Glossary
This glossary describes terminology and acronyms used in the PageLines projects and by the PageLines tribe.
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A
anonymous #
A visitor to a website who is not currently logged in.
Apple Touch icon #
The Apple Touch Icon is visible when your users set your site as a webclip in Apple iPhone and Touch Products. It is an image approximately 57px by 57px in either .jpg, .gif or .png format.
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B
BoF
Birds of a feather. An informal discussion group. Unlike special interest groups or working groups, BoFs are informal and often formed in an ad-hoc manner.
breadcrumbs
The section, usually near the top of the page, that shows the path you followed to locate the current page. The term breadcrumbs is borrowed from Hansel and Gretel, who left crumbs of bread along their path so they could find their way back out of the forest.
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C
callout section
The callout section is as a ‘call-to-action’ for whatever action you want your users to take. This could be subscribing to your blog, or purchasing your product. The callout section is set up underneath “Template Setup” in the administrative panel. Callout has four options: image, text and link. Use the drag and drop interface to place this section throughout the site.
category
Each post on your website is filed under a category. Thoughtful categorization allows posts to be grouped with others of similar content and aids in the navigation of a site. Please note, the post category should not be confused with the Link Categories used to classify and manage Links.
child
Objects that can have hierarchical relationships, such as menu items, book pages, taxonomy terms and so on. A "child" theme, for example, is intended for extending and customizing the PageLines Framework to meet your needs.
CMS
CMS stands for Content Management System. In the context of a Web site, a CMS is a collection of tools designed to allow the creation, modification, organization and removal of content.
comments
Comments are a feature of blogs which allow readers to respond to posts. Typically readers simply provide their own thoughts regarding the content of the post, but users may also provide links to other resources, generate discussion, or simply compliment the author for a well-written post.
You can control and regulate comments by filters for language and content. Comments can be queued for approval before they are visible on the web site which is useful in dealing with comment spam.
content
The text, media files, and other information on a web site.
core
The basic files and modules included with the PageLines download.
CSS
CSS, or Cascading Style Sheets, is a W3C open standards programming language for specifying how a web page is presented. It allows web site designers to create formatting and layout for a web site independently of its content.
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D
domain name
Domain names were created to provide an easier means of accessing internet resources than IP addresses, which are cumbersome to type and difficult to remember. Every domain name has at least one corresponding IP address, but only a small number of IP addresses have a domain name associated with them, since only computers that are web servers require domain names. The Domain Name System (DNS) is what maps Domain names to IP addresses.
draft
The draft post status is for WordPress posts which are saved, but as yet unpublished. A draft post can only be edited through the Administration Panel, Write Post SubPanel by users of equal or greater User Level than the post's author.
E
excerpt
An excerpt is a condensed description of a post and refers to the summary entered in the Excerpt field of the Administration > Posts > Add New panel. The excerpt is used to describe your post in RSS feeds and is typically used in displaying search results.
An excerpt should not be confused with the teaser, which refers to words before the in a post's content. When typing a long post you can insert the Quicktag after a few sentences to act as a cut-off point. When the post is displayed, the teaser, followed by a hyperlink (such as Read the rest of this entry...), is displayed. Your visitor can then click on that link to see the full version of your post. The Template Tag, the_content() should be used to display the teaser.
F
feed
A feed is a function of special software that allows "Feedreaders" to access a site automatically looking for new content and then posting the information about new content and updates to another site. This provides a way for users to keep up with the latest and hottest information posted on different blogging sites. Some Feeds include RSS (alternately defined as "Rich Site Summary" or "Really Simple Syndication"), Atom or RDF files. Feeds generally are based on XML technology.
filter
A filter is a tool for stripping out HTML, PHP, JavaScript, and other undesirable elements from content before pages are displayed.
FTP
FTP, or File Transfer Protocol, is rather predictably, a client-server protocol for transferring files. It is one way to download files, and the most common way to upload files to a server.
An FTP client is a program which can download files from, or upload files to, an FTP server.
G
gallery
A gallery is specifically an exposition of images attached to a post. In that same vein, an upload is "attached to a post" when you upload it while editing a post.
