Terminology
This glossary aims to provide a helpful guide to the language used in GemX documentation. It includes terms frequently used in the typographical world. Some GUI terms are closely modeled on entries in The Windows® Interface Guidelines for Software Design, Microsoft Press.
Access key
Key that corresponds to an underlined letter on a menu or control.
Active window
Window in which a user is currently working, or directing input. Typically distinguished by the colour of its title bar.
Alignment
Positioning of text within the page margins. Alignment can be flush left, flush right, justified, or centered. Flush left and flush right are sometimes referred to as left justified and right justified.
Anchor point
The vertically-dotted area in a toolbar or panel's title bar. Click here and drag when you want to move or re-dock a panel or toolbar.
Anchor
GemX term for a small marker inserted into a Note to pinpoint a precise location.
Ascender
Part of lowercase letters (such as k, b, and d) that ascends above the x-height of the other lowercase letters in a face.
Antialiasing
Process of removing or reducing the jagged distortions in curves and diagonal lines so that the lines appear smooth or smoother.
Backup
A duplicate copy of a program, a disk, or data, made for archiving purposes or to safeguard files from loss in case the active copy is damaged or destroyed. Some applications automatically backup data files, maintaining both the current version and the preceding version.
Baseline
Imaginary line on which the majority of the characters in a typeface rest.
Bit depth
The number of colors a picture can contain. This is normally limited to the values 1, 4,
(monochromatic), 8 (16 colors), 16 (256 colors), 24 (16 million colors), and 32
(true color). 24-bit color files typically display more colors than most people can detect.
BMP (bitmap)
A file format developed by Microsoft to display image content. It is a non-compressed, fairly space-wasting format that's used for user-interface graphics such as toolbar glyphs. The biggest advantage is that it loads fast into most applications, and supports virtually all color depths.
Body text
Paragraphs in a document that make up the bulk of its content. Body text should be set in an appropriate and easy to read face, typically at 10, 11, or 12 point size.
Boldface
Typeface which has been enhanced by rendering it in darker, thicker strokes so that it will stand out on the page. Headlines that need emphasis should be boldface. Italics are preferable for emphasis in body text.
Bullet
Dot or other special character placed at the left of items in a list to show that they are individual, but related points.
Button
1. A control device used by software to activate a function. Most often, a graphic element in a dialog box that performs a specified function. The user activates a button by clicking it, or pressing [Return] or [Enter].
2. On a mouse, a movable piece that is pressed to activate some function.
Cancel
Halt an operation or process and return to the state before it was invoked.
Cap height
Height from the baseline to the top of the uppercase letters in a font. This may or may not be the same as the height of ascenders. Cap height is used in some systems to measure the type size.
Centered
Text placed at an equal distance from the left and right margins. Headlines are often centered. It is generally not good to mix centered text with flush left or flush right text.
Character, character code
The word character is used differently in different contexts. In the context of modern computer systems, it is often defined as a code with a meaning attached. For example, the decimal character code 97 represents the letter a. In most operating systems today, character codes are represented by an 8-bit byte.
Character encoding
A table in a font or operating system which maps character codes to glyphs in a font. Most operating systems today represent character codes with an 8-bit byte. Thus, character encoding tables are restricted to at most 256 character codes.
Check box
Control element that a user can click to turn an option on or off. When the option is on, an “X” appears in the box. Check boxes are conventionally used when users may select one or more items from a list.
Chevron
In Windows, the marker in a menu or panel which shows that part of the standard toolbar is covered. When clicked, the hidden parts are revealed or more buttons are displayed.
Child object
An object that resides in another object, and implies relation. For example, a file is a child object that resides in a folder, which is the parent object.
Click
To position the pointer over an object and then press and release a mouse button.
Color
See typographic color.
Color depth
Essentially the same as bit depth. Refers to the number of colors in an image.
