4.1 KiB
Translations
This documents the convention used for the text in the UI.
Tale of Two Cases
Title Case
All words are capitalized. In title case, articles (a/an/the), conjunctions (and/but/or/...) and prepositions (on/at/...) inside a phrase are not capitalized. Everything else is capitalized
- noun, pronoun, verb, adverb.
Examples:
- "Sign In to Your Account"
- "Terms and Conditions"
- "Getting Started with GraphQL"
- "Between You and Me"
Sentence Case
Only first word is capitalized.
UI Conventions
Keeping as much as possible in Sentence Case helps in sharing the same strings.
| Element | Recommended Style | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Headings | Title Case | Manage Account |
| Sub heading | Title Case | Create Admin Account |
| Section/Card | Title Case | System Information |
| Form Labels | Sentence case | Email address |
| Form Groups | Sentence case | Volume mounts, Data directory |
| Table headings | Sentence case | Memory limit |
| Info sections | Sentence case | Cloudron version |
| Buttons | Sentence case | Save changes |
| Radio Buttons | Sentence case | Option one / Option two |
| Checkbox | Sentence case | Use CIFS encryption |
| Menu action | Sentence case | Select all |
| Switches | Sentence case | Allow users to edit email |
| Descriptions | Sentence case | Enter your password to continue. |
| Tooltips | Sentence case | Click to edit. |
| Error Messages | Sentence case | Password is too short |
| Notifications | Sentence case | Settings saved successfully. |
| Legend (graph) | Sentence case | Docker volume, Box data. |
| Placeholders | Sentence case | Comma separated IPs or subnets |
Hints in brackets are small case. Like "(comma separated)".
Full Stops
Sentence fragments like form hints and tooltips (which are always visible) do not need a full stop. All other full sentences do.
Description has a full stop unless it's a hint/phrase.
instructional heading in dialogs (like the object being configured) should not have a full stop.
Switch UI description does not have a fullstop.
Setting item description does not need a fullstop (usually).
Checkbox labels do not have a full stop at the end.
No full stop → short labels, commands, headings, or action text (“Configure Service {{serviceName}}”).
Full stop → descriptive text or sentences explaining a setting (“The IPv4 address used for DNS A records.”).
Dialog Buttons
'Add' for addition 'Cancel' to cancel 'Save' for edit/update 'Remove' for non-destructive/less destructive things (app password remove) 'Delete' for destructive (user delete)
'Close' - Only for dialogs with the only button
Dialog Text
When asking for confirmation simply ask 'Remove app password "xxx"' . Don't use "really" or other emotional terms. Quote the password/domain name.
In general, we put just "Delete User" in Title and provide the username in the context.
Title = action (what you’re doing) Description = context (to whom it applies)
Description Text
| Context | Verb form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Action / Button / Instruction | Imperative → “Add” | Button: Add, Tooltip: “Add a new link” |
| Section / View description | Imperative → “Add” | Description: Adds shortcuts to external services on the dashboard. |
We use plural when possible. "Admins can ..." , "Operators can ..."