Glossary
If you are confused about the jargon used on this website rest assured you are not alone. How does a pingpack differ from a trackback? What is Akismet? This page aims to define all of the terms used.
- Action
- An action is a function or method that is run at a specific point or points during the WordPress execution. Developers can use a hook to add or remove an action.
- Administrator
- Administrator is a default role in WordPress. A user with this role is able to perform an advanced set of tasks related to managing the blog.
- Akismet
- Akismet is a plugin used to fight comment spam. It is developed and maintained by Automattic, the company founded by WordPress creator Matt Mullenweg.
- Atom
- The Atom Syndication Format is an XML language used for generating feeds.
- Attachment
- An attachment is a type of post. When you upload a file to the media library you may attach the file to a post or page.
- Author
- Author is a default role in WordPress. A user with this role is able to publish, edit and delete their own posts.
- Autosave
- When you are editing a post, the changes you make are automatically saved every 2 minutes. The editor will indicate when the entry was last saved to the database.
- Avatar
- An avatar is an image used to represent a user.
- Block
- In Gutenberg a block is a peice of content. A block can be a paragraph, an image or a full gallery. Many blocks are used together to form a complete page.
- Blogroll
- A blogroll is a list of links to various blogs.
- Category
- Categories help you group related posts together.
- Capabilities
- Each user has a role and is granted permission to perform tasks based on the set of capabilities assigned to their role.
- Codex
- This is a series of articles showing you how to use WordPress. The documentation is free and open and contributions are voluntarily.
- Contributor
- Contributor is a default role in WordPress. A user with this role is able to edit and delete but not publish their own posts.
- Customizer
- This is a tool that helps you customise your blog. Here you can change options, manage navigation menus and widgets and upload a website logo and icon.
- Dashboard
- This is the main administration screen for a blog. It will give you information about the blog using widgets that you can enable and disable.
- Database
- The database is where content is stored.
- Draft
- A draft post is a WordPress post that has been saved but not published. It is not available to the public.
- Editor
- Editor is a default role in WordPress. A user with this role is able to publish, edit and delete posts even if they are not the post author.
- Excerpt
- An excerpt is a summary of a blog post. It can be used in themes and RSS feeds.
- Feed
- A feed provides users with a way to keep up with the latest information posted on a blog. There is no need to visit the blog because their feed reader aggregates the content for them.
- Filter
- A filter is a function or method that is run at a specific point or points during the WordPress execution. The aim is to modify a value in some way. Developers can use a hook to add or remove a filter.
- Gallery
- A gallery is a set of images attached to a post.
- Gravatar
- This is an image that follows you from blog to blog. It will likely appear beside your name when you post a comment or publish a new blog post. The image is associated with an email address to ensure it is unique.
- Gutenberg
- Gutenberg is the new modern WordPress editor. It lets you write and format content.
- Hook
- A hook is an event that happens during the execution of WordPress. All attached actions and filters are run when the event occurs.
- Meta
- Meta generally means information about something. Information associated with each post, comment, user and blog is stored in the database.
- Multisite
- Multisite is a feature that allows a single WordPress install to have multiple blogs and share a single database.
- Network
- A network is a collection of separate blogs created using a single WordPress install. Multisite is the feature that makes creating a network possible.
- Options
- Options are items of data that WordPress uses to store preferences and configuration settings. They are stored in the database.
- Page
- A page is a type of post. The page post type is hierarchical. Hierarchical post types can have parent and child pages.
- Pagination
- Pagination is the process used to divide a long article. To improve readability each part of the article is shown on a different page.
- Permalink
- A permalink is a reference to a resource or article. Permalinks allow users to bookmark blog posts and pages.
- Pingback
- If you link to an article when writing a blog post and the article author has enabled pingbacks then they will get a pingback notification telling them you have linked to them.
- Plugin
- A plugin is a set of files written by a developer. It adds functionality to a WordPress install. Plugins can be activated and deactivated.
- Post
- A post is a type of post. The post post type is flat. Flat post types do not have parent or child posts.
- Post Format
- Post Format is a theme feature used to customise the presentation of a post. There is a standard list of formats available. These include aside, gallery, link, image, quote, status, video, audio and chat.
- Post Status
- The status of a given post determines how it will be handled. Public posts are given a publish status. Incomplete posts are given a draft status. Posts due to be published at a future date are given a future status. Posts to be reviewed are given a pending status. Private posts are given a status of private. Trashed posts are assigned a status of trash.
- Post Type
- WordPress has a lot of different types of content. A single content item is called a post. The main types of post are post, page, attachment and revision.
- RSS
- Really Simple Syndication is a type of feed which allows users and applications to access blog updates in a standard format. These feeds allow a user to keep track of many different websites in a single news reader.
- Role
- Each user is given a role and permission to perform a group of tasks.
- Shortcode
- A shortcode is a string of text used to embed content in a blog post. The audio, caption, embed, gallery, playlist and video shortcodes are all supported.
- Sidebar
- A sidebar is a vertical region of the page provided by a theme for displaying an aside.
- Site
- A site is a blog created to be part of a parent network. A site in a network is virtual in the sense that it will share the same database and file system as the rest of the sites on the network.
- Slug
- A slug is text that describes a blog post or a page. Slugs are usually a friendly version of the blog post or page title but they can be defined by the post author.
- Sticky
- A sticky post is a post that is always displayed first in a list or archive. These posts are usually presented differently to make them stand out.
- Subscriber
- Subscriber is a default role in WordPress. A user with this role is able to read.
- Tag
- A tag is a word or phrase which describes all or part of a post. A post can have several tags.
- Tagline
- A tagline is a slogan or phrase that describes the blog in a brief and concise manner.
- Taxonomy
- A taxonomy is a way of grouping posts together. category and post_tag are available in WordPress. The items in these taxonomies can be referred to as terms.
- Template
- A template is a file that defines a region of a page. In a theme there is usually a template for the header at the top of the page, a template for the main content and a template for the footer.
- Term
- A term is an item in a taxonomy. Terms have a title, slug and description. Hierarchical taxonomies can have parent and child terms. Terms can be used to group posts. If a set of posts share a term then the posts can be considered related.
- Theme
- A theme is a collection of files that work together to produce a view for a blog. A theme governs how the blog is displayed by defining the graphical design.
- Toolbar
- The toolbar is an area at the top of the page that lists useful admininstration screen links.
- Trackback
- A trackback helps you to notify an author when you write something related to what they have written in their blog. It is a form of acknowledgement.
- Transient
- A transient is data that is intended to be temporary. Transients can be stored in the database or in memory.
- Widget
- A widget adds content or features to a region of a page. WordPress has a variety of widgets ready to use.