In the uploader there is a "Gallery" tab that shows all the uploads attached to the post you are editing. When you have more than one attachment in a post, you should see at the bottom of the Gallery tab a button marked "Insert gallery into post".
'GUI'
Graphical user interface. A program interface that takes advantage of the computer's graphics capabilities to make the program easier to use.
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H
hook
A PHP function. Each hook has a defined set of parameters and a specified result type.
hosting provider
A hosting provider is a company or organization which provides, usually for a fee, infrastructure for making information accessible via the web. This involves the use of a web server (including web server software such as Apache), and may involve one or more related technologies, such as FTP, PHP, MySQL, and operating system software such as Linux or Unix.
HTML
HTML, or Hypertext Markup Language, is the W3C standard language with which all web pages are built. It is the predecessor to XHTML, but HTML is often still used to describe either one. It is often used in conjunction with CSS and/or JavaScript.
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I
IP address
An IP address is a unique number (e.g. 70.84.29.148) assigned to a computer to enable it to communicate with other devices using the Internet Protocol. It is a computer's identity on the internet, and every computer connected to the internet is assigned at least one — although the methods of assigning these addresses, and the permanence and duration of their assignment, differ according to the use of the computer and the circumstances of its internet use.
J
JavaScript
Developed by Netscape and Sun, JavaScript is a client-side programming or scripting language. It is used to create interactive and dymanic effects on a web page, as well as handle and manipulate form data. JavaScript is a separate language from Java. All modern browsers support JavaScript, with the exception of most text-based browsers (e.g., w3m). Some excellent JavaScript references and tutorials can be found at JavaScript Kit.
L
log
A list of recorded events. A log may contain usage data, performance data, errors, warnings and operational information.
(the) loop
The Loop is used by WordPress to display each of your posts. Using The Loop, WordPress processes each of the posts to be displayed on the current page and formats them according to how they match specified criteria within The Loop tags.
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M
A menu refers to a clickable navigational element on a page.
meta
Meta has several meanings, but generally means information about. In WordPress, meta usually refers to administrative type information. As described in Meta Tags in WordPress, meta is the HTML tag used to describe and define a web page to the outside world (search engines). In the article Post Meta Data, meta refers to information associated with each post, such as the author's name and the date posted.
Several PageLines features have their own meta fields that can be used to add specific information (e.g. feature background image etc.)
module
Software (usually PHP and CSS) that extends PageLines features and functionality.
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N
Navigation is the term used to describe text on a page that, when selected, redirects you to a corresponding page elsewhere on the website. Navigation may sometimes be referred to as the menu, links and hyperlinks.
O
open source
Open source is simply programming code that can be read, viewed, modified, and distributed, by anyone who desires. WordPress is distributed under an open source GNU General Public License (GPL).
P
page
A Page is often used to present "static" information about yourself or your site. A good example of a Page is information you would place on an About Page. A Page should not be confused with the time-oriented objects called posts. Pages are typically "timeless" in nature and live "outside" your website.
The word "page" has long been used to describe any HTML document on the web. In WordPress, however, "Page" refers to a very specific feature first introduced in WordPress version 1.5.
partner link
Enter your PageLines affiliate link here and the footer link will become a partner or affiliate link.
patch
A small piece of software designed to update or fix problems with a computer program or its supporting data. This includes fixing bugs, replacing graphics and improving the usability or performance.
permissions
Permissions are security settings restricting or allowing users to perform certain functions. In the case of files on Unix or Linux systems, there are three types of permissions: read, write, and execute.
PHP
PHP is a recursive acronym for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor. It is a popular server-side scripting language designed specifically for integration with HTML, and is used (often in conjunction with MySQL) in Content Management Systems and other web applications. It is available on many platforms, including Windows, Unix/Linux and Mac OS X, and is open source software.
