Glossary/Version 0.1

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355 words - here is the version 0.1.1 of the glossary of TYPO3 related terms, the reference document, what you have in the Backend in the moment. See also the glossary 0.1.0 xml-file, xml 0.1.1

DocTeam todo: check: if a link to documentation should work (one IS there at "access restriction") and why it is not available, nicetohave: T3Doc-interwiki-Link instead of the full one

Contents

it starts after the 4 minus-signs. publish-Date: 23.02.2006


TYPO3 glossary

Glossary of TYPO3 related terms (Version 0.1.1)

access control list

More info:

Other matching terms: access list, access restriction

access list

In TYPO3, a list of explicitly assigned permissions within a certain area of the system. For instance access to individual backend modules, database tables and fields is managed by specifically adding these items to an access list for a backend usergroup.

Other matching terms: access restriction

access restricted

More info:

Other matching terms: access restriction

access restriction

In TYPO3 frontend, the term for protecting a part of a website with a username/password. More specifically access restriction can work on all database elements in TYPO3, not only pages. Access restriction of pages in TYPO3 provides the means to create intra- and extranets.

More info: http://typo3.org/documentation/document-library/tutorials/doc_tut_quickstart/current/view/1/5/ How to create access restricted page

ACL

More info:

Other matching terms: access list

active state

For website navigation (menu items), active state is when the menu item represents a page that is found in the path (or rootline) of the users current position on the website. Not to be mistaken for current state or CSS a:active. For instance if a user is at "[Home] > [Contact] > [Email addresses]" then [Home] and [Contact] will be in active state while [Email addresses] will be in current state. Practically you can define how a menu item should be rendered differently in active and current state so that the users position on a website becomes visually clear from the menu.

admin panel

The admin panel is a very important and often underestimated tool. It is useful to:

  • control the HTML-output of TS objects
  • publish pages or branches of your website as static pages
  • control the frontend editing interface for users
  • control the caching behaviour of pages or branches of your website
  • show information about the current page
admin user

A user having all possible privileges in the backend.

administration interface

An alternative term for the backend.

Other matching terms: backend

administrator

In TYPO3 it is a person responsible for maintaining the website(s) and the installation.

alias

Every page can be given an alias. It is a unique identification string which can be used as an alternative to the page's UID. The alias field can be found in the page header, by checkmarking the "Show secondary options" checkbox. The length is by default 20 characters. If you are using the simulateStaticDocuments option to include the names of pages in TYPO3 URLs, alias will override the page title, allowing you to have one title in menus and at the top of the web page, and a different title in the URL.

Alternative backend

The name Alternative backend (AB) was coined with version 3.3b1 of TYPO3. Back then the Alternative backend was an 80% effective alternative to the Classic backend (CB) which has been the trademark of TYPO3 since the dawn of times. However the Alternative backend denoted a transition which had to be made. And with the final TYPO3 3.0 version the Alternative backend is the new standard. It has finally become the Absolute backend!

Apache

The most popular open source HTTP web server for Unix platforms (BSD, Linux, and UNIX systems), Microsoft Windows and other platforms.

API

The TYPO3 API (application programming interface) provides a set of commonly-used functions. Extension programmers can make use of the functionality of the API, so they don't have to program everything from scratch. The API is an abstraction layer.

attribute

An attribute is a part of a HTML tag describing it's properties. These properties may be visible like e.g. text color or the text shown by a text input element but attributes may also describe invisible properties like a name or id (identifier) of a HTML tag. Attributes are also used in Typoscript; The "sub-values" of Typoscript objects are commonly referred to as attributes.

authorisation

More info:

Other matching terms: permission

available extensions

This view in the Extension Manager shows the list of extensions that are located on the webserver. An icon marks the status: installed ("-", green) or not installed ("+", red).

backend

TYPO3 is divided into two areas - the backend and the frontend. All the administration of the website is done in the backend, this means only you and your content contributers are allowed access to the backend. A username and password is always required.

backend editor configuration

Generally a configuration in Typoscript syntax that can determine behaviour of the backend interface, eg. an editor. Specifically used for a stylesheet editor where the configuration was the basis for the style options given by the editor. The concept is considered obsolete.

backend login

This may refer two one of two things. First, it may refer to the backend login credentials, i.e. username and password needed to log in to the backend. Second it may refer to the login form that allows one to enter the backend of TYPO3. This can usually be located at the address of your website by appending "typo3/" to the URL. There you can login as a backend user.

backend modules

More info:

Other matching terms: module

backend user

User being able to login to the backend interface of TYPO3. This usually implies editor capabilities, i.e. the permission to change website content through the backend. A backend user may have restricted permissions, though, e.g. he may only be allowed to access visitor statistics.

backend usergroup

A backend usergroup is used to group backend users together. It allows to set access permissions to the page tree (by means of DB mounts), the file system (by means of file mounts) and the other options the backend of TYPO3 offers. To get access to the full range of settings, make sure to enable the use of ACL (access control lists) when creating a backend usergroup.

Basis template

A Basis template is any Typoscript template you create (ie not a Static template) and then include in another Typoscript template. In other words: create template A, save it in a page/folder, create template B, scroll the new template form down to "Include basis template", then click on the folder icon and find template A. This will cause template A be included in template B when B is parsed. You may include more than one basis template, giving you the possibility to have a master template that includes different subtemplates.

BE

More info:

Other matching terms: backend

BE user

More info:

Other matching terms: backend user

branch

A branch is a part of a tree. In TYPO3 this is usually the page tree. Each page represents a node where the tree can be split up in different branches by filling in additional subpages. It's very important to keep this picture in mind when using things like "leveluid"where Typoscript reference is speaking of "from behind" for negative values (which means "backwards from the branch to the root") and "outermost level"(which means "the place in the branch where I currently am").

cache

The TYPO3 website cache stores parts of the website (pages, generated or changed images, and other data) in special files and cache tables in the database. It's faster to retrieve pages or data from the cache than it is to build the pages or data from scratch. This speeds up the access time for the website substantially.

