Glossary of Terms.

asset file | code | content file | siteDest | directory elements | element | element block | element call | element comments | elementFile | elementFilePrefix | elementFolder | multiLineElement | page hierarchy | Python | processSubDir | script | siteSrc

asset file

All files in the siteSrc which are not content file (see Glossary) nor elementFiles (see Glossary).

code

Python code. Usually refers to one or more scripts in a single code block (see ElementsSettings).

content file

A file whose extension is listed in ElementsSettings contentExtensions (see ElementsSettings).

siteDest

The full disk path to the top level directory containing the processed files. The siteDest contains the results of processing the siteSrc and is an exact mirror of it minus the elementFiles and elementFolders.

directory elements

Elements defined in an elementFile apply to all content in the directory and the directory's child directories.

element

A name/value pair available heirarchialy for replacement in pages and scripts, such as numbers, strings, html, other elements, and scripts.

Each element starts with the elementMarker, followed by a space, followed by the element value. In the default ElementsSettings file the elementMarker is set to "#"; elements are found at the top of content files and in elementFiles. Spaces are not allowed in element names.

For example:

#myElement This is an element.

The element name does not include the initial elementMarker or the first space preceding the value.

The elementMarker, element name, the space and the value must all be on a single line. See multiLineElement for elements of more than one line.

element block

Elements are found in elementFiles and at the top of content files. The element block is the part of the file preceeding the content.

element call

The message to the Elements application to replace an element name or script with the value of that element. All element calls are wrapped inside a markerStart (see ElementsSettings) and markerEnd (see ElementsSettings).

element comments

A comment within a block of elements is on a single line, and begins with an elementMarker and a space. By convention, the next character is an exclamation point '!'.

e.g. # ! This is an element comment.

elementFile

A file which contains elements. Its name begins with the elementFilePrefix (see Glossary).

Just like content files, the top of an elementFile may contain any number of elements. All the file text after the element block is considered a single element whose name is the fileName (see Generated Elements).

elementFilePrefix

The element in ElementsSettings that specifies the first character of elementFiles' names. In the default ElementsSettings the elementFilePrefix is set to "`", the backtick character, left of the number "1" on the QWERTY keyboard.

elementFolder

A directory whose name begins with an elementFilePrefix may contain any depth of nested files and folders, all containing elementFiles. No files in an elementFolder will be handled as content, no matter their extension. All elements gathered from any file within an elementFolder will be treated as if they were all contained in an elementFile at the level of the elementFolder. Files and folders within an elementFolder do not require the elementFilePrefix.

multiLineElement

An element whose content is on more than one line. A multiLineElement begins with the elementMarker, followed by the name of the element and another elementMarker. White space is not allowed in element names.The element's value is all that follows until the next line beginning with an elementMarker. White space at the beginning of the first line of the element's value is trimmed. If a multiLineElement is the last element in a file, it must closed with a trailing elementMarker. So that Elements may handle multiLineElements optimally, the Python type of multiLineElements is ListType. See the scripts page for more on using multiLineElements in scripts.

For example:

#myElement#
This is a multiLineElement.<br>
It extends to multiple lines.
# #myNextElement# This element begins on the same line as the element name.<br>
White space on the left of the first line is always trimmed.
#

page hierarchy

The page hierarchy contains all the directories above the page, up to and including the contents of the siteSrc (see Glossary) plus the elements in the ElementsSettings. Therefore, an element is in the page hierarchy when the element is specified either:
1) in the content page elements
2) in an elementFile at the same or higher level as the page (but not higher than the siteSrc)
3) in an element file in an elementFolder when the enclosing elementFolder is at the same level or higher
4) in the ElementsSettings.txt file

Python

Great programming language. The foundation for Elements. The language of Elements scripts. http://www.python.org/

processSubDir

The third of the three parameters used when initiating the Elements.process(). The processSubDir parameter is optional. If used, it indicates that only a sub-directory of the siteSrc directory should be processed. This is useful to avoid processing an entire site to save time during development. You only need build the section of the site that is under development. The processSubDir should contain a relative url from, but not including, the siteDest directory. For example,

Elements.process (siteSrc, siteDest, 'inDepth')
would indicate to only process the inDepth directory.

Elements.process (siteSrc, siteDest, 'inDepth/scripts.html')
would indicate to only process the scripts page of the inDepth directory of the destDir.

The copyAssets (see ElementsSettings) element is ignored in directories above the processSubDir. All files, if they exist, will be left untouched. If a copyAssets element in the processSubDir is set to true, it will be honored.

script

A Python function defined in an Elements multiLineElement whose name begins with the codeBlockMarker (see ElementsSettings).

siteSrc

The full disk path to the top level directory containing the Elements source files. These are your working files.