Glossary

The following glossary provides an overview of terminology used in this manual and in Drupal.

AccessibilityEnsuring that all users can access your content, e.g. ensuring visually impaired users can access content by using screen readers.

AGLS Metadata Standard

Australian Government standards that improve visibility of online resources through content metadata standards.

Block

A section of content that can be displayed in a variety of sections on the site. Blocks can either be editable or automatically generated.

Content

All the content on the website, including copy (words), images and other files.

Content Type

Content types are used to format and display similar pieces of content. GovCMS content types include Blog article, Event, FOI, News and media, Standard page, Webform.

Entity

Umbrella terminology commonly used in GovCMS/Drupal. The term can be applied to many different things - for example, the following are all entities:

  • Content

  • Users

  • Terms

  • Files

  • Comments

Module

Modules extend GovCMS/Drupal so your site can include certain features/functionality. They can be used like building blocks.

Note: Only developers can add modules.

Node

Node is another word (a technical term) for content. A Node Type is another phrase for Content Type.

Redirect

A redirect is a way to send both users and search engines to a different URL from the one they originally requested.

SEO

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is about creating a site that’s more likely to be returned in search results. Many factors affect SEO, including how a site is built, use of metadata, use of keywords, URLs, etc.

Tag

See Taxonomy.

Taxonomy

Taxonomy is about classifying things. A term (also referred to as a "tag") is a category. Examples are "blue", "carnivorous", "todo".

A Vocabulary is a group of Terms.

  • The "Colour" vocabulary contains the terms: "blue", "red", "yellow".

  • The "Status" vocabulary might contain the terms: "todo", "doing", "done".

Controlled vocabulary: A set of terms that’s unlikely to change, unless done as part of a broader change control process.

Term

See Taxonomy.

Text Format

Plain text format means text contains no formatting such as bold/italics, coloured fonts, different font styles, etc. Rich text format allows text to be formatted with colours applied, etc. In a CMS if you have plain text only, using HTML tags would not format the text. For example, if you entered <b>Bold</b> that’s exactly what would be displayed on your site. But if you’re using a Rich Text editor, it would pick up the HTML tags and Bold would be displayed on your site.

Theme

A theme is a GovCMS/Drupal extension that changes the way a website looks (and sometimes changes functionality). The default GovCMS theme has been designed with government websites in mind, however developers can add/change themes.

URL Alias

A URL that allows users to access a page using a short descriptive URL of your choice. E.g. /at/this/address

An automated alias is generated automatically and is based on predefined URL pathways. For example, it might include:

content-type/year/title and so the content might have the URL:

/news/2019/Minister-announces-data-funding

User

An authorised website user, also a GovCMS entity, that includes user information such as login details (username and password).

Vocabulary

See Taxonomy.

WYSIWYG

What You See Is What You Get. Another name for a rich text editor. WYSIWYGs allow you to format content without using HTML.

Webform

A content type used to create forms such as surveys and feedback forms.

WCAG Compliance

Compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure a website is accessible for all users. The WCAG are published by W3C (the World Wide Web Consortium) and are widely used.

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