Cascading Style Sheets

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a system for formatting HTML web pages. When the Cascading Style Sheets are seperated from the HTML being formatted (in separate files or placed in the header section of the HTML text), they effectively separate the document content/structure from the document presentation. Other advantages include great flexibility in layout and the use of CSS improves the readability of HTML code.

children

Used in context of the page tree, it's a common term in computer-science, when talking about any kind of tree. Every page (except the rootpage) has got exactly one parent and to these parents all direct sub pages are children. In TYPO3 this means that each record or content element is a child of exactly one folder. The parent's uid (unique identifier) will be automatically inserted as the child's pid (parent identifier).

class

In webtechnology a class refers to a property of an HTML-element. Classes on HTML-elements are mainly used to layout a website using CSS. In object-oriented programming, a class consists of encapsulated instance variables and subprograms (methods). A class describes the rules by which objects behave; these objects are referred to as "instances" of that class. A class specifies the structure of data which each instance contains as well as the methods (functions) which manipulate the data of the object; such methods are sometimes described as "behavior".

Classic backend

The Classic backend was the only backend interface up to version 3.0 of TYPO3. It had a true multidocument interface, designed to minimize data transfer to the server. However the concept was a monster with 6000 lines of JavaScript involved. The Alternative backend that has superseded the Classic backend is now the standard interface to TYPO3.

clear cache

After making changes to a page you may need to clear the cache in order to see the changes in the frontend. This happens because TYPO3 may have saved the old version of the page in the cache. You clear a page from the cache by clicking on the "Clear All Cache" link in the backend, or by checking the "No cache" box in the page header form, or by checking the "No caching" box in the Admin Panel.

clear constants

More info:

Other matching terms: clear flag

clear flag

Used in template records. There are two clear flags: The "Clear constants" and "Clear setup" flags. It means that no Typoscript configuration code is inherited from template records earlier in the tree (closer to the root), if there are any. These flags should always be set for template records serving as main templates (rootlevel).

clear setup

More info:

Other matching terms: clear flag

click-enlarge

Option making it possible to click on an image to see an enlarged version in a popup window.

clickmenu

More info:

Other matching terms: context sensitive menu

clip board

More info:

Other matching terms: clipboard

clipboard

A temporary storage space used when you copy or cut information. To view the clipboard in the backend click on "List" in the left hand column then checkmark the "Show clipboard" box on the right.

clipboard pads

More info:

Other matching terms: numeric pads

CMS

More info:

Other matching terms: web content management system

COA

More info:

Other matching terms: content object array

column

More info:

Other matching terms: content column

condition

In Typoscript conditions is a simple kind of control structure, that validates true or false based on some criteria. The outcome of the validation determines if the following Typoscript code should be parsed, or not.

configuration

More info:

Other matching terms: TYPO3_CONF_VARS

Constant editor

A view in the template module which provides easy access through form fields to Typoscript constants. Is designed to allow less technical developers to customize Standard templates (or template records which carries meta-information for constants included). Is provided by the extension "tstemplate_ceditor"

constants

In programming language some data cannot be altered. They are constants. In PHP constants are identifiers which contain a value that can't be modified after it has been setup. Constants are not prefixed by $ sign and are set by the PHP function define(). In TYPO3 a constant is a predefined TypoScript variable that can be reused in Typoscript setup and/or PHP functions. Constants can be set manually or via the constant editor. Imagine lots of color values in a larger Typoscript setup that are all the same. Instead of writing the value itself a constant is inserted, giving the user the possibility to change these values by only changing the constant value.

content column

Content elements are organized in (by default 4) content columns. These columns, however, just represent four configurable placeholders for the content in the frontend. It is possible to add more content columns and to use TemplaVoila to get around the column-limitation.

content (default)

A Static template that contains predefined Typoscript objects for rendering the content elements on a page.

content element

Content elements are objects in the backend which cause content to be displayed on the frontend web pages. A page can contain one or more content elements. The information which a content element displays might be text, images, music, video, raw HTML, log in forms or email forms or whatever. Sometimes the content element contains information to be displayed and sometimes it refers to other information records, which are also contained by pages. Certain functions are available to every content element, for example they can be hidden by certain criteria such as time, accessgroups etc, the order of appearance on the web page can be manipulated and a few other things.

content element type

The type of a content element decides which content the element may contain and offers different ways of presentation of this content. Common content element types are: image, text, text with image, plugin, etc.

Content Management Framework

TYPO3 has an open API which allows you to extend TYPO3 in many different directions to tailor it to a particular need. Essentially it is this ability which means that it is more than just a content management system, it is a Content Management Framework (CMF).

Content Management System

A Content Management System (CMS) is software, usually a database application, that makes it easy to create and maintain content based publications (such as websites, magazines and newspapers) and to manage publishing formats associated with them.

content object

A category of Typoscript objects designed to generate and display content. Content objects (cObjects) are what makes Typoscript spin around.

content object array

In Typoscript a content object used for configuring an array of content objects. For example, a 'text with image' content element on a page might be configured in Typoscript as an array of three content objects: a title, an image, and some text.

context menu

More info:

Other matching terms: context sensitive menu

context sensitive editing

Editing of content at the place it is presented. Also known as "frontend editing". In TYPO3 this is typically implemented as a little pencil-icon shown close to the headline, text, image etc. that the user wants to edit. A click on the icon will bring up a formular where the content can be edited and saved right away. The concept represents a high degree of usability since it is based on intuition while it also introduces some limitations compared to regular backend editing.

