **Display Name** text box, enter a name for your project.

<!-- Good -->

In **Display Name**, enter a name for your project.
```

### Example 3: select the option
```md
<!-- Bad -->

Select the **Create a repository** option.

<!-- Good -->

Select **Create a repository**.
```

### Example 4: clear the checkbox
```md
<!-- Bad -->

Deselect the **Include sample data** check box to skip seeding the database with sample data.

<!-- Good -->

Clear **Include sample data** to skip seeding the database with sample data.
```

In specific cases, calling out the UI control name brings clarity and makes it easy to document a more complex step. Use your judgement and avoid this rule in such cases.

```md
<!-- Bad -->

- Under _Accelerate_, from **Location**, select the geographic location for Prisma Accelerate.
- Under _Accelerate_ and from **Location**, select the geographic location for Prisma Accelerate.

<!-- Good -->

Under _Accelerate_, from the **Location** drop-down menu, select the geographic location for Prisma Accelerate.
```

## Short and obvious steps

In the middle or at the end of a procedure, the final step is sometimes very short and obvious for readers.

- Click **Next**.
- Click **OK**.
- Click **Save**.
- Click **Done**.

Even if developer audiences do not need a reminder to save their files, specific cases exist in which omitting a short step can cause confusion.

1. Click **Delete** for the item you want to delete.
2. In the confirmation popup, enter the name of the item and click **Delete**.

In other cases, short steps are not really necessary but still complete a valid procedure.

One such example can be a **Done** button at the end of a wizard.

Decide based on context if a short step adds noise or if it is a must to have it.

## Do not document requirements for input fields (text boxes)

Text boxes or input fields in modern UIs typically provide immediate validation and feedback when users type in forbidden characters. Because of this, it is not necessary to list:

- allowed characters
- allowed text length

```md
<!-- Bad -->

In **Display Name**, enter a name for your project.

:::info

**💡 Note**<br /><br />

Follow the rules below when you enter a display name for your project.<br /><br />

• Include at least one letter<br />
• Keep the length up to 40 characters~~
:::

<!-- Good -->

In **Display Name**, enter a name for your project.
```

## Fall back to passive voice when the doer is difficult to identify

In some cases, it is very difficult to identify the doer in a sentence or the doer sounds awkward to name.

```md
<!-- Bad -->

The form automatically pre-fills the GitHub repository based on the project name you provide. In the repository name, the form replaces each space with a hyphen.

<!-- Good -->

The GitHub repository name is pre-filled based on the display name and each space is replaced with a hyphen.
```

## Match capitalization of UI controls

Document the user interface as it appears and do not alter UI text in the documentation to meet style guide or other requirements.

For example, if a button has the text CANCEL, match the all-caps in the documentation.

```md
<!-- Good -->

Click **CANCEL**.

<!-- Bad -->

Click **Cancel**.
```
