Glossary Index
# | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
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A
Accessibility
Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, contribute to, and interact with the Web.
ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)
The Americans with Disabilities Act is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It guarantees equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in public accommodations, employment, transportation, state and local government services, and telecommunications.
Alt Text
A text attribute applied within the properties of an image that describes the image for the use of screen readers and will display if the image does not load correctly.
- Also referred to as Alternative Text.
API (Application Programming Interface)
A set of rules that allows programmers to develop software for a particular operating system without having to be completely familiar with that operating system.
B
Browser
A program with a Graphical User Interface is (GUI) used to navigate the Internet. Examples include Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Internet Explorer.
Bulleted List
A list of items, short sentences, or steps in a procedure is made distinct by using icons. Often alphabetized and indented.
C
Container
An area on a page that can contain widgets, text, or images. A slideshow or a calendar widget placed on a page is an example of a container.
Content
The information displayed on a website that includes, but is not limited to, text, images, videos, and documents.
Content Management System (CMS)
Content Management System is an application that is used to manage content, allowing multiple contributors to create, edit, and publish.
D
Department Header
Department headers or department header packages enable the landing page for a department within a larger website to have its own set of graphic buttons, global navigation categories, banners, and imagery. These differ from a subsite by still being part of the larger site, whereas a subsite stands alone. Department Headers having the same administration/back end versus separate is a determining factor for which customers choose.
Drop-Down Menu
A presentation option for menus in the global/main navigation that displays the menu in a long list of page titles with subpage fly-outs that pop out to the side when a user hovers over the page title. This traditional menu structure is also called a "tree and branch menu."
E
F
Feature Column
An optional area that can be placed to the right of the page content containing widgets relevant to that page, such as contact information, frequently asked questions, or relevant documents.
Footer
This area usually contains the organization’s address, sometimes seal/logo, contact information, useful links, or important FAQs at the bottom of your website.
G
Global Navigation
Menu items are displayed on the home page and across all pages that display multiple levels of links to pages, modules, and other websites when you hover over them. Typically found at the top of your website. Common examples include Government, Services, Community, and Help Center.
Graphic Button or Graphic Link
A link that is graphically highlighted (usually as buttons with a shape containing an image or icon) to draw the eye. These links may be carried to all pages or restricted to the home page only. These may include links to modules, documents, third-party websites or resources, other pages within the website, or other items of special interest to the community.
H
Hidden Page
A page that is published but does not appear in the menu or navigation structure from the front end of the site.
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996)
HIPAA is a federal law in the United States that required the creation of national standards to protect sensitive patient information from being disclosed without the patient's consent of knowledge.
Home Page
The "front page" of a website.
HTML
HyperText Markup Language: The language used to define the content of the site in a structurally meaningful manner.
I
Information Architecture
The content page structure of the site, including global navigation and all subpages beneath.
IP (Internet Protocol)
A set of rules for communication over the internet or a local network, such as sending mail, streaming videos, or connecting to a website.
IP Address (Internet Protocol Address)
The numeric address of a computer on the internet.
J
K
L
Landing Page
The first page of a section of a website serves as its main page. This may be a global navigation item or the first page within a larger section with many subpages, such as a city or county department.
Left or Secondary Navigation
On interior pages, left or secondary navigation is a menu of links to pages that will automatically display the subpages of the page currently being viewed. If the page has no subpages, the left or secondary navigation will display its sibling pages. Left navigation on the home page is an editable section of links to drive traffic to specific interior pages determined by the web administrator.
Linked Page
A menu item that redirects the user to another location such as a different page on the site or a third-party website; linked pages only contain a URL, a description, and keywords; they do not contain other content for the public to view.
Live Edit
The system built into the CivicPlusContent Management System (CMS) allows the user to edit and build content and use widgets from the front end of the site and see the changes in real time.
M
Mega Menu
A presentation option for menus in the global/main navigation that displays the menu in a large box that may span the width of the site automatically populates and contains the subpages for each section. Mega menus can also contain widgets, buttons, or other graphic items.