Context Sensitive Help

Context Sensitive Help (CSH) is a help feature that changes depending on what you are doing in a program. In the TYPO3 backend there are small question mark icons beside form fields. Clicking on one of these icons will open a popup window containing information about the field. The CSH system reads PHP and XML files which contain form field explainations and word definitions. It reads them from the context_help system extension and other extensions. It stores the definitions in a nested associative array called $TCA_DESCR similar to $TSFE (where Typoscript configuration is stored).

context sensitive menu

A menu which appears in response to a user action (typically a mouse click) and whose contents are determined by which application window was clicked or has the input focus. The context-sensitive menu provides quick access to a subset of functions that are particularly relevant to the window area clicked on.

control element

An element which has a controlling function. An example is a domain or Typoscript template record. Domain records control by their position in the page tree where the entry point for a certain domain name will be. A Typoscript record controls the frontend behaviour of the page tree from the point where it is positioned.

cookies

An HTTP cookie (usually called simply a cookie) is a packet of information sent by a server to a World Wide Web browser and then sent back by the browser each time it accesses that server. Cookies can contain any arbitrary information the server chooses and are used to maintain state between otherwise stateless HTTP transactions. Typically this is used to authenticate or identify a registered user of a web site as part of their first login process or initial site registration without requiring them to sign in again every time they access that site. Other uses are maintaining a "shopping basket" of goods selected for purchase during a session at a site, site personalisation (presenting different pages to different users), and tracking a particular user's access to a site.

copy

To reproduce information or an object by placing it into the clipboard. The original content stays in place when pasted from the clipboard.

core

The core system of TYPO3 (tslib, t3lib, sysext)

CSH

More info:

Other matching terms: Context Sensitive Help

CSS

More info:

Other matching terms: Cascading Style Sheets

cut

The transfer of information (or objects) to the clipboard, from where it can be pasted into different locations. The original content is removed and remains in the clipboard only.

D-mail

More info:

Other matching terms: direct mail

database

A collection of organized information, stored in one location in a digital format.

database dump

File storing the contents of a database at a certain time, it's a kind of snapshot of the database.

DB mount

A DB mount (database mount) points to the page in the whole page tree which you want to become the root page in the page tree the user should see. It is used to give a specific user access to only a part of the page tree.

debug()

A TYPO3 API function which is used by developers to show the state of variables, etc at a point in time. The output of this function is shown on the webpage.

declarational configuration language

Typoscript is a declarational configuration language. It creates an information hierarchy used internally to instruct the template engine what to do and in which order - much like the registry does in Windows.

developer

A developer is someone who writes code for a computer to understand. In the context of TYPO3 he would be either contributing code to the TYPO3 core or writing an extension to enhance the functionality of TYPO3 in some way.

direct mail

Mail sent to large numbers of potential customers advertising a product, service or containing other information. In TYPO3 this is done by using a plugin that can create mails based on TYPO3 pages, determine which parts of the page should be sent to the user and then send personalised mails to each user of a specific recipient list. If the mail is containing links, clicks on these links can be tracked and used for statistics.

Direct mailer

More info:

Other matching terms: direct mail

directory structure

You are organising your files in folders or so called directories. The directory structure is the directory tree showing the positions of each directory.

document

In TYPO3, a general expression for the form page used to edit any database element in the system.

doktype

This is a field in the pages table. In the page header form it is called "Type:" and is more commonly known as the page type. It controls what the page does and how it looks. It can take on values such as "Standard", "Not in Menu", "sysFolder", "Spacer", etc. Extensions can add additional doktypes.

domain record

A type of record in the backend which includes a domain name (it represents a row in the table "sys_domain"). The record is contained by a page in the page tree, thereby indicating the entry point for HTTP requests to that domain. Used to support the multi-site feature of TYPO3. The TYPO3 equivalent to "virtual hosts" in Apache.

dynamic content

Often used about content that is selected from a database and formatted by a template when the website user requests it. This is what many CMS do and that is opposite to having a website based on static HTML files. However dynamic in this sense does not mean that the content changes all the time. Dynamic content can also mean that the content is constantly changing/updated. For instance the current time, a chat forum or stock rates.

edit icon

The edit icon (a small pencil) can be seen on various places in the backend. Clicking on it opens the form for modifying the associated content element. When using frontend editing the edit icon appears beside content elements the logged in backend user is permitted to work on. By clicking on the edit icon the form for modifying the content is shown (either in the page or in a popup window, depending on configuration).

edit panel

A text field where you can write and change a text and might use nearly all of your keyboard functions.

Edit Panels

More info:

Other matching terms: edit panel

editicon

More info:

Other matching terms: edit icon

element browser

The element browser allows you to browse through pages, the file system or elements inserted on pages. It's being used to select elements, place links or integrate files.

EM

More info:

Other matching terms: Extension manager

enableFields

enableFields are fields in a table which holds the value for either hidden/visible, start time, end time or user group access. The fields are pointed to by an entry in the "ctrl" section for tables in $TCA.

Other matching terms: visibility settings

enter Typoscript code

More info:

Other matching terms: setup

example templates

More info:

Other matching terms: standard template

ext_localconf.php

This file, if found, contains additional configuration of $TYPO3_CONF_VARS and other PHP class files for the relevant extension.

Other matching terms: localconf

ext_tables.php

If this file exists in an extension's root directory it adds configuration information about the tables, modules, backend styles, etc. of the extension. It may be used to modify the table configuration array (TCA) values of any table.

extension

A TYPO3 extension is a piece of code adding a certain functionality to TYPO3 without changing the original TYPO3 code ("core"). Extensions can be downloaded from the TER or loaded by hand by copying directly into typo3conf/ext/. They can be either plug-ins or modules. Plug-ins are such extensions that produce frontend material visible on the TYPO3 generated website (for example the News extension), modules are extensions that provide backend functionality (for example the Directmail or PhpMyAdmin extensions). There are also three types of extensions. Global extensions are standard with every TYPO3 installation and reside in the typo3/ext/ directory. Local extensions are loaded in the typo3conf/ext/ directory. If a local extension and a global extension have the same name the local overrides the global one. If you modify a global extension it's best to first copy it into the local extensions directory. There are also some system extensions located in typo3/sysext/.

Other matching terms: plugin

extension key

Each extension can be identified by a unique extension key.

