Glossary of Terms

General Web Terms

  • CMS
    CMS stands for "Content Management System." You can learn more about the CMS and its benefits on our CMS General Information page.
  • Hyperlink
    A hyperlink is a clickable element that takes the user somewhere else. Our CMS allows web authors to create links to other pages, PDF files and anchors within a page.
  • URL
    URL stands for "Uniform Resource Locator." A page's URL is what appears in the address bar of the browser and. You can learn more about how our CMS creates a page's web address on our URL Structure page.
  • Alias or Friendly URL
    An alias is a shorter web address for a page that is easier to share and looks nicer on printed materials.

CMS Specific Terms

  • Dependency Tag
    Dependency tags are internal IDs that the CMS uses to identify specific pages and files. They help to prevent broken links within the site. You will see these sometimes when linking to a PDF file or internal webpage.
  • Snippets and Components
    These are special elements that allow web authors to use more advanced design and layout features on their pages without needing to write any code themselves.

CMS Content States

  • Checked In
    These are pages that are available for anyone in your area to edit. Pages that are checked in have a gray lightbulb icon next to them. 
  • Checked Out
    These are pages that a specific web author is working on, so they are locked to all other web authors. Pages that you have checked out will have a yellow lightbulb icon, and pages that someone else has checked out will have a red padlock icon next to them.
  • Saved
    Saved pages are in a draft state. The changes have been saved within the CMS, but are not yet visible on Winthrop's website.
  • Published
    Published pages are checked in and have all of their changes visible on Winthrop's website.