Glossary of Terms

Term	Definition	See Also
Attachment	Any type of file that is uploaded via browser and attached to a topic, from which it can be viewed and downloaded. Details...
configure	configure is the Foswiki configuration tool, which for example can be used to install new extensions.
Data Form	DataForms allow you to add structured data to topics. The data stored in the form fields can be used to search and filter topics. The combination of structured data and search queries form the basis for building database applications in Foswiki.	MetaData, QuerySearch
Macro	Macros are place-holders for content that is substituted by Foswiki at a later time (like when a topic is viewed). They are written as `%MACRO{}%`, and may expand into anything - text, tables, images, other topics or nothing at all. Some macros are built-in, others are provided by Plugins.	preference settings, variables
Page	The rendered document received by a web browser. A page is composed of the template/skin decoration and topic content.
Parent	In Foswiki, topics may have parents. The parent link is used to build the topic breadcrumb trail at the top of each page. See hierarchical navigation.
Plugin	A Foswiki Plugin is a server-side extension that adds additional functions. This Foswiki site already has some plugins installed, and more can be obtained at Foswiki:Extensions	Extensions, Contribs, AddOns
Plugin API	The standard interface for creating Plugins, Contribs and AddOn extensions. Details...
Preference	A user-definable setting. Preference settings may be available site-wide, within a web, on just one topic or for a particular user. See preference settings.	Macro, variable
Skin	Skins define the layout of pages; topic text is not affected. Skins are typically enabled site-wide or per web.
Template: DataForms	See DataForms
Template: Skin	See SkinTemplates. Skin templates may be stored in the `templates` directory of your Foswiki installation as `.tmpl` files, where they can only be modified by the site administrator; alternatively, ordinary topics can be used (Eg. with AutoViewTemplatePlugin).
Template: Topics	Instead of starting with a blank topic, template topics can provide default content for new ones. Details...
Template: Webs	When a new web is created, the topics from an existing template web can be copied
Topic	Topics hold content - they are the basic building blocks of a Foswiki site. Topics may have a DataForm, attached files and various metadata.
Web	Webs are a collection of topics (and other webs, known as subwebs). Webs are containers and by themselves cannot store information; only topics can do that. Various features, like search, access privileges and template design can be controlled on a per-web basis. Details...
wiki app	A term which refers to a wiki application (EG. FrequentlyAskedQuestions) which has been written largely with Foswiki Macros, DataForms, queries and templates. Advanced wiki apps typically make use of JQueryPlugin to improve usability, Eg. autocompletion.