Color palette
Table of colors used when displaying an image. In some formats, this is limited to a certain range (for example, GIF files are palette-based images. Each pixel contains a pointer to a position in the palette. If you change the palette, that pointer directs the pixel to a different color (palette-shifting). The larger the palette, the more colors the image can display. Not all image types use palettes, some contain within their pixel data a direct color reference rather than a lookup value.
Combo box
Standard control that combines a text box and interdependent list box.
Command button
Standard control that initiates a command or set of options.
Condensed
A narrower version of a font, used to get the maximum number of characters into a given space.
Contrast
Subjective feeling that graphic elements (such as fonts) are different but work well together. This gives a feeling of variety without losing harmony. Within a particular font, contrast also refers to the variety of stroke thicknesses that make up the characters. Helvetica has low contrast, but Bodoni has high contrast.
Control
Class of software devices (such as a buttons, checkboxes, or list boxes) that allows you to interact with the software.
Control menu
System menu, usually displayed at the left end of a title bar.
Copyfitting
Process of adjusting the size and spacing of type to make it fit within a defined area of the page.
Cursor
The representation of a pointing device on your Windows screen, normally an arrow. Also, visible indication of where a user's interaction will occur.
default button
Command button invoked when the user presses [Enter].
Descender
Part of lowercase letters (such as y, p, and q) that descends below the baseline of the other lowercase letters in a font face. In some typefaces, uppercase J and Q also descend below the baseline.
Desktop
The on-screen work area in which windows, icons, menus, and dialog boxes appear.
Dialog box
Secondary window that gathers information from a user.
Dingbats
Typefaces that consist of symbol characters such as decorations, arrows and bullets.
Disabled
State of a control whose normal functionality is not presently available to a user (also called grayed, dimmed or unavailable).
Double click
To press and release a mouse button twice in rapid succession.
DPI
Abbreviation for dots per inch. Refers to the resolution at which a device, such as a monitor or printer, can display text and graphics. Monitors are usually 100 dpi or less, and laser printers are 300 dpi or higher. Also, the number of pixels an image has per inch of content.
Drop cap
Design style in which the first capital letter of a paragraph is set in a larger point size and aligned with the top of the first line. This indicates start of a new section of text, such as a chapter.
Drop-down combo box
Standard Windows control that combines the characteristics of a text box with a drop-down list box.
Drop-down list box
A screen-based control in which one list item shows, and the remaining items are hidden until users click on a downward-facing arrow.
Ellipsis
Punctuation character consisting of three dots, or periods, in a row. It normally indicates that a word or phrase has been omitted.
Em, em space, em quad
Common unit of measurement in typography. Em is traditionally defined as the width of the uppercase M in the current face and point size. More properly defined as the current point size. For example, in 12 point type, em is a distance of 12 points.
Em dash
Dash the length of an em which is used to indicate a break in a sentence.
En, en space, en quad
Common unit of measurement in typography. En is traditionally defined as the width of the uppercase N in the current face and the current point size. It is more properly defined as half the width of an em.
En dash
Dash the length of an en is used to indicate a range of values.
Encoding
See character encoding.
Event
Action or occurrence to which an application can respond. Examples include clicks, key presses and mouse movements.
Extended list box
List box that supports multiple selection, but is optimized for selection of single item, or range of items.
Face
One of the styles of a family of faces. For example, the italic style of the Garamond family is a face.
Family
Also known as a font family. A collection of faces that were designed and intended to be used together. For example, the Garamond family consists of roman and italic styles, as well as regular, semi-bold and bold weights. Each of the style and weight combinations is called a face.
File format
The actual data-type used by a file. For example, PG, GIF, BMP, and so on. It refers to the binary encoding method used to create the file.
Flag icon
Additional icon displayed alongside a Note's main icon (or other item's main icon) in Navigator Outline. Normally to draw special attention to the item. Default is a small gold dot.
Flag marker
This consists of both a flag icon and a flag name, and is displayed in Navigator Outline.
