Text Capitalization

These rules apply for text rendered to the user (e.g. GUI labels, console output, etc.). CamelCase is forbidden, except if you use a proper name that is already in camel case, like OpenWalnut, OpenSceneGraph, etc. Furthermore, there are two styles of capitalization used in OpenWalnut user interface elements:

Header capitalization

Capitalize all words in the element, with the following exceptions:

• Articles: a, an, the
• Conjunctions: and, but, for, not, so, yet etc.
• Prepositions of three or fewer letters: at, for, by, in, to etc.

The following are explicitly no exceptions:

• The second part of a word with a dash: Add-On, Auto-Display, Multi-Threaded etc.

Sentence capitalization

Capitalize the first letter of the first word, and any other words normally capitalized in sentences, such as application names.

Capitalization rules at a glance

Element	Style	OpenWalnut specific
Check box labels	Sentence
Command button labels	Header
Column heading labels	Header
Desktop background object labels	Header
Dialog messages	Sentence
Drop-down combination box labels	Sentence
Drop-down list box labels	Sentence
Field labels	Sentence
Filenames	Sentence
Graphic equivalent text: for example, Alt text on web pages	Sentence
Group box or frame labels	Header
Items in drop-down combination boxes, drop-down list boxes, and list boxes	Sentence
List box labels	Sentence
Menu items	Header
Menu items that are radio buttons or checkboxes	Header
Menu items in applications	Header
Menu titles in applications	Header
Module names	Header	*
Property names	Sentence	*
Radio button labels	Sentence
Slider labels	Sentence
Spin box labels	Sentence
Tabbed section titles	Header
Text box labels	Sentence
Titlebar labels	Header
Toolbar button labels	Header
Tooltips	Sentence
Webpage titles and navigational elements	Header

For a good example see the template module (WMTemplate). This guideline was adapted from http://library.gnome.org/devel/hig-book/stable/design-text-labels.html.en\#layout-capitalization