Capitalization for a bullet list

Question

The following is from some software documentation we are writing:

NOTE: Refreshing a report may be necessary or helpful when:

you believe the data in the report has changed since it was last executed
  you'd like to return the report to its initial state/condition

My question is this. Should 'you' in the first bullet item and 'you'd' in the second bullet item be capitalized?

Jimi Oke · Accepted Answer

It is a matter of style. Here are two options:

NOTE: Refreshing a report may be necessary or helpful when:

You believe the data in the report has changed since it was last executed
  You'd like to return the report to its initial state/condition

NOTE: Refreshing a report may be necessary or helpful when:

you believe the data in the report has changed since it was last executed;
  you'd like to return the report to its initial state/condition.

Create whatever rules you want for your software documentation and stick to them. As with all stylistic matters, consistency is key.

user3444 · Answer

Bullet point items should be capitalised if the item in question is a full sentence. Likewise, in that case they should also have a full stop.

Brandon Hastings · Answer

My opinion is that there are two possible cases.

Bullets may be used as part of a sentence or paragraph, in which case regular capitalization and grammar rules apply.
Bullets may be used as a sort of graphic communication (e.g. in a presentation) - in which case anything goes

For example, under case one, I might list

an apple,
a banana, and
a grapefruit.

In this case, I am interjecting bullets into my sentence, but the sentence should remain readable. This becomes more useful with complex lists, which may refer to

all fruit, except that which is

red,

green, or

yellow,

including, but not limited to

apples,
pears, and
bananas;

vegetables;
meat; and
legumes, unless

it is the 30th of the month.

In this case, the above list is in fact a grammatical sentence, but the bulleting makes it easier to read, and as such the capitalization should maintain it's regular sentence-based form.
However, if I want to do something graphical in a document, or for a presentation, I say anything goes which effectively communicates. I might do this:

Fruits

NO: Red, Green, Yellow

INCL. NO: Apples, Bananas, Grapefruits

Vegetables
Meats
Legumes (Except on the 30th of the Month)

Capitalization for a bullet list

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