Flag name
The text part of a Flag marker that is displayed in Navigator Outline.
Flush left
Text which is aligned on the left margin is said to be set flush left. If the same text is not aligned on the right margin, it is said to be set flush left, ragged right. The term ragged right is sometimes used alone to mean the same thing.
Flush right
Text which is aligned on the right margin is said to be set flush right. If the same text is not aligned on the left margin, it is said to be set flush right, ragged left. The term ragged left is sometimes used alone to mean the same thing.
Font
One weight, width and style of a typeface. Before scalable type, there was little distinction between the terms font, face and family. Font and face still tend to be used interchangeably, although the term face is usually more correct. A font describes a certain typeface, along with other qualities such as size, spacing, and pitch. See also OpenType fonts; PostScript fonts; screen font; Type 1 fonts.
Font family
Collection of faces that were designed together and intended to be used together. For example the Garamond font family consists of roman and italic styles, as well as regular, semi-bold and bold weights. Each of the style and weight combinations is called a face.
Format
Structure for the arrangement of all elements on all pages.
GIF
Graphics Interchange Format. It is a palette-based format that supports no more than 256 colors, and it best for images containing solid-color areas. JPG is superior for most photographic content.
Glossary
Collection of pertinent terms used in a document, with definitions.
Glyph
Often defined as a shape in a font that is used to represent a character code on screen or paper. The most common example of a glyph is a letter, but the symbols and shapes in a font like ITC Zapf Dingbats are also glyphs.
Handle
Interface element added to an object that provides a control point for operations such as moving, sizing and reshaping (also called a selection handle).
Hanging indent
A document style in which the first line of a paragraph is aligned with the left margin, and the remaining lines are all indented an equal amount. This is sometimes referred to as outdenting. This is an effective style for displaying lists of information.
Header
Control information that appears at the top of each page.
Heading
Title, subtitle, or topic name at the top or beginning of a paragraph or section of text.
Headline
Short lines of emphasized text that introduce detail information in the body text that follows. Also the category of faces that are designed to work best in headline text.
Headline font
Font that has been designed to look good at large point sizes for use in headlines. Headline fonts generally do not contain a complete set of characters since they do not require a full set of special symbols and punctuation.
Hints
Mathematical instructions added to digital fonts to make them sharp at all sizes and on display devices of different resolutions.
HTML
See Hypertext Markup Language.
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)
A simple markup language used to create hypertext documents that are portable from one platform to another. HTML files are simple ASCII text files with codes embedded (indicated by markup tags) to denote formatting and hypertext links.
Icon
A small image displayed on the screen to represent an object that can be manipulated by the user. For example, the icon for Internet Explorer is a blue E.
Inactive window
Window in which the user's input is not currently directed. Typically distinguished by the colour of its title bar.
Insertion point
Location where text or graphics will be inserted. Also used in text box controls to indicate focus.
Italic
A slanting or script-like version of a face. The upright faces are often referred to as roman.
JPEG
Acronym for Joint Photographic Experts Group. An ISO standard for storing images in compressed form using a discrete cosine transform. JPEG trades off compression against loss.
Justified
Block of text that has been spaced so that the text aligns on both the left and right margins. Justified text has a more formal appearance, but may be harder to read.
Keyboard layout, keyboard mapping
Sometimes also known as a character mapping. A keyboard layout or mapping is a table used by an operating system to govern which character code is generated when a key or key combination is pressed.
Layout
Way elements are arranged on a page.
Leading
(pronounced: ledding) Amount of space added between lines of text to make the document legible. The term originally referred to the thin lead spacers that printers used to physically increase space between lines of metal type. Most applications automatically apply standard leading based on the point size of the font. Closer leading fits more text on the page, but decreases legibility. Looser leading spreads text out to fill a page and makes the document easier to read. Leading can also be negative, in which case the lines of text are so close that they overlap or touch.