Extension manager

The Extension manager (EM) is a module in the TYPO3 backend, used for management of extensions. Use it to load extensions from the TYPO3 extension repository (TER), install and uninstall loaded extensions, edit extensions, and delete them.

extension repository

More info:

Other matching terms: TYPO3 extension repository

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions, list of most common questions and the accompanying answers. You should look at these questions/answers before you ask one yourself.

FE

More info:

Other matching terms: frontend

field

a) An input control (like a text box or drop down box) in an HTML form. b) A column in a database table. The nomenclature for relational databases has changed in recent years with the advent of SQL. What used to be called database "files", "records" and "fields" are now called "tables", "rows" and "columns". The TYPO3 documentation uses the terms "tables", "records" and "fields". c) In Typoscript field refers a stdWrap function (see stdWrap) which returns one of the values in the associated array $cObj->data (which usually contains the record in the page table of the page currently being rendered).

file mount

More info:

Other matching terms: filemount

filemount

Similar to DB mounts, file mounts point to the directory (within the fileadmin directory) which the user will see as their root directory. They cannot then access any directories above this root. Multiple file mounts can be assigned to a user.

flexform
fork

More info:

Other matching terms: branch

FreeType

FreeType is a software font engine which, in TYPO3, is used in conjunction with the GDLib library to render text on images and creating items such as icons and menu items.

Other matching terms: GDlib

frontend

The frontend is the website that TYPO3 generates for you. This is what your visitors will see.

frontend editing

Frontend editing allows you to edit your website content from the frontend. You have to be logged in as a backend user for edit icons to appear by each piece of content, clicking these will open a form to edit that information.

frontend engine

More info:

Other matching terms: Typoscript frontend

frontend user

A frontend user can log into the website. They cannot change content (this is for backend users only). Frontend users exist because we can restrict access to information on the website to specific frontend users.

FTP space

More info:

Other matching terms: ftpspace

ftpspace

Webspace on a server accessible via File Transfer Protocol (ftp).

function

A named piece of code which returns a value. It is executed from other code giving its name and function parameters.

function menu

The selector-box found in the upper right corner of many backend modules. The selector box represents a menu by which the user chooses the specific function of the module in case a module represents a framework for a number of related functionalities.

GDlib

GDLib is used for drawing boxes and rendering text on images with TrueType fonts. It is also used for creating menu items in GMENU and GMENU_LAYERS. You will need to have GDLib compiled into the version of PHP you are using. If you want TrueType font support, you must also have FreeType compiled in.

General Record Storage page

For a branch of the page tree this is a page appointed to contain database elements of a general purpose for the site (opposite to eg. content elements specific for a single page). For instance this could be frontend users or an archive of news elements. The General Record Storage page is the suggested method of defining such an archive page but it depends on support from the extensions used on the site. A General Record Storage page is usually a sysFolder found on the root level of a website.

generate

In a CMS, to generate a page, image, menu etc. is to create it from some data source. Another word used for the same is "render".

GET method

The GET method is the regular way to request a webpage from a webserver. There is a possiblity to add some information to a GET request, which the page you just look at is also using. Within the browser you see this information in the adress field. If you got a "?" or a "&" character there, followed by a name, a "=" character and the value to submit, this value will be added to the GET request. The most common GET request within TYPO3 looks like "index.php?id=10". This request calls the "index.php" script and passes the value "10" named "id" to the script.

GIFBUILDER

An ImageMagick-based Typoscript object, that allows you to comfortably generate and compose images and text, using the simple syntax of Typoscript while having access to the possibilities ImageMagick offers.

GIFBUILDERobj

The type of graphical element used to compose a GIF, JPG or PNG file in TYPO3, using the GIFBUILDER method. It could be of the type TEXT which can print a text string onto the image using a truetype font. Or it could be the IMAGE type which will overlay an image at a certain coordinate. There are also effects, scaling, cropping and other useful things you might want to do with your images. Notice that the word GIF used in GIFBUILDER is a heritage from the past where only gif files could be produced with TYPO3 (today PNG and JPG are also an option).

global

Mostly in connection with extensions, those can either be installed global (typo3/ext) or local (typo3conf/ext).

global extension

More info:

Other matching terms: extension

GNU

GNU is a recursive acronym for "GNU's Not Unix". It is pronounced "guh-noo".

GNU GPL

More info:

Other matching terms: license

GPL

GPL stands for General Public Licence. It is the software licence that TYPO3 uses. You can find out more from the Free Software Foundation website

hard code

In programming, that a certain value is inserted directly in the programming code instead of being selected from some external data source.

hardcode

More info:

Other matching terms: hard code

hardcoding

More info:

Other matching terms: hard code

hide

In TYPO3, pages, content elements or records can be marked hidden to the frontend output.

hide in menu

More info:

Other matching terms: hide

hiearchy

More info:

Other matching terms: information hierarchy

hierarchy

The hierarchy is a system to organize items into collections and give them a hierarchy number. The hierarchy on computer systems is the same like it is with people in a company. One person on a higher hiearchy position has a couple of people under him with a lower hiearchy number.

HMENU

A Typoscript cObject; Renders a dynamic menu for the website based on the page tree hierarchy.

Hook

By means of a hook a developer can insert his own program code into an existing program. Hooks are provided where adaptions are expected.

hoster

More info:

Other matching terms: hosting

hosting

The service which includes the running of a web server and server applications and connecting it to the internet.

HTML

Hypertext Markup Language, a subset of SGML, is a kind of simple programming language for creating web pages.

HTML tag

More info:

Other matching terms: tag

HTML template

In TYPO3 an HTML template is a text file containing HTML and TYPO3 markers. Portions of the HTML template are extracted, text is substituted for the markers, and the result is output to web pages. HTML templates are a part of TYPO3's internal templating system.

