Preface:

Preface Standards development within the Information Technology sector is harmonized with international standards development. Through the CSA Technical Committee on Information Technology (TCIT), Canadians serve as the Canadian Advisory Committee (CAC) on ISO/IEC Joint Technical Committee 1 on Information Technology (ISO/IEC JTC1) for the Standards Council of Canada (SCC), the ISO member body for Canada and sponsor of the Canadian National Committee of the IEC. Also, as a member of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Canada participates in the International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee (ITU-T).

At the time of publication, ISO/IEC 11581-5:2004 is available from ISO and IEC in English only. CSA will publish the French version when it becomes available from ISO and IEC.

Scope:

ISO/IEC 11581 applies to icons that are shown on a screen, that users can manipulate and interact with, and that represent data or computer system functions. This part of ISO/IEC 11581 addresses only tool icons. Tool icons represent functions by association with real life tools. This part of ISO/IEC 11581 describes user interaction with and appearance of tools on the screen. It also specifies the relationship between tools and pointers. Other types of icons are covered in other parts of ISO/IEC 11581.