Glossary of Drupal and Web Terms

This page serves as a comprehensive reference guide to key terms and concepts related to Drupal and web development.

Block

A Block is a piece of content that can be placed in different regions of a website, like the header, footer, or sidebar. Blocks can contain text, images, forms, or custom code and are managed by the site administrator.

CMS

Content Management System (CMS), is a system designed to manage the content of a website, enabling non-technical users to manage site content in an efficient and user-friendly manner.

Content Type

In a Drupal website, a content type is a set of fields that define the structure for specific content, like “Minisite CFPs” or “Minisite Events.” Each type has relevant fields, such as title, body text, and date, ensuring consistency and organization across the site.

Deployment

The process of moving changes made in a development environment to a live site. This includes content, code, and configuration changes.

Drupal

Drupal is free, open source software that can be used by individuals or groups of users — even those lacking technical skills — to easily create and manage many types of Web sites. The application includes a content management platform and a development framework.

Field

In Drupal, a node is a basic unit of content, like a page or CFP. Each node has a unique ID, meta-data (author, date, status), and can have multiple revisions. Nodes belong to different content types, each with its own fields and settings.

Landing Page

In Conference Microsites, a landing page is the first page in a section of content and often serves as a top-level page.

Minisite CFP

A content type used to create Call for Papers.

Minisite Event

A content type used to create Sessions for Program events.

Minisite Page

A content type used to create basic pages.

Node

The node is your core unit of storing content. If you're inputting and saving content, you're probably saving it as a node. A page is a node.

Paragraph

A Drupal paragraph is a reusable content item that can be added to pages or other content types in Drupal. Paragraphs are a way to create flexible and modular content for websites, making it easier to manage and create complex layouts and designs.

Parent/Child

Some parts of Drupal, like menus, have a parent-child structure. For example, a menu item under another item is called a child, and the item above it is the parent. Similarly, in terms of pages, a child page is nested under a parent page, creating a hierarchical relationship between them.

Path

In a website URL, the path specifies the location of a page or resource within the site’s structure. For example, in https://www.example.com/blog/article, the path is /blog/article. For node paths, it might look like https://www.example.com/node/123, where /node/123 directs to a specific content node.

Production Site

Live, public-facing site.

Responsive Design

An approach to web design that ensures content displays well across various devices, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones.

Revision

A historical version of an existing node which is used to keep track of changes—each time a node is edited and saved, a revision is created. Nodes may be reverted to a previous version by a site Administrator.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Practices aimed at improving the visibility of a website in search engine results. This includes optimizing content, metadata, and site structure.

Slideshow

A homepage slideshow (also known as a slider or carousel) is a web component that displays a series of images (also known as banner slides) on a website’s homepage. It allows users to view multiple pieces of content within the same space, often with navigation controls to move between slides.

Staging Site

A replica of the production site, but not public-facing.

Text Editor / WYSIWYG "What You See Is What You Get"

The part of a Drupal form where the user can enter text using paragraphs, bullets, and tables. Imagery can also be added.

Theme

The design and layout of a website. Themes control the visual appearance of the site and can be customized for branding or user experience.

URL Alias

A URL alias is a user-friendly alternative to a website’s default path. Instead of using a technical path like /node/123, a URL alias converts it into something more readable and descriptive, such as /blog/article. This makes URLs easier to understand and remember for users.

For example, instead of https://www.example.com/node/123, you might use https://www.example.com/blog/article as the URL alias.

Views

A dynamically created list. For example, when you create a new Tutorial session using the Minisite Event content type, it is automatically added to your Tutorials node. The portion of this node, containing all the Tutorials, is known as a view.