Other matching terms: template

id

Id is the abbreviation of "identifier". It's a single string (often a unique integer number) which serves as a name for something. In TYPO3 each page has got a unique number assigned to it (uid = unique id, not to be mistaken for pid = parent id) which is it's identifier. Often you will see URLs like http://www.anydomain.com/index.php?id=123 In this case "123" would be the identifier of a certain page. Identifiers are used in TYPO3 to distinguish between different objects (pages, content elements, etc.) which may have the same name - like two pages named 'My diary'.

image block

Set of images created with the content element image or text/image (IMGTEXT).

image processing

More info:

Other matching terms: ImageMagick

ImageMagick

ImageMagick is a collection of tools and libraries to read, write and manipulate images in over 90 major formats including TIFF, JPEG, PNG, PDF and GIF. With ImageMagick you can create images dynamically and also resize, rotate, sharpen, color reduce, or add special effects to an image or image sequence and save your completed work in the same or differing image format. A 2D renderer is also included, which provides a subset of SVG capabilities.

imgResource

Typoscript content object containing a reference to an image file, i.e. the path and filename.

import

The import is a mechanism used to input many data into the TYPO3 using a batch process. The import feature allow you to exchange any kind of TYPO3 data, for example a page tree, with an other TYPO3 installation or within the same installation. Import is also used with stdWrap to get i.e. an image from the filesystem instead of creating it dynamically.

include access lists

More info:

Other matching terms: access list

information hierarchy

The organisation and structure of the computer data.

insert plugin

Most plugins can be inserted in two ways, either via site-Typoscript or by inserting it as a content element into a concrete page.

Install tool

A graphical user interface to configure TYPO3 system settings. These settings are being stored in the file "typo3conf/localconf.php".

Other matching terms: localconf

installation

The process to copy the files of TYPO3 to your webserver and to make the basic configuration steps. Only after a successful installation you will be able to start with TYPO3.

installed extensions

Extensions that are ready to be used in your TYPO3 installation. They are located in the local (typo3conf/ext) or in the global (typo3/ext) extension directory. There are also a system (typo3/sysext) extensions directory.

integration

Integration means you integrate foreign PHP-applications into TYPO3. For example a discussion forum as a frontend plugin or the database frontend phpMyAdmin as a backend module.

jumpUrl

A method that the typolink function of the frontend can use when linking to external URLs or local files (for secure downloads). Basically links using the jumpUrl feature will link to the current page with the GET variable "&jumpUrl=[URL or file reference]". When the link is clicked and reaches the server TYPO3 will redirect to the URL or document while still registering in the statistics that the link was clicked.

kickstarter

More info:

Other matching terms: kickstarter wizard

kickstarter wizard

Wizard interface for "kickstarting" new extension development. A handy tool for creating a framework for new extensions.

LAMP

LAMP is an acronym for a set of free software programs commonly used together to run dynamic Web sites: Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP.

Other matching terms: WAMP

language splitted

More info:

Other matching terms: languagesplit

languagesplit

Obsolete way of localizing backend labels using a token to split a string into localizations. Basically a string being "languagesplitted" could look like "Cat|Kat|Katze|..." where each part corresponds to the position of the language key found in the constant "TYPO3_languages" (in this case "default|dk|de|..."). This concept is obsolete and instead the locallang concept should be used.

languagesplitted

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Other matching terms: languagesplit

level

Mostly used in context of the pagetree. There are two ways to talk of levels: a) level means the "depth" in the pagetree, the shortest path from the rootpage to the page talked about. If page talked about is the n-th page in the path, so it is on level n b) level is also used when applying functions onto a page recursivly (and so also onto its subpages), in this context the given level means that the last page affected by the function will have n-1 children between itself and the page the function is applied to.

levels

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Other matching terms: level

license

The legal rights under which the software has been published. The TYPO3 core and most of the extensions are is published under the GPL license. Commercial software usually have licences based on users, processors, etc.

link

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Other matching terms: shortcut

List module

The List module is a backend-module used to manage both pages, page content elements, template records, domain records, users and groups, guestbook items and whatever elements TYPO3 is capable of managing In other weords it allows graphical access to all of TYPO3's different types of database records. The List module permits such operations as the editing, copying, pasting, and moving of individual database records, and also provides an overview of all database content associated with a particular page.

loaded extensions

Extensions which are installed and currently running in the current TYPO3-instance.

local extension

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Other matching terms: extension

local_lang

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Other matching terms: locallang

localconf

Refers to the file "typo3conf/localconf.php" where most of the global configuration values are set for a specific TYPO3 website. Inside that file the database connection information is found, configuration of installed extensions, values in the $TYPO3_CONF_VARS array etc.

Other matching terms: Install tool ext_tables.php ext_localconf.php

locallang

Refers to the primary localization concept in TYPO3 where a PHP file or XML file (preferred) contains localizations of backend or frontend text labels. A locallang file is normally a collection of labels relevant in the same context, for example a backend module or a database table. The localizations are added to the locallang files through web interfaces. The PHP version uses the interface on typo3.org where uploaded extensions are automatically subjected to translation. The XML version uses a TYPO3 extension that allows localization to happen on all installed extensions.

A typical language file can look like this:

$LOCAL_LANG = Array ( "default" => Array ( "username" => "User Name:", "password" => "User Name:", ), "nl" => Array ( "username" => "Gebruikers Naam:", "password" => "Wachtwoord:", ), )

mailing list

The various mailing lists represent the "nerve system" of the TYPO3 community. Discussion, information and helping others are the main ingredients of these lists. The mailing list can be accessed via mail (the traditional way) or as newsgroups, readable in common newsreaders. (Some are available as mailing lists only for security reasons).

main module

The "first level" in the menu of the TYPO3 backend. Examples are the Web, File, User, Doc, Tools and Help main modules that most TYPO3 users know. However, they are usually only representing submodules (eg. "Web > List" or "Tools > Ext. Manager") but can also be an active module in themselves (like Doc is).

marker

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Other matching terms: subpart marker

markers

A marker defines a certain place in an HTML template where dynamic content can be inserted. In TYPO3, all markers look like "SOMEWORD" . Using the TYPO3 templating utilities you can: substitute text for a marker, extract the text between two markers, substitute the text between two markers, or wrap the text between two markers.

