syntax - Changing case within quoted text


I'm familiar with the convention that square brackets may be used within quoted text to indicate word[s] that aren't actually present [in that exact form] in the original. It's often necessary where the original uses a pronoun, but you want your citation to identify the context-specific proper noun, for example.


My question here includes the closely related usage whereby the square brackets indicate optional [additional] text. I'm familiar with this convention in the context of programming syntax, where dir [Drive:][Path][FileName] means that any or all of the elements Drive, Path, Filename can be omitted.


But I was a bit confused by a recent ELU answer using square brackets to indicate that a lowercase letter in the original text had been changed to uppercase...



[D]uctility is a solid material's ability to deform under tensile stress



My natural inclination was to see the [D] as indicating an optional letter (i.e. - the word could be written as either ductile or uctile). So what I want to know is:



Is the square brackets = case change convention [still] valid, and if so is it under threat from the [later?] square brackets = optional material convention?





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