Web Guidelines Glossary

Sites like http://www.webopedia.com/ provide more comprehensive glossaries.

Access keys

Keyboard shortcuts, usually to important links on a web page. Access keys are part of the HTML 4.01 specification, designed to help people who have difficulty using a mouse.

Accessibility

Every Web user should have access to the information and experiences available online. The nature of the Web and the tools used to create and access the information it offers means that some users, for instance, those with visual, auditory, or other physical impairment, have difficulty accessing Web content. The tenets and practice of the accessible Web aim to ensure these users' impairments do not prevent them from finding the Web a valuable resource, and that they have access to the same content that other visitors enjoy.

Alt text

Text that is used when images can't be shown to the user.

Cascading style sheets (CSS)

Usually separate text files that specify the appearance (CCS1) and sound (CSS2) of web pages. They "cascade" in the sense that one style can override another, so that users can change the appearance or sound of web pages to suit their need.

Commenting

Adding comments in code, like HTML, that help programmers understand how the code has been written. Comments are not displayed in browsers.

Compliance

Conformity: acting according to certain accepted standards. The ability to reasonably ensure conformity and adherence to organization policies, plans, procedures, laws, regulations, and contracts.

Cookies

Small text files send by web servers to your computer when you request certain pages. Browser manufacturers introduced cookies as an aid for e-commerce applications, but they since have found many more uses. Some people refuse to accept cookies because their purpose is not clear.

CSV

Comma-separated values: a well-established open format that can be opened by spreadsheet and database applications.

Deprecated

A term used by the W3C to suggest people don't use elements that are defined in their specifications, but which are not likely to be included in future revisions because there are better ways of achieving the same result.

Dithering

Using a range of available colours to simulate one that is not available.

DTD

A Document Type Definition defines the syntax to use when using mark-up languages like HTML.

e-GIF

Shorthand for the New Zealand E-government Interoperability Framework.

G2P

Shorthand for the term "government to people".

GCSB

The Government Communications Security Bureau

www.govt.nz

The name of the New Zealand government portal which can be found at http://www.govt.nz.

Host

The Internet Service Provider (ISP) that makes a website available on the Internet.

Image map

Regions of an image that can be defined in HTML, usually so that different parts of the image link to different documents.

ISO-8859-1

A character set that extended ASCII to incorporate some of the characters used in languages other than English.

ISP

Internet Service Provider

Javascript

A scripting language understood by most browsers that can be used to change the appearance of a page as a user moves the mouse, for example. Javascript is different from Java, which can be run independently of a browser.

JPEG

An image format in widespread use on the Internet. Sometimes shortened to JPG and usually pronounced "J-peg".

Lynx

A browser that shows only the text parts of a web page, including links. How a page appears in Lynx is a good guide to how a person using assistive technology will experience the page.

Metadata

A description of a resource, either online or offline, and where to find it. Metadata can be compared to a library card that tells you where to find a library book.

Metatags

A way of putting metadata into a web document. Metadata is not normally displayed in the browser.

Numerical character references (NCRs)

A way of denoting characters in HTML using a sequence of numbers so that a browser can display the character even if it is not available to the author.

NZGLS

Shorthand for the New Zealand Government Locator Service (NZGLS) metadata standard. The NZGLS is the metadata standard used describe the services and resources provided by government agencies in New Zealand.

Open source

Open source software is software where anyone can view and distribute the source code (see http://www.opensource.org/docs/definition_plain.php) .

PDAs

Personal Digital Assistants: small portable devices some of which can be used to browse websites.

PDF

Portable Document Format: a format that is suited to printing documents intended for paper rather than screen.

PNG

Portable Network Graphic: An image format suited to the web but not yet widely supported.

Portal

A website that is intended primarily to link to other websites.

Postmaster

The person responsible for ensuring the smooth running of an email service for an Internet domain.

RFIs

Request for Information: usually a public notice inviting vendors to provide information about technical solutions they offer for a briefly described requirement

RFPs

Request for Proposal: usually a public notice inviting vendors to provide a detailed proposal for a technical solution to requirement described in detail.

RTF

Rich Text Format: an open but evolving format that can be understood by most word processing software.

Scripting

The use of programming code, usually in the midst of document mark-up, that is interpreted and executed either by the web server or the users browser.

SGML

Standard Generalized Mark-up Language: a system for defining mark-up languages that preceded the web by a number of years.

Sitemanager

The person who variously creates, administers and maintains a website, or is responsible for a team of people that do this.

SVG

Scalable Vector Graphics: a W3C specification for a graphic format based on XML

Tab order

A way of specifying the order of elements on the webpage for people using the tab key rather than the mouse.

Thumbnail

A small version of a bigger picture that a person can use to assess whether it is worth requesting the larger version.

Unicode

A standard for a very large character set that encompasses many of the characters used in languages around the world.

URL

Universal Resource Locator: a way of describing the location on the Internet of a wide variety of resources and a method (protocol) for requesting a copy. A web address is an example of a URL.

UTF-8

A subset (albeit a large one) of the full Unicode character set that incorporates the macronised long Maori vowels.

W3C

The World Wide Web Consortium develops interoperable technologies (specifications, guidelines, software, and tools) to lead the Web to its full potential. W3C has around 500 member organizations

WAI

Web Accessibility Initiative: a W3C initiative to promote web accessibility.

Web bugs

Images fetched from a remote web server that are used by commercial organisations to monitor people's use of websites.

XHTML

A recasting of HTML as an XML application rather than an SGML language.

XML

Extensible Mark-up Language: a system for defining and extending mark-up languages.