Other matching terms: subpart marker

mentor

The mentor is a teacher who gives you the information and points you out the right way.

mentors

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Other matching terms: mentor

menu

On a website, a set of links systematically organized for navigation and typically displayed on all pages on the site. Often a menu reflects the idea of sections and/or a hierarchy of pages on a website.

menu item

A single element in a menu.

menu items

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Other matching terms: menu item

MENU object

In Typoscript templates, an object which defines how a menu level of the parent HMENU cObject is rendered.

MENU objects

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Other matching terms: MENU object

module

Also known as backend modules, they are extensions (plugins) for the backend. They provide some specific functionality to the TYPO3 backend. Examples of common modules are Page, List, Info, Access, Filelist and Images.

multi-site

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Other matching terms: multi site

multi site

Having multiple web sites in the same database and TYPO3 installation. The sites hosted that way can be completely different and not related. The admin has access to all sites but group of users can be setup to belong to each site separately.

multisite

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Other matching terms: multi site

MySQL

A very popular SQL database system, which is used in many open source projects for data storage, for example in TYPO3. It has a dual licensing scheme, offering licensing under GPL or under a commercial license.

name space

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Other matching terms: namespace

namespace

Namespaces allow developers to uniquely qualify element names and relationships to make these names recognizable. This can avoid name collisions on elements that have the same name, but are defined in different vocabularies.

navigation

This is the name for the user actions to click through the entry tree of a menu or the links a HTML website. It is the same as surfing on the internet.

newbee

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Other matching terms: newbie

newbie

The informal term newbie means a newcomer to a particular corner of cyberspace, such as a wiki, newsgroup, the World Wide Web itself or to an operating system. The word itself is likely a corruption of new boy, the equivalent figure in real life - usually observed as a new arrival in a school and who is, therefore, vulnerable to bullying of various kinds

niceText

A Typoscript option which is used to make text generated by FreeType/GDLib look nicer. It takes more CPU to do this but it usually gives a better result.

no_cache

Option that tells TYPO3 not to cache this content element.

Other matching terms: cache

normal state

For website navigation (menu items), normal state is the default state of a menu item. Other possible states are "active", "current", "roll over", "ifsub", "user" etc or combinations of them. The state of a menu item typically depends on the website users position on the website or whether they move their mouse over the menu item or not. When you define how a menu item looks, you always define the normal state of the item. Then optionally you can also define how the menu item should look differently if some of the other possible states should occur.

numeric pads

These are the three clipboards that are available in the TYPO3 List module if you have "Show clipboard" ticked. They help you to manage multiple elements effectively in the backend.

numerical array

An array is a kind of shelf, in every tray is a peace of information, and every tray has got an adress. If this adress is numerical it's a numerical array.

object

In the world of software development the word object refers to a useful well defined "thing", which doesn't really tell you very much since almost everything ends up being an object (or a class which is very similar). In TYPO3 there are three different kinds of objects. The first kind are the things you manipulate when you're editing a site from the backend. Backend objects include pages, content elements and records, and the many varieties of each of these types of objects. The second kind of objects in TYPO3 are Typoscript objects. They are defined in Typoscript templates and include things like plugins, frames, typolinks, text, images, etc. The third kind of objects in TYPO3 are the PHP objects in the code, many of which correspond to Typoscript objects because they are responsible for rendering the Typoscript objects on web pages.

object browser

The Typoscript code is inherited by the underlying templates for a page and can be changed in the setup field for a template. To get an understanding which code will be executed in the end effect for a page you can use the Typoscript object browser from the Template module. In the backend, select "Template" in the left hand column, select a page which contains a template, then in the upper right drop down box select "Typoscript Object Browser".

object path

The term for a full string identifying a Typoscript object, eg. "lib.myMenu", "page.10.5.file", "config.simulateStaticDocuments", "RTE.default" etc.

optionSplit

Complex syntax used in the Typoscript configuration that build HMENU cObjects and while using the stdWrap.split function. All values subjected to "optionSplit" are exploded based on the tokens "||" and "|*|", combined with the number of items the menu or split is comprised of. The goal of optionSplit is to provide a very flexible way of setting alternative values for eg. first and last elements in a menu etc. The full meaning is explained in Typoscript reference by a number of examples to go by.

Other matching terms: content object array

out-of-the-box

More info:

Other matching terms: out of the box

out of the box

About functionality, that something is delivered by default and ready to use right away without a lot of hassle or procedures to go through.

package

A package is a collection of files which is geared to help you get TYPO3 up and running for a particular purpose as quickly as possible. They can be found in the Download section on typo3.org

page content

A collection of content elements which will be shown when the user browses to a page.

page header

The form which allows you to edit the properties of a page.

page icon

Within the TYPO3 backend you've got a page tree, which shows you the whole structure of your website. At the left side of every pagetitle is an icon, that's the page icon. If you click on it, a contextmenu appears.

page module

Refers to the "Web > Page" module in the backend of TYPO3 or a simular module used as the primary environment for editing pages. (Other examples include the page module provided by the extension "templavoila" which introduces an alternative concept for page composition).

page properties

More info:

Other matching terms: page header

page title

A field in the page header which contains a name for the page. It is used in TYPO3 generated menus and also in the web page's HTML tag.

page tree

The hierarchical structure of pages found in the TYPO3 backend. Used to organize database content in TYPO3 and works conceptually like a file system directory structure. In most cases the page tree also represents the navigation hierarchy of the website managed by TYPO3.

page TSconfig

Typoscript that configures the behavior of pages in the backend. You can find it, if you edit the page header.

pagetree

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Other matching terms: page tree

parameter

A parameter is a value which is passed to a PHP script, any kind of function or executable.

parent

A parent in a hiearchy structure is the object which is one position higher than the other object.

