Web Guidelines - Appendix C
Glossary of Terms
- CMS
- See Content Management System.
- CSS
- See Cascading Style Sheets.
- Cascading Style Sheets
- A language for defining style (such as font, size, color, spacing, etc.) within Web pages. Cascading Style Sheets give Web designers more control over how pages are displayed. With CSS, designers can create style sheets that define how different elements, such as headers and links, appear. These style sheets can then be applied to any page within a website.
- Content Management System
- A set of business rules and editorial processes, applied by people and organizations, to align Web publishing efforts with objectives. The CMS requires a combination of knowledge and infrastructure.
- Domain
- The name that identifies a website, such as vt.edu. Within the Internet, domains are defined by the IP address. All devices sharing a common part of the IP address are said to be in the same domain.
- Family
- Describes website templates and design elements that represent Virginia Tech’s identity standards and common look and feel.
- Gateway Page
- Any page within a website that provides multiple links to content deeper within the website. For example, the gateway page vt.edu/about/ offers multiple links to pages of information and facts about Virginia Tech.
- Header
- The area that spans the top of a web page and contains page identifiers (such as website name/logo), search widget, page title, and global navigation elements.
- Homepage
- The first page you come to at Virginia Tech’s website (vt.edu) or one of its subdomain websites (finaid.vt.edu, it.vt.edu, etc.).
- Second-level page
- A page that resides directly under one of the vt.edu top-level pages. For example, vt.edu/aboutvt/history.html.
- Subdomain
- Also called a child domain, a domain that is part of a larger domain name in Domain Name System hierarchy. For example, in the domain name registrar.vt.edu, "registrar" is a subdomain of the domain "vt.edu."
- Sub-level Page
- Any page other than the home page.
- Top-level page
- A page that resides directly under the vt.edu root domain. For example, vt.edu/president or vt.edu/privacystatement.html.
- Website
- A set of interconnected Web pages, usually including a home page, generally located on the same server, and prepared and maintained as a collection of information by a person, group, or organization. For example, all pages residing within the domain www.it.vt.edu are part of the IT website at Virginia Tech.