Module
Tools or components within the CivicPlus Municipal Websites Central Content Management System (CMS) are used to organize similar information or provide specific functionality. Examples include Calendar, News Flash, Notify Me, Agenda Center, and Community Voice.
N
O
P
Page Content
A page, or webpage, is visual web content encountered on an interior page of a website that is not module content. It may include, among other things, text, images, or videos.
Pages Widget
This widget automatically populates a clickable list of the subpages of the current page into the content area. If there are no subpages, sibling pages will be displayed. This is also known as a Dynamic Subpage. See more on the Pages Widget and other Content Widgets.
Permanent Links
Hyperlinks, contained most often within the footer of the site, remain consistent throughout. These can be customized per site but not per page. Common examples include Home, Accessibility, Copyright, Government Website by CivicPlus, Weather, Contact Us, or Site Map.
PHI (Protected Health Information)
Any information within an individual's medical record that can personally identify them and is created, used, or shared during diagnosis or treatment. Some examples of PHI are blood test results, phone records, and billing information from a doctor.
PII (Personally Identifiable Information)
Any information that could be used alone or with other relevant data to identify an individual. Some examples of PII include passport information, race, and date of birth.
Privacy Policy
A privacy policy is a statement or a legal document (in privacy law) that discloses some or all of the ways a party gathers, uses, discloses, and manages a customer or customer's data. It fulfills a legal requirement to protect a customer or a customer's privacy.
Q
R
Redirect
A method to easily and automatically direct visitors from one URL to another. For example, visitors to http://yoursite.com/events can be redirected to http://yoursite.com/calendar.aspx.
RSS (Really Simple Syndication)
A computer document format that enables updates to be easily distributed.
- Also known as Rich Site Summary
S
Section 508
Section 508, an amendment to the United States Workforce Rehabilitation Act of 1973, is a federal law mandating that all electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained, or used by the federal government be accessible to people with disabilities.
Site Map
A flattened display of the pages and navigation elements for our sites that is used to make bulk page changes on Sites, count the number of content elements on the site, and enhance site search engine optimization.
Slideshow
A set of images used in either content or design that are set to alternate or transition automatically. This can be achieved by using the Slideshow Widget.
SMS (Short Message/Messaging Service)
A technology for sending short text messages between mobile phones.
SPII (Sensitive Personally Identifiable Information)
Any data that if lost, stolen, or disclosed without authorization could result in significant harm, embarrassment, inconvenience, or unfairness to an individual. Some SPII examples include, but are not limited to, Social Security or driver's license numbers.
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)
SSL refers to a protocol for encrypting, securing, and authenticating communications that take place on the internet. Although it has been replaced by TLS (Transport Layer Security), SSL is still a common term used for this technology.
Subhead
A heading within page content that serves to increase scanability and assist the user in finding the content they need. Subheads are typically larger in font size and may be styled differently to emphasize their importance.
Subsite
A stand-alone website is usually related to a larger website which is called its "parent site". It may have a similar design or be completely unique. Examples include a city website (the parent site) and its parks and recreation subsite. Other common subsites include tourism, economic development, police, and fire.
T
Table
Similar or related data is arranged in rows and columns of cells.
TLS (Transport Layer Security)
TLS is a widely adopted security protocol designed to help privacy and data security for communications over the internet. A primary use of TLS is to encrypt communications between web applications and servers, such as web browsers loading a website.
U
URL (Uniform Resource Locator)
A Uniform Resource Locator is the address of a resource (such as a document or website) on the Internet that consists of a communications protocol followed by the name or address of a computer on the network and that often includes additional locating information (such as a directory and file names).
- Also known as a web address or universal resource locator.
User Interface
The user interface is the space where interaction between humans and machines occurs with the goal of effective operation and feedback.
V
W
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are part of a series of web accessibility guidelines published by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the main international standards organization for the Internet.
Web-Safe Font
Fonts are likely to be present on a wide range of computer systems that provide an increased likelihood that content will be displayed in the chosen font.
Website
A location connected to the Internet that maintains one or more content pages.
Widget
An application or a component of the interface that enables a user to perform a function or access a service. View more information about Content and Module Widgets.
X
Y
Z
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