Legibility
Mechanical ease with which material can be read.
Letter spacing
Adjusting the average distance between letters in a block of text to fit more or less text into the given space or to improve legibility. Kerning allows adjustments between individual letters, letter spacing is applied to a block of text as a whole. Letter-spacing is sometimes referred to as tracking or track kerning.
Ligature
Two or more letters tied together into a single letter. In some typefaces, character combinations such as fi and fl overlap, resulting in an unsightly shape. The fi and fl ligatures were designed to improve the appearance of these characters. Letter combinations such as ff, ffl and ffi are available in many collections.
List
Within Windows, the items that appear when you click a drop-down button and are given some choices.
List box
Standard Windows control that displays a list of choices.
Margin
White spaces around text blocks. Margins typically need to be created on the edges of a page, since most printers can't print to the very edge. White space also makes a document look better and easier to read.
Menu
List of textual or graphical choices from which a user can choose.
Menu bar
A permanently displayed menu spread horizontally across the top of the window below the title bar, that contains menus
Menu item
Choice in a menu.
Message box
Secondary window that is displayed to inform a user about a particular condition.
Monochrome
A black and white image. Not to be confused with "grayscale." Black and white is often used incorrectly, for example Black and white photos are actually grayscale photos. A true black and white image is made up only of dots of either black or white, with nothing else. How tightly they are packed, or how loosely, creates the illusion of other shades.
Multiple selection list box
List box that is optimised for multiple, independent selections.
Object linking and embedding (OLE)
A method for sharing information among applications. Linking an object, such as a graphic, from one document to another inserts a reference to the object into the second document. Any changes you make in the object in the first document will also be made in the second document. Embedding an object inserts a copy of an object from one document into another document. Changes you make in the object in the first document will not be updated in the second unless the embedded object is explicitly updated.
Oblique
A slanting version of a face. Oblique is similar to italic, but without the script quality of a true italic. Upright faces are usually referred to as roman.
Option button
Standard Windows control that allows a user to select from a fixed set of mutually-exclusive choices (also called a radio button).
OpenType fonts
Outline fonts that are rendered from line and curve commands, and can be scaled and rotated. OpenType fonts are clear and readable in all sizes and on all output devices supported by Windows. OpenType is an extension of TrueType font technology. See also font; TrueType fonts.
Palette
The table of colors used by certain image types, such as GIF. These files contain pointer" to a location on the palette rather than actual pixel color values. If you change the palette, the image also changes. Sometimes the palette is stored internally, and in other (rare) cases, the palette can actually be loaded from another file and applied to the image, changing how it appears.
Paragraph rules
Graphic lines associated with a paragraph that separate blocks of text. Rules are commonly used to separate columns, and isolate graphics on a page. Some desktop publishing programs allow paragraph styles that include paragraph rules above and/or below the paragraph.
Parent window
Primary window that provides window management in a multiple document interface for a set of child windows.
Path
A sequence of directory (or folder) names that specifies the location of a directory, file, or folder within the Windows directory tree. Each directory name and file name within the path must be preceded by a backslash (\). For example, to specify the path of a file named Readme.doc located in the Windows directory on drive C, type C:\Windows\Readme.doc.
PDF (Portable Document Format)
A file format developed by Adobe Systems for representing documents in a manner that is independent of the original application software, hardware, and operating system. A PDF file can describe documents containing any combination of text, graphics, and images in a device independent and resolution independent format. PDF is an open standard, and anyone may write applications that can read or write PDFs royalty-free.
Pica
Unit of measure that is approximately 1/6th of an inch. A pica is equal to 12 points. The traditional British and American pica is 0.166 inches. In PostScript printers, a pica is exactly 1/6th of an inch.
Pixel
Smallest discrete component of an image on a CRT screen (usually a colored dot). The greater the number of pixels per inch, the greater the resolution.