Other matching terms: hierarchy

parent id

More info:

Other matching terms: pid

parseFunc

In Typoscript parseFunc allows you to examine and change text that has been entered into forms in the backend before the text is saved into or fetched from the database (usually it's the bodytext field of a content element form). parseFunc lets you deny certain HTML tags, only allow certain tags, substitute for custom tags, substitute for markers, edit links, etc. If you are entering some text into a content element (like ) and every time you save the form the text disappears, it's because of the how the parseFunc is configured.

password

The secret text sequence to get access to the user account. For the install tool use "joh316" and for the TYPO3 dummy.zip file "password" as your standard password. For security reasons you should change the standard passwords as soon as possible.

password protected pages

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Other matching terms: access restriction

paste after

Paste the content of the clipboard at the same level as the selected page. It becomes a child of the parent of the selected page and becomes pasted below the selected page, and the former page that was in this position is moved down.

paste into

Paste the element currently in the clipboard as a subelement of the selected page.

permission

The user rights to do some jobs in the backend or frontend.

Other matching terms: password

PHP

PHP is an open source scripting language, mostly used for server-side applications and dynamic content for the web. TYPO3 is written in PHP.

PHP-function

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Other matching terms: PHP function

PHP function

A PHP function is a named program code written in a PHP-file (extension .php). All the code in one function belongs together. It gets parameters to be calculated with, does some work and returns a value as the result to the calling line in the PHP program code.

pid

Parent id, an unique number representing a single page in the TYPO3 installation. Not to be mistaken for page id which is in fact a uid.

plugin

A plugin is a type of extension that produce frontend material visible on the TYPO3 generated website (for example the News extension).

Other matching terms: extension

Pop-up window

A pop-up window is a small window which is shown as soon as you click, or move your mouse cursor above, a special position on the screen. Usually it opens up a text box or an image.

popup window

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Other matching terms: Pop-up window

POST method

All websites consist of HTML and mostly JavaScript-code, even if they are written in a programming language like PHP. The POST method is used to pass filled-in data from a dialog form to the web server, when pressing a Send-button. The method is set by the "method=post" attribute in the HTML FORM tag. This method sends all the form data without showing it in the URL line of the browser. Attached files always has to be sent by the POST method.

preview

A preview gives you a cutted or resized glimpse at a document, sound, image or other meta file. In TYPO3 this is the view of a hidden or restricted page, before it is made public. Only backend users can preview hidden or restricted pages.

primary form fields

The most significant fields shown in record editing forms in TYPO3. These fields are always shown to the user. The counterpart are "secondary form fields", which may be hidden from all or some users.

property

A property is the combination of an element name and its textual or numerical value. A property has a name e.g. "color" and a value e.g. "green" or "#234332" (which is a RGB number for a color).

publishing control fields

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Other matching terms: visibility settings

RDCT

(index.php hash parameter to make long URLs short for emails etc.)

real-time processing

A computer program processes in real-time when it does its calculations continuously and is not interrupted by other processes of the computer. This is necessary to be sure that a certain job can be done in a guaranteed time space.

record

A record is an object in the backend used to store any sort of information. Examples are: addresses, products, users, groups, templates, news items, catagories, domain names, etc. Records are contained by pages. The information stored in a record does not, in and of itself, appear on a web page in the frontend. In order for a record to be displayed in the frontend a page must contain a content element whose job is to display the record(s). You can add records to any page in the backend by clicking on "List" in the left hand column, selecting the page you want to add to, and then clicking "Create new record" on the right. In TYPO3 programming, a record represents a row in some table which relates to the page table other than the content elements table (tt_content).

recursively

If one function calls itself, this means to be recursive. In TYPO3 it means "not limited to the current or selected page(s)". It is used in conjunction with the starting point for different plugins. The starting point marks the base node and recursive is used to determine how many levels you want to dive into the subpages to get records. Possible values are "empty" (only the current page or the starting point is used), 1, 2, 3 or 4 levels and "infinite".

resources

A resource could be a text or a graphic file or a collection of other resources. But also human beings, corporations and bound books in a library can also be considered resources.

reviewing

This is the process where several developers examine the source code or document written by another person.

Rich Text Editor

A WYSIWYG ("what you see is what you get") editor for adding content. It's being used in various content elements and extensions.

roll over

More info:

Other matching terms: rollover state

roll over state

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Other matching terms: rollover state

rollover

More info:

Other matching terms: rollover state

rollover state

For website navigation (menu items), the state of a menu item when a website user positions the mouse cursor over the item. Practically the roll over state lets you define how menu items should change their visual appearance when the mouse cursor is moved over the item.

root level

A starting point. Websites made with TYPO3 always have a single root page in the page tree; From this point in the page tree and outwards all pages belong to that website. Root points for websites are defined by the "control element" called a Typoscript template record.

root level flag

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Other matching terms: rootlevel flag

root line

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Other matching terms: rootline

root of page tree

This is the starting point where you begin to create your TYPO3 homepages. The next steps will be to create a new page and a template for that page.

root page

The first page of your homepage is called the root page. As soon as a client enters the full URL address of your homepage into his browser client, your root page will be loaded and shown.

rootlevel flag

In a Typoscript template form, this is a checkbox that defines that the record should start a new website root from that point in the page tree.

rootlevel root level flag

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Other matching terms: root level

rootline

The current position or "path" in the page tree hierarchy. The term is normally used technically like "in the rootline" which means that a value is found in one of the page records that are found when going up the page tree to its root. In the backend the rootline normally extends all the way to the physical page tree root. In the frontend the rootline normally stops at the root page of the website indicated by the main template record.

rootpage

More info:

Other matching terms: root page

RTE

More info:

Other matching terms: Rich Text Editor

secondary form fields

The less significant form fields shown in record editing forms in TYPO3. These appear in two ways depending on configuration: By default they are shown in the vertical top-frame of TYPO3 when a user places the cursor in a primary form field. Alternatively, they are shown under a primary form field, indented a little (if the "Show secondary options" checkbox is enabled). The point of this feature is to prioritize a large number of form fields so the interface is not cluttered with more rarely used options. A group of secondary form fields are always located in relation to a primary field and the group is sometimes referred to as a "palette" (of tools).

secondary options

Options normaly hidden because they are not often used.

