The change from Site Builder to SiteWorks and WordPress will introduce many terms, acronyms, and definitions, some of which may be unfamiliar to many Web Managers. This page lists the most commonly used.
A-F
TERM
DEFINITION
Alt Text
Alternative Text. A short description of an image that is used by screen readers to aid visually impaired site visitors.
Anchor
An anchor is the HTML code that creates a link to a specific part of a webpage, a file or URL.
Aspect Ratio
Relationship between the width and height of an image, e.g., x:y aspect ratio, the image is x units wide and y units high. The value is typically normalised (i.e. 1 to X).
Block Editor
The block editor is the current method for creating WordPress content. WordPress uses Blocks to compose and format content, ensuring that a content creator does not have to know HTML, PHP, or CSS.
Block Inserter
Feature used for inserting blocks into a WordPress document or webpage, allowing users to easily add predefined blocks of content, such as images, text, or forms, to pages or posts.
Breadcrumbs
An approach to navigating through a page’s or post’s block hierarchy. In WordPress, this is located in the bottom left of the screen.
Browser
A computer application with a graphical user interface for displaying and navigating between web pages (i.e. Web Browser). The most common are Edge (Microsoft), Safari (iOS), Chrome and Firefox.
Category
Categories are used to place posts into broad groupings of topics.
CMS
A content management system is computer software used to manage the creation and modification of digital content. WordPress can be considered a Content Management System
Contact
A person who can be contacted through the u3a website by being listed on the contact page. A contact cannot log in to the website (i.e. is not a user), A contact is typically a group leader or a non-office holder committee member.
Content Creator
A generic term for the person creating or editing material.
Cookie
Cookies are small pieces of information, which online services provide when users visit them. Software on the user’s device (for example a web browser) can store cookies and send them back to the website the next time they visit.
CSS
Cascading Style Sheets is a computer language used for laying out and structuring web pages.
CSV
Comma Separated File. A text file with a specific format that allows the contents of spreadsheets or similar documents to be stored and transferred between applications.
CTA
A call to action (CTA) is a prompt on a website that tells the user to take some specified action, for example, Join the u3a on a button, that takes the visitor directly to joining information, without using the navigation bar. They are designed to pull the reader into the site.
DNS
Converts the IP address to a URL and vice versa. For example, siteworks.u3a.org.uk (the URL) has an IP address of 3.9.68.54
EM
EM units are a relative measure in CSS, used for font sizing that is inherently responsive to its parent element’s font size. If sizes are nested, a compounding effect will occur.
Embed
Method used to access content from an external site such as YouTube or Spotify.
FTP
File Transfer Protocol, a standard way to move files between computers over a network.
G-L
TERM
DEFINITION
Group (u3a)
Several u3a members undertaking an activity led by a Group Leader or Convenor.
Group (WordPress)
Predefined collection of blocks (with or without content), provided by WordPress or created by the user.
.htaccess
Hypertext Access file(s) used to configure the server. These files must not be changed.
HTML
Hypertext Markup Language is the code that is used to structure a web page and its content.
Hypermedia
An extension of hypertext, which includes links to multimedia resources over the Internet.
Hypertext
Text displayed on a computer display or other electronic devices with references (hyperlinks or links) to other text(s) that the reader can immediately access.
IP
Internet Protocol, is the rules governing the format of data sent via the internet or local network. In essence, IP addresses are the identifier that allows information to be sent between devices on a network: they contain location information and make devices accessible for communication. The conversion between IP and URL addresses is undertaken via the Domain Name System.
.jpeg, .jpg
A standard image format for containing lossy and compressed image data, this is the recommended format for image files, (Joint Photographic Experts Group). There is no technical difference between a jpg and a jpeg file, except the length of the file name extension.
Link
A link or hyperlink allows a visitor to click between pages, or with a page to obtain the information they require.
Live Site
Several u3a members sharing a common activity will normally have a Group Leader or Convenor.
M-S
TERM
DEFINITION
Managed Hosting
SiteWorks is hosted on servers rented from a third party. Several processes, including updating WordPress and the core plugins, maintaining backups, and monitoring site security are undertaken by the u3a SiteWorks System Administrators in collaboration with the server provided
Margin
The space between the border of one block and the next block.
Padding
The space inside a block, between its content and the border.
Pattern
Predefined collection of blocks (with or without content), provided by WordPress or created by the user. A Group allows identical block structures to be applied easily to multiple pages.
Page
A Page adds content to a WordPress site and is often used to present “static” information.
Permalink
The URL that WordPress assigns to the individual posts and pages. The name of the page or post is placed at the end of the permalink and is termed the slug. Once defined when the page is created, it must not be changed or the page or post will be orphaned.
Production site
In SiteWorks, a website has been moved to the server, for final development and editing before making it public.
Pixel (px)
A pixel is the smallest addressable element in a display device or image.
Plugin
A package of open-source code that increases the core functionality of WordPress.
PHP
Hypertext Pre-processor – the scripting language used to develop aspects of WordPress.
Post
WordPress Posts, use categories and tags, together with a query loop to be published. When a post is published, it appears immediately in the location defined by its category and tag.
.png
Portable Network Graphic, a raster image file. This file type can handle graphics with transparent or semi-transparent backgrounds and is recommended for SiteWorks logos etc.
RAW
RAW files contain uncompressed and unprocessed image data, allowing the capture of every detail. The RAW file format stores the largest amount of detail out of any raster file type, which photographers can then edit, compress, and convert into other formats.
REM
REM (root EM) are always relative to the root element of the page, typically the html element. By using REMs, it is possible to ensure that the typography scales uniformly across the page because it is referencing a consistent base size, avoiding the cumulative issue observed with EMs.
Role
A user in SiteWorks is assigned a role, that defines their level of access and permissions. A user with a defined Role will have login credentials.
SEO
Search Engine Optimisation is the process of improving your website to increase its visibility in Google, Microsoft Bing, and other search engines, to give a particular u3a a higher ranking.
Slug
The portion of the page or post’s URL that is generated automatically by the system when a page is created – it is typically the page or post’s name. Once defined it must not be changed or the page or post will be orphaned.
T-Z
TERM
DEFINITION
Tabs
Part of the user interface that allows the user to browse more than one document at a time.
Tags
ATag is one of the default WordPress taxonomies. Users can add a tag to their posts with categories. However, while a category may cover a broad topic range, a Tag is topic-specific and smaller in scope.
Templates
The generic term for the page layout, which is defined by the theme. In SiteWorks, the page template is predefined.
Theme
A set of files that determine how your website looks and functions, including layout and standard colours. These are provided as part of the u3a SiteWorks distribution.
Thumbnail
A small image representation of an image, user for faster and easy access to media etc.
URL
A Uniform Resource Locator colloquially termed a web address, is a reference to a web resource that specifies its location in a computer network. The conversion between URL and IP addresses is undertaken via the Domain Name System. Normally pronounced as ‘you-are-ell’.
User
Someone who is registered on the SiteWorks website, and can log in with a unique username and password. A user will have a specific role (Administrator, Editor or Author).
VH & VW
The VH and VW units are units applied to user interface (UI) design elements. 1vh is equal to 1% of the viewport height and 1vh is equal to 1% of the viewport width. This allows for responsive designs as VH and VW are functions of the devices being used to display the webpage.
The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) is developing standards and support materials to help content creators understand and implement accessibility.
WCAG
The W3C developed Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) developed as part of the Web Accessibility Initiative,
Widget
A modular element that adds a specific feature to a website.
Web Manager
The person appointed by the u3a to oversee the development and delivery of the website. They will have Administrative rights.