PNG (Portable Network Graphics)
A lossless bitmap image format. PNG was created to both improve upon and replace the GIF format with an image file format that does not require a patent license to use.
Point
Unit of measure in typography equal to 0.01384 inch. There are approximately 72 points to the inch.
Pointer
Graphic image that indicates the location of a pointing device.
Point size
Common method of measuring type. The distance from the top of the highest ascender to the bottom of the lowest descender in points. In Europe, type is often measured by the cap-height in millimeters.
Pop-up / Pop-under
A pop-under or pop-up is a window that is automatically invoked when a user loads, for example, a Web page. Pop-unders appear “below” the active browser window, whereas popups appear “above” the active window and can obscure screen contents.
Pop-up menu
Menu that is displayed at the location of a selected object. Also called a context menu or shortcut menu.
PostScript fonts
Fonts that are defined in terms of the PostScript page-description language (PDL) rules and are intended to be printed on a PostScript-compatible printer. When a document displayed in a screen font is sent to a PostScript printer, the printer uses the PostScript version if the font exists. If the font doesn't exist but a version is installed on the computer, that font is downloaded to the printer. If there is no PostScript font installed in either the printer or the computer, the bit-mapped (raster) font is translated into PostScript and the printer produces text using the bit-mapped font. PostScript fonts are distinguished from bit-mapped fonts by their smoothness, detail, and faithfulness to standards of quality established in the typographic industry. See also font; PostScript; raster fonts.
Press
To press and release a mouse button or keyboard key.
Primary window
Window in which the main interaction takes place (see also secondary window).
Progess indicator
Standard Windows control that provides a user with information about the state of a process.
Raised cap
Design style in which the first capital letter of a paragraph is set in a large point size and aligned with the baseline of the first line of text. Compare to a drop cap.
Raster fonts
Fonts that are stored as bitmaps. Raster fonts are designed with a specific size and resolution for a specific printer and cannot be scaled or rotated. If a printer does not support raster fonts, it will not print them. The five raster fonts are Courier, MS Sans Serif, MS Serif, Small, and Symbol. Raster fonts are also called bit-mapped fonts. See also font.
Readability
Ease with which a document can be understood. Involves vocabulary, sentence structure, and sentence length.
Resolution
The resolution of an image is its dimensions in relation to its DPI values. An image of high resolution means it can contain "fine detail" and typically has a high DPI value as well as a high pixel count. A low resolution image typically has a low pixel count, and a low DPI value. Screen resolution is usually very low, only 96 DPI.
Reverse
Technique of printing white or light-colored text on a black or dark background for emphasis. This technique greatly reduces legibility, especially with small type.
Roman
Commonly refers to the upright version of a face within a font family, rather than the italic version.
Rule
Solid or dashed graphic line in documents used to separate the elements of a page. Rules and other graphic devices should be used sparingly, and only for clarifying the function of other elements on the page.
Sans serif
Type face that does not have serifs. Generally a low-contrast design. San serif faces lend a clean, simple appearance to documents.
Scale (resize)
Refers to changing the dimensions or resolution of an image. This can make it print larger, smaller, or appear on the screen smaller or larger.
Screen font
A typeface designed for display on a computer monitor screen. A screen font often has an accompanying PostScript font for printing to PostScript-compatible printers. See also font; PostScript.
Scrollbar
A horizontal or vertical bar that scrolls the screen when the box (elevator, thumb) is dragged in the desired direction. (Also called a slider.)
Secondary window
Window that provides information or supplemental interaction related to objects in a primary window.
Separator
Entry in a menu that groups items together.
Serif
Small decorative strokes that are added to the end of a letter's main strokes. Serifs improve readability by leading the eye along the line of type.
Shortcut key
Keyboard key (or key combination) that invokes a particular command, (also called an accelerator key).
Single selection list box
List box that only supports selection of a single item.
Slider
Standard Windows control that displays and sets a value from a continuous range of possible values.
