SITECORE GLOSSARY
This glossary provides a list of terms used throughout the Sitecore user training program. The terms are listed alphabetically.
Access Right – The permission to act upon an item in a certain way.
Account – A general term that refers to either a user or a role.
Administrator – A special user that has full access to all content and functionality regardless of any defined access rights.
Alias – Provides an alternative URL for a content item.
Allow – Permits the associated access right for the selected account.
Approval – Content created or updated by one CMS User must be approved by another User before Publication.
Archive – The archive function allows a user to retain a piece of content, but remove it from the active content tree. The content is then stored in a separate archive database.
Auto Submit Action – An action that moves an item to a new state when the action is invoked by a user who has a specific role assigned.
CMS (Sitecore) User – CMS Users who are given rights to create, edit, approve, delete, rename, copy, move, approve, publish and otherwise “maintain” the content comprising the Published Site.
CMS Administrators – CMS Administrators are Developers with additional responsibility and access such as ensuring reliable operation, creating User IDs for new CMS Users and granting permissions.
CMS Developers – CMS Developers are Users with additional privileges to maintain code.
Content Item – An item that contains information that will appear on the published Web site.
Content Tree – The Content Tree allows viewing the Sitecore system as a tree with child items grouped under their parents. The Content Tree Structure is displayed by default and contains the hierarchy of folders and content records comprising the site.
Core Database – A standard database that contains the items that define the Sitecore CMS user interfaces.
Current Item/Record – By selecting an icon in the Content Tree, that icon becomes the Current or Selected Item. When a User selects a Record, the main pane will load its content using Fields associated with the Template originally used to create that Record.
Display Name – The label to display for the item in the content tree. If provided, the display name overrides the default display of the item’s name.
Domain – Contains accounts, including profile information, administered as a unit.
Field – Templates employ different types of Fields to collect data.
Field Header – The area above a field in the Content Editor that provides contextual information and controls for editing the field.
Final Workflow State – A state that makes items publishable. Items in non-final workflow states are not publishable.
Folder – An item that has no fields and acts as a container for other items.
Hidden – Controls whether Sitecore displays an item in the content tree.
Home Item – The item within a logical Web site that represents the home page.
Icon – Small graphics that can be used to visually distinguish items, types of items, and data template sections.
Inherit – Status of the access right for a given user determined based on a number of factors, including the complete collection of explicit access rights set on the user and assigned roles for the item in question and items higher up in the content tree.
Item – Item refers to any icon appearing in the content tree, which may or may not contain other Items. Item can also refer to an addressable unit of content made up of fields that contain information.
Item Editor – Provides a user interface tab for editing an item in the Content.
Layout Details – The layout and dynamic controls Sitecore is configured to use.
Layout – The combination of a definition item and .aspx file that defines the layout of a page or response to an HTTP request.
Lock – Prevents multiple users from updating a single item simultaneously. Note that a lock does not prevent publication, but locking a version of an item that is associated with a final workflow state creates a new version of the item and places it in the initial workflow state of the workflow associated with that item.
Master Database – Standard database that contains every version of every item, including unpublished versions. The master database contains both the history of the Web site and the work in progress.
Media Item – An item which contains a binary media resource and, in some cases, information about the file on disk which contains the media.
Media Library (Media Browser) – The Media Library, accessed with the Media Browser, is used to manage media files (images, PDFs, documents, audio, video, and multimedia) are stored in the Media Library.
Next State – The destination state for an item when a user clicks on a workflow command.
Originator – Specifies the item in a branch template that was used to create an item.
Path – A unique path identifying the location of an item relative to other items.
Publication – Once new or changed content has been approved, it can be published, making it available to Published Site Users.
Published Site (Live Site) – The Published Site or Live Site is an Internet or intranet site that uses content and other resources managed by the CMS.
Published Site User (Client) – A Published Site User or Client browses the Published Site.
Publishing Restrictions – Properties set on an item that limit whether or not an item is considered publishable, and if so, during which dates and versions of the item are considered publishable.
Record – Records are created when CMS Users save data entered into a template. Sitecore sometimes refers to Records as Documents.
Ribbon – The topmost part of the Content Editor is called the ribbon. It provides access to Sitecore editing functionality. The ribbon is comprised of tabs that are segmented into groups.
Role – A name that may be assigned access rights and that can be assigned to users and other roles.
Section – A Section is typically an Item that contains other Items at a relatively high level of the Content Tree.
Staging – The separation of a content management Sitecore installation from one or more content delivery Sitecore installations.
Standard Template – The base template that defines fields and sections required by all items.
Strip – Each tab has an associated strip, with functional buttons grouped into groups.
Subitem Sorting – Controls the sorting logic for child items. The system sorts children alphabetically if the item does not specify a subitem sorting rule.
Tab – Related commands are grouped into groups and placed in a strip, which is accessible through tabs that run across the top of the screen.
Template – Templates define the fields associated with items and are used to determine the arrangement of content on a page. CMS Developers create Templates to structure content into fields (e.g. Headline, Date, Location, Body and other fields for a news article).
Template Type – Content management users create items using one of three template types: data templates, branch templates, and command templates.
Tree Node Style – Controls the visual attributes of an item in the content tree.
Tree Structure – The left-hand pane of the Sitecore User Interface is referred to as the Tree Structure, working much like a tool palette in windows applications.
Tree Structure Drop-Down – The main Drop-Down menu at the top of the Tree Structure controls which section of Sitecore is visible in the Tree Structure.
User – A person accessing the Sitecore content management clients or visiting a published web site. A visitor who is not authenticated appears as an “anonymous” user.
Validation Workflow Action – Invokes validation rules. If the data does not meet the validation requirements, Sitecore prevents the item from moving to the configured next workflow state.
Version – Represents a copy of an item with a distinct set of field values. Items can contain any number of versions for each of the languages supported by the site.
Workbox – The Workbox gives the user with the appropriate rights an overview of the workflows and items available in different workflow states. It is organized by workflow, then workflow state, then the items included in each state.
Workflow State – Represents a step in the workflow process.
Workflow – A collection of states and commands that an item must move through before becoming publishable. Workflows determine the process of content creation, maintenance, and review