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Web Geek Terminology
When you read a book on web page building, ask a question about the web, check out a tutorial, does it seem like people are talking a different language? If so, this page is for you. Here are some of the common terms bandied about in web circles defined (I hope) in plain English. If you come across a term that isn’t here, please post it on the forum and I will include it in the list. These terms are not in alphabetical order, but are grouped by function.
| Term | Definition |
| URL | Uniform Resource Locator, sometimes called URI, is the format or name that the browser uses to find a web address. In the US, domain names are registered with the InterNIC, which then points the domain name to the primary and secondary IP numbers of the root directory and server (host) specified by the domain owner. The URL consists of the domain name (or number) and, in common usage, the directory and name of a particular file. The URL can point to a page, a graphic, a stylesheet, etc. The typical URL looks like this: http://www.foo.com/tofu/footwo.jpg or http://users.doofus.org/frodo/ring.html |
| HTML | HyperText Markup Language is the coding that makes a web page function. It consists of tags which structure and style the text and thereby determine the layout or the look of a page. |
| Tag | A little piece of code, enclosed in angle brackets (sometimes called less than and greater than signs, from mathematics). These tags are little instructions read and acted upon by the browser. A tag looks like this: <TAG> . The tag contains an element and may contain attributes. |
| Element | An element is the basic code in a HTML tag. Block level, in line and replaced are the common types of elements. Commonly used elements include HTML, HEAD, TITLE, BODY, P, A, IMG, TABLE, etc. |
| Attribute | A descriptor or modifier inside a tag. An attribute is always accompanied by a value. For example, <P align=center> . The tag contains the P (paragraph) element with the align attribute which has a value of center. |
| Property | Essentially the same as an attribute. Generally, the descriptors are called properties when set in style declaration. Common properties are color, size, width, height, etc. |
| Value | A value is always coupled to a property (or attribute) and defines or sets the value of the property. |
| HTML extension | Elements (or attributes) that are not in the official HTML specification, and which have been introduced by browser companies. Examples are BLINK, MARQUEE, BASEFONT, BGCOLOR, EMBED, BGSOUND. Avoid using these when possible, and if you do use any of them, be aware they may not work in all the common browsers. The function performed by most of these elements and attributes can be done with the accepted (that is, official) set of elements. |
| Deprecation | Term used in reference to tags and attributes that are being phased out of the HTML specification because there is another element or attribute replacing it. There are several reasons for this; for specifics, look through the HTML 4.0 specs site. Some deprecated tags: U (underline), CENTER, FONT, PRE. |
| Degradation | Cousin to “deprecation.” A page built using newer techniques such as style and script, will degrade in older browsers that cannot render the page properly. When using the new techniques, you should write your pages so they will “degrade gracefully” — that is, still look respectable and be readable in the older browsers. |
| CSS | Cascading Style Sheets is the preferred method for setting the style of a web page. The cascading concept comes from the way stylesheets work. The closer the style declaration is to the styled item, the more weight the declaration carries. That’s the cascade. This topic is covered in detail at the W3C site and in several tutorials. |
| Style | Style sheets and style declaration set the style or presentation of a page by defining the properties of elements used in the document. This allows the tags to set the structure of the document, while the style is controlled by the stylesheet and/or style declaration. |
| Escape Code | Also referred to as character entity. There are certain characters that have special meaning in HTML documents. When you want to use one of those characters literally , you must “escape it.” In addition, diacritical marks and special characters not available on the US/British keyboard can be created using the escape codes. Die schöne Müllerin requires umlauts, and I do that with escape codes. The escape codes always begin with the ampersand and end with a semicolon. The actual code can be a numeric entity or a character string. In some instances, the “escape” is accomplished by preceding the character with a backslash. Within the normal HTML document, however, use the codes. A complete listing can be found at http://www.uni-passau.de/%7Eramsch/iso8859-1.html |
| Hex Code | Hexidecimal code used for specifying color. Hexidecimal means “base 16” and therefore has 16 numbers within each “place”, just as the decimal system has 10. The numbers in hex run 0 to F. In the hex codes for color, there are three two-digit numbers, one each for red, green, and blue. Each color can have a value from 00 to FF (0 to 255 in the decimal system), hence over 16.5 million possible combinations. |
| JavaScript | An object oriented language that is extensively used on web pages to carry out various functions or produce visual effects. Not to be confused with Java, which is a cross-platform programming (application) language. |
| Browser | The program on your computer that navigates the web, reads html source documents and transforms them into web pages. |
| ISP | Internet Service Provider is the outfit that gives you access to the web. Some ISPs are also Online Services, but not all are. The place you dial to get on the net is your ISP. |
| IP | Similar to the ISP, but this is the company that provides your internet service such as web server space. The IP address is the numerical address of the server where a web site resides (the host) or an ISP or any other web server. |
| WWW | World Wide Web. Basically, it’s a huge network of computers all linked together. When you log on to the net, you are logging on to a worldwide computer network. |
| FTP | File Transfer Protocol refers to uploading or downloading material directly to or from a web directory. You may “ftp” to MicroSoft to get a software patch or you may go to an anonymous ftp to upload a program or report, or you may use the ftp to upload your webpage material to your website directory. |
| Spam | Unsolicited, unwanted mail sent in bulk by butt-heads. Sometimes used to describe advertising posted on a message board. |
| Flaming | Anything from being rude to writing nasty notes to spreading vicious rumors about someone in retaliation for a real or imagined slight or infraction. |
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