Sample of computer output
samp
![](/img/semantax/jargon/samp.png)
The samp element is used to enclose text, generated by a computer program, when used within a longer sentence.
This allows the text to be rendered within a sentence in a way that distinguishes it from the surrounding words. Typically this is done with a monospaced font.
Example
Back when MS-DOS was the only major player in the world of
PC operating systems, <<samp Abort, Retry, Fail?>> became
a common way for programmers to tell the user that it couldn't
reliably continue.
Later on, Microsoft Windows replaced it with the equally
annoying <<samp Ignore, Retry, Cancel>> dialog box.