The PageLines products and the WordPress CMS are written using PHP and requires it for operation.
plugin
A Plugin is a group of PHP functions that can extend the functionality present in a standard WordPress weblog. These functions may all be defined in one PHP file or may be spread among more than one file. Usually, a plugin is a php file that can be uploaded to the "wp-content/plugins" directory on your hosting account, where you have installed PageLines. Once you have uploaded the plugin file, you should be able to enable it from the "Plugins" page in the administration interface of your website.
post
Also known as articles and sometimes incorrectly referred to as blogs. In Wordpress, posts are articles that you write to populate your website.
post slug
A word or two describing an entry, for use in permalinks (replaces the %posttitle% field therein), especially useful if titles tend to be long or they change frequently.
post types
Post type refers to the various structured data that is maintained in the WordPress posts table. Native (or built-in) registered post types are post, page, attachment, revision, and nav-menu-item. Custom post types are also supported in WordPress and can be defined with register_post_type(). Custom post types allow users to easily create and manage such things as portfolios, projects, video libraries, podcasts, quotes, chats, and whatever a user or developer can imagine.
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Q
quicktag
A Quicktag is a shortcut, or one-click button, that inserts HTML code into your posts. The (emphasis) and (stop emphasis) HTML tags are example of Quicktags. Some Quicktags, such as , insert HTML comment code that is used by plugins to replace text or perform certain actions. Back to Top
R
roles
Roles are sets of permissions that can be applied to individual users. Users can belong to more than one role.
RSS
Really Simple Syndication: a format for syndicating many types of content, including blog entries, torrent files, video clips on news-like sites; specifically frequently updated content on a Web site, and is also known as a type of "feed" or "aggregator". An RSS feed can contain a summary of content or the full text, and makes it easier for people to keep up to date with sites they like in an automated manner (much like e-mail).
The content of the feed can be read by using software called an RSS or Feed reader. Feed readers display hyperlinks, and include other metadata (information about information) that helps you decide whether they want to read more, follow a link, or move on.
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S
sidebar
The sidebar is a narrow vertical column often jam-packed with lots of information about a website. Found on most WordPress sites, the sidebar is usually placed on the right or left-hand side of the web page, though in some cases, a site will feature two sidebars, one on each side of the main content where your posts are found. A sidebar is also referred to as a Theme Template file and is typically called sidebar.php.
smileys
Smileys (also called Smilies or Emoticons) are stylized representations of a human face, usually displayed as yellow buttons with two dots for the eyes, and a half mouth. Smileys are often used in WordPress Plugins. By default, WordPress automatically converts text smileys to graphic images. When you type ;-) in your post you see File:Icon wink.gif when you preview or publish your post.
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T
tag
A tag is a keyword which describes all or part of a post. Think of it like a Category, but smaller in scope. A post may have several tags, many of which relate to it only peripherally. Like Categories, Tags are usually linked to a page which shows all posts having the same tag. Unlike Categories, Tags can be created on-the-fly, by simply typing them into the tag field.
Tags can also be displayed in "clouds" which show large numbers of Tags in various sizes, colors, etc. This allows for a sort of total perspective on the blog, allowing people to see the sort of things your blog is about most.
Many people confuse tags and categories, but the difference is easy: Categories generally don't change often, while your Tags usually change with every post.
text editor
A text editor is a program which edits files in plain text format, as compared to binary format. Using a non-text based word processing program (e.g. using Microsoft Word to edit PHP scripts) can cause major problems in your code. This is because non-text based word processing programs insert extra formatting into text files, and can corrupt the files when they need to be interpreted by the interpreter. An editor like Notepad does not insert any extra formatting.
Edit PageLines and WordPress Files with a text only editor.
theme
A file or collection of files (PHP, INFO, CSS, JPG, GIF, PNG) which together determine the look and feel of a site. A theme contains elements such as the header, icons, block layout, etc.
typography
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type. The PageLines Framework Typography settings control the primary font elements that are displayed on your website.
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U
uid
uid refers to User ID which is the unique identifier for each user.
URL
URL stands for uniform resource locator. The address that defines the route to locate an object on an Internet server.
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V
W
web server
A web server is a computer containing software for, and connected to infrastructure for, hosting, or serving, web sites written in HTML. The most common web server software on the internet is Apache, which is frequently used in conjunction with PHP, Perl, and other scripting languages.
It is possible to create one's own web server, hosted on any speed of internet connection, but many people choose to purchase packages from Glossary#hosting_provider, who have the capacity and facilities to provide adequate bandwidth, uptime, hardware, and maintenance for frequently-visited web sites.
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