Spin box
Control composed of a text box and increment and decrement buttons. This allows a user to adjust a value from a limited range of possible values.
Status bar
Standard Windows control that supports a status bar (area displaying state information about the information being displayed in a window; usually placed at the base of a window).
Style
One of the variations in appearance, such as italic and bold, that make up the faces in a type family.
Symbol
Category of type in which the characters are special symbols rather than alphanumeric characters.
System
Normally refers to your computer, or the operating system. It's a generic term, used to cover both the hardware and/or the operating system.
System tray
This part of the Windows' gui is normally on the far right end of the task bar. It holds shortcuts to programs that load or install when your PC boots, and such things as a clock, and so on.
Tabular figures
Numerals which all have the same width. This makes it easier to set tabular matter.
Taskbar
The bar that contains the Start button and normally appears at the bottom of the screen.
Taskbar button
A button that appears on the taskbar and corresponds to a running application. See also taskbar.
Text box
Standard Windows control in which a user can enter and edit text; also called an edit field.
Title bar
The top part of a window that displays the name of the application and the name of the file in use.
Toggle
To alternate between two or more computer-related options, usually by the operation of a single switch or keystroke.
Toolbar
A permanently visible row of button icons that, when clicked, cause the program to perform some action such as printing the current document, or changing the mode of operation. Sometimes called a button bar.
Tool Tip
A small rectangular popup window that displays a brief description of a toolbar button. Also written as ToolTip.
Tracking
Average space between characters in a block of text. Sometimes also referred to as letter spacing.
TrueType
Fonts that are scalable and sometimes generated as bitmaps or soft fonts, depending on the capabilities of the printer. TrueType fonts are device-independent fonts that are stored as outlines. They can be sized to any height, and they can be printed exactly as they appear on the screen. See also font.
Type 1
International type standard for digital type, designed to work with PostScript devices and now available on almost every computer platform. More than 30,000 fonts are available in the Type 1 format.
Typeface
Letters, numbers, and symbols that make up a design of type. A typeface is often part of a type family of coordinated designs. The individual typefaces are named after the family and are also specified with a designation, such as italic, bold, or condensed.
Typeface family
Also known as a family. The collection of faces that were designed together and intended to be used together. For example the Garamond font family consists of roman and italic styles, as well as regular, semibold and bold weights. Each of the style and weight combinations is called a face.
Typographic color
The apparent blackness of a block of text. Color is a function of the relative thickness of the strokes that make up the characters in a font, as well as the width, point size and leading used for setting the text block.
Uniform Resource Locator (URL)
An address that uniquely identifies a location on the Internet. A URL for a World Wide Web site is preceded by http://, as in the fictitious URL http://www.example.microsoft.com/. A URL can contain more detail, such as the name of a page of hypertext, usually identified by the file name extension .html or .htm.
Unjustified
Depending on alignment, this term refers to text which is set flush left, flush right, or centered.
Vector font
A font rendered from a mathematical model, in which each character is defined as a set of lines drawn between points. Vector fonts can be cleanly scaled to any size or aspect ratio. See also font.
Weight
Relative darkness of the characters in the various typefaces within a type family. Weight is indicated by relative terms such as thin, light, bold, extra-bold and black.
White space
Blank areas on a page where text and illustrations are not printed. White space should be considered an important graphic element in page design. Effective white space is vital.
Width
One of the possible variations of a typeface within a type family, such as condensed or extended.
Window
Separately-controllable area of the screen that displays information.
Word spacing
Adjusting the average distance between words to improve legibility or to fit a block of text into a given amount of space.
x-height
Traditionally, the height of the lowercase letter x. Also the height of the body of lowercase letters in a font, excluding ascenders and descenders. Some lower-case letters that do not have ascenders or descenders still extend a little above or below the x-height as part of their design. Typeface x-heights can vary greatly at the same point size.