Other matching terms: secondary form fields

selective editing

Editing only certain parts of a bunch of content elements, like title, visibiltiy, access etc.

selector

The selector is an HTML element which is used in a form to enter data. It is drawn as a box with a lot of entries from where you can choose on or more items.

setup

This text field contains the raw Typoscript in a Typoscript template. This code can be overwritten by other Typoscript templates which are parsed after this one. The setup field can be changed in the Template module after selecting the Info/Modify popup menu entry.

setup field

More info:

Other matching terms: setup

shortcut

Shortcut is a link from one page to another page in the page tree. This is used to make it possible that the page the link points to, will be shown as soon as a user browses to the page containing the link. In addition to this, shortcuts will appear as a menu entries. They can be used to insert certain pages into a menu even though the are outside the branch the menu currently displays. Comes in handy when you are using parent pages without content just to categorize navigation menu. In this case the shortcut can be set to display the first subpage of the shortcut page.

show subpage

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Other matching terms: shortcut

simulateStaticDocuments

A way to use the Apache module mod_rewrite to redirect all requests to index.php and manipulate the links generated by TYPO3 to appear to be static. But in fact they are just being rewritten by mod_rewrite and parsed by index.php.

soft references

The Import/Export extension (impexp) introduce the concept of "soft references" being imported or exported. This term should be explained, since this is a fixed term which has no meaningfull translation.

source

Shortword for sourcecode (of a program) OR the place a certain assert is located.

standard template

TYPO3 comes already with predefined standard templates. You can easily adapt these templates by using the Constant Editor without making a change to the original template files.

start time

From this time a certain page or content element will be visible in the frontend.

starting point

More info:

Other matching terms: root of page tree

state

The state is the property of a process in a computer program. The same program will work differently under the same conditions when its internal state has changed. E.g. if a serious error occurs the process will get into an error state and output some errror messages.

Static template

A Static template is a Typoscript template included by default in TYPO3 installations and they cannot be edited. There are around 50 of them. You can use them by including them in your templates using the "Include static:" field on the template form.

stdWrap

In Typoscript stdWrap is a catch-all for more than 60 functions which can be added as properties to values in Typoscript. The stdWrap functions do things like: wrapping values (see wrap), retrieving values from the database, setting the value based on conditions, and parsing and formatting the value in lots of different ways.

stop time

A field in the page header and content element forms. At this time the page or content element will no longer be visible from the frontend.

Storage folder

More info:

Other matching terms: SysFolder

styles.content

styles.content is kind of default Typoscript structure to display the content of a page. It serves you with for example styles.content.getLeft to get the whole content of the left column of a page.

styles.content (default)

The name of a certain so called static template that contains predefined Typoscript objects for rendering the content elements on a page. The objects inside serve mostly as a library for the static template "content (default)" which does the overall rendering of content elements.

styles.content.get

In Typoscript templates making use of content(default), this is a predefined Typoscript object path inserting page content elements from the "NORMAL" column. It will only be available when users have included a static template containing styles.content.get. It's nothing else but a predefined Typoscript object CONTENT providing the user with common stuff for default cObjects.

stylesheet

A stylesheet is a file that contains formatting infomation about a Web page. Stylesheets allow for the separation of structure and layout in markup languages such as (X)HTML (-> CSS).

sub module

A backend module in TYPO3 which is found under a main module. Typical examples are "Web > Page" or "Tools > Ext. Manager". The distinction between "main" and "sub" modules are purely with reference to the organization in the backend module menu.

sub page

A page that is the child of a parent page is the subpage to this one.

subpage

More info:

Other matching terms: sub page

subpages

More info:

Other matching terms: sub page

subpart marker

A set of identifiers surrounded by " (e.g. "IDENTIFIER") which is used in an HTML template file. Each subpart must have two markers for start and stop. These markers and the content between them are then substituted for the final content by TYPO3.

subparts

A subpart is defined as the (dynamic) content between two similar marker strings wrapped in " and encapsulated in an HTML-comment (optional).

Suggest new word

Here you can suggest new words for the glossary. Some people think they "help" us by moving (removing?) words from this section into the alphabetic listing above. Unfortunately they just make our work harder, so please don?t move words from this section!

syntax

A set of grammatical rules defining valid use of specific commands or instructions in a computer language.

SysFolder

Normally you store elements related to a page on the page itself, eg. content elements or maybe even frontend users. However you will often find that for a website you need some general purpose page to place records which are related to the whole site and not just single pages - this is what we call a SysFolder or Storage FolderF A "SysFolder" page defined to be a general purpose storage page for elements related to a website in a branch of the page tree.

system extension

More info:

Other matching terms: extension

t3lib

A directory within the TYPO3 structure which contains the TYPO3 libraries and core database setup. The TYPO3 libraries are core classes which provide many TYPO3 functions.

t3lib_div

A class containing commonly used functions available to TYPO3 developers. The class does not need instantiating before using any of its functions.

table

May have one of two meanings: 1) a table to display tabular information in print or on screen, or 2) a database table used to store information on a computer.

table configuration array

The TYPO3 backend contains a generic user interface for editing database tables. The table editing forms in this interface are called TCEforms. The table configuration array (TCA) contains the meta data used to generate TCEforms. The meta data includes: table relationships, labels for fields, Rich Text Editor settings for fields, the HTML form controls to use for particular fields, etc.

The "core" TCA resides in t3lib/stddb/tables.php. Extensions have their own TCAs for the tables and fields they add to the database. Extension TCAs reside in ext_tables.php in each extension's root directory. The TCA(s) are combined, cached, and loaded into the global array $TCA at runtime.

Other matching terms: TCA

table of contents

In digital formats with hyperlinking abilities (HTML, PDF), a page where all sections and subsections are listed and linked to, for navigation and reference.

In books, a page with section and subsection page numbers for reference.

tag

Tag is the name of an element in a markup language such as HTML or XML.

target

An HTML at