Understanding Development Technical Terms for an Online Store
Part 4/5
Understanding those pesky technical terms. This week we are taking a look at the development side of eCommerce and web design. Let’s get familiar with all the technical terms involved in developing your eCommerce store!
ASP – A programming language. Server side scripting environment that you can use to create and run dynamic, interactive web server application.
SQL – A programming language designed for managing data held in a relational database management system.
CSV– (Comma Separated Values) File stores tabular data (data & text ) in plain text.
FTP – (File transfer protocol) Transfer computer files from one host to another host over TCP based network. This is what is used to edit a website that isn’t stored locally on a machine.
API – Application program interface. Set of routines, protocols, and tolls for building software applications.
XML – (Extensible Markup Language) Designed to store and transport data. Designed to be both human and machine readable.
JavaScript – An object-oriented computer programming language commonly used to create interactive effects within web browsers.
JQuery – Powerful CSV parser that converts CSV to JSON & JSON to CSV. supports web workers and streaming.
Bootstrap – Most popular HTML, CSS and JavaScript framework for developing responsive, mobile first projects on the web.
Liquid – A page formatting type. (Shopify, content easy to work with, move elements around, lots of control of lay out of the site)
HTML – Hypertext markup language, a standardized system for tagging text files to achieve font, color, graphic, and hyperlink effects on world wide web pages. This is what makes the layout and content of your website.
CSS – Cascading style sheets. The HTML is the layout of the site, and then CSS is the styling of the site, what makes it pretty.
Static/Hardcoded – Statue, frame work for site that won’t update automatically. Hard to make modifications in the future. Limit what you are capable of doing for future endeavors. Limited to practices needed at the time.
Dynamic – Update data or content in back end. Site will adjust itself to display that. Make it easy add. admin to connect back of the store. Admin area will update store front.
.gif – A lossless format for image files that supports both animated and static images.
.jpg – A file extension for a lossy graphics file. (Joint photographic experts group)
.png – (Portable Network Graphics) A raster graphics file format that supports lossless data compression.
Source Code – Viewing the raw code that makes a website or program work.
Development (dev) mode – Putting a website into a mode either where the changes the developer is making can only be seen by them, or by closing the site down temporarily while the developer works.
Responsive Breakdowns – How a responsive website responds to different devices.
W3 Valid – Means that your website passes the W3 validation tool, showing the it’s HTML markup/structure is up to standards.
JSON – (JavaScript Object Notation) is a light weight data-interchange format. It is easy for humans to read and write. It is easy for machines to parse and generate. It is based on the subset of JavaScript programming language.
SOAP – (Simple Object Access Protocol) Is a messaging protocol that allows programs that run on disparate operation systems (Such as Windows and Linux) to communicate using hypertext transfer protocol and its extensible markup language.
Rest – Type of API. A standard, follows guidelines. (Simple) A way to write on API. PW/Authorization code.
Captcha – A program or system intended to distinguish human from machine input, typically as a way of thwarting spam and automated extraction of data from websites.
301 – The HTTP response code, 301 moved permanently is used for permanent URL redirection, meaning the link you’re trying to access has been moved to a new URL. The 301 will often redirect the browser to the new link.
404 – An error message displayed by a browser indicating that an internet address cannot be found. This is often caused by a broken link. You’re trying to access a page that doens’t exist.
500 – Internal Server Error (aka HTTP 500 error) is a generic error suggesting a problem, often with one’s internet connection.
200 – The request has succeeded. The information returned with response is dependent on the method used in the request. This is a success code, meaning the page was deliverd correctly.
Development – Broad term for the work involved in developing a website for the internet.
Cookie – A way a browser remembers the websites you have visited.
Demo Store – Implement the clients store on our partners (Volusion, Bigcommerce etc.) demo website. A demonstration of what clients site will look like.
Phases – A distinct period or stage in a process of change or forming part of something’s development.
HTTP – The Hypertext transfer protocol, is an application protocol for distributed, collaborative, hypermedia information system. HTTP is the foundation of data communication for the world wide web. Hypertext is structured text that uses logical links (hyperlinks) between nodes and containing text.
HTTPS – (HTTP over SSL or HTTP Secure) is the use of secure socket layer (SSL) or transport layer security (TLS) as a sublayer under regular HTTP application layering. HTTPS encrypts and decrypts user page requests as well as the pages that are returned by the web server. Seeing https:// before a URL means that it is more secure than just seeing http://. However this is only really important when you are uploading sensitive things such as credit card information.
SSL – (Secure Sockets Layer) Is the standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a web server and a browser. This link ensures that all data passed between the web server and a browser. This link ensures that all data passed between the web server and browsers remain private and integral. This is also what the lock represents in the web broswer.
Modal – Any type of window that is a child (secondary window) to a parent window and usurps the parent’s control. It is commonly associated with an internet web site pop-up window that stays in front of the original window.
Accessibility – Refers to the inclusive practice of removing barriers that prevent interaction with, or access to websites, by people with disabilities. When sites are correctly designed, developed, and edited. All users have equal access to information and functionality.
Analytics – The measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of internet data for the purpose of understanding and optimizing Web usage. DAA is the digital analytics association, an organization that defines industry standards for the web analytic field.
Bandwidth – The range of frequencies within a given band, in particular that SED for transmitting a signal.
Bounce Rate – The percentage of visitors to a particular websites who leave the site after viewing only one page.
Conversion Rate – The percentage of users who take a desired action. The archetypal example of conversion rate is the percentage of websites visitors who buy something on the site.
Lorem Ipsum – A filler text commonly used to demonstrate the graphic elements of a document or visual presentation. Replacing meaningful content with place holder text allows viewers to focus on graphic aspects such as font, typography and page layout without being distracted by content. Also known as Greeked text, blind text placeholder text, dummy content, filler text, lipsum, and mock-content.
Server-side – (Commonly referred to a SS) Refers to operations that are performed by the server in client-server relationship in a computer network. Typically, a server is a computer program, such as a web server, that runs on a remote server, reachable from a user’s local computer or workstation.
Frontend – (Of a device or program) directly accessed and seen by the user.
Client-Side – Operations that are performed by the client in a client-server relationship in a computer network. Typically, a client is a computer application, such as a web browser, that runs on a user’s local computer or workstation and connects to a server as necessary. This term and front-end are effectively the same thing.
PCI Compliance – (The payment car industry data security standard, PCI DSS) Is a set of requirement designed to ensure that all companies that process, store or transmit credit card information maintain a secure environment. Essentially any merchant that has a Merchant ID (MID).
Merchant Level Description
Level 1: Any merchant – Regardless of acceptance channel – processing over 6M Visa transaction per year. Any merchant that visa, at its sole discretion, determines should meet the level 1 merchant requirements to minimize risk to the Visa system.
Level 2: Any merchant – Regardless of acceptance channel – processing 1M to 6M Visa transactions per year.
Level 3: Any merchant processing 20,000 to 1M Visa eCommerce transactions per year.
Level 4: Any merchant processing fewer than 20,000 to 1M Visa eCommerce transactions per year, and all other merchants – regardless of acceptance channel – processing up to 1M Visa transactions per year.
Check back next Wednesday to learn about SEO and Social Media related terms. Thanks for reading!
