Office 2013 Glossary

 

Applies to: Office 2013, Office 365 ProPlus

Summary: Contains terms and definitions for terminology that is used in Office 2013 and SharePoint 2013 products or content.

Glossary for Office 2013

The following table contains definitions for terms that are either new or changed in Office 2013.

Term	Definition
Access app	An app for SharePoint that is built by using Access and has its data stored in SQL Server or SQL Azure.
Account	A tab in the Backstage view where users can manage their identities and services, view licensing details, and link to account management features.
Action Items	A feature that identifies a possible question or requested action in an email message and enables the user to take action on it from within the message.
alignment guide	A line that is used to help line up figures with common locations on the page, such as the top of paragraphs or page margins.
Analytics Service	The service that performs analytics processing for search in SharePoint.
App Catalog	A SharePoint document library that administrators can use to distribute apps for Office and SharePoint to their end users.
app custom action	A type of custom action that is added to a host site by an app for SharePoint and that links to more functionality that is contained by the app.
app for Office	A cloud-enabled app that integrates rich, scenario-focused content and services into an Office application.
app for SharePoint	A cloud-enabled app that integrates rich, scenario-focused content and services into a SharePoint environment.
App Monitor	A dashboard where admins can track the overall health of the apps in a site collection or tenancy.
app step	A workflow step whose actions can read from and write to all items in a site.
Attachment Reminder	A feature that alerts the user before an email message is sent if it detects that an attachment may have been omitted from the message.
audio style	A combination of audio playback options that are identified by a style name. This allows you to configure playback with a single click.
Audit and Control Management Server	A Microsoft Office product that provides non-intrusive auditing of changes made to Excel spreadsheets and Access databases, and supports alerts, notifications and automatic workflows based on user activities such as macro or formula changes.
Auto-Extend	A feature that facilitates the use of Presenter View by automatically applying the Extend setting for Windows projection and identifying the correct display for Slide Show versus Presenter view.
Bing Maps	The Bing service that allows search and view of maps and satellite images.
Border Painter	A tool that is used to apply formatting to borders in a table.
Border Sampler	A tool used to collect the formatting of an existing table border so that it can be applied to another border.
Border Styles gallery	A gallery of predefined and recently used formatting styles that the user can apply to borders.
Business Intelligence Center	A SharePoint site template that provides an entry point for users to access the business intelligence ecosystem.
calculated measure	A measure whose value is calculated at run time by using an expression.
calculated member	A member of a dimension whose value is calculated at run time by using an expression. Calculated member values can be derived from the values of other members.
calendar item peek	A contextual summary of appointment or meeting information, which is displayed in a callout without opening the item.
Calendar peek	A contextual summary of the user's daily schedule, which is displayed in a callout without switching to the Calendar module.
callout	A contextual UI element that displays additional content and controls in a container that resembles a callout balloon.
canary	A predetermined value that must be present in a client-server request for the request to be considered valid.
canary value	A predetermined value that must be present in a client-server request for the request to be considered valid.
catalog	A list or library that is shared between site collections.
change hint	A vertical bar in the margin of a document that shows where changes have been tracked and displays those changes when clicked.
chart element	One of the distinct pieces that make up a chart, such as a title, axis, legend, trendline, or error bar.
chart style	A predefined style that users can apply to their chart and that is optimized for the chart type.
client object model	A set of APIs for SharePoint products. These APIs are based on the server object model, and can be called from clients such as desktop PCs and mobile devices.
client-side rendering	Technology that enables rendering operations to be handled by the client.
Cloud App Model	An application-hosting architecture that relies on cloud-based services. Application logic and data are typically hosted on a distributed set of services on the Internet, connected through web APIs, and authenticated with server-to-server authentication technologies such as OAuth.
COALESCE	A function that returns the first non-null expression from a list of arguments.
comment hint	A visual indicator that denotes the presence of a comment and opens the comment when clicked.
Comments pane	A pane beside the document that displays all comments made in the document.
Community	A site template that is designed to create an online community where people come together to share ideas or get answers to their questions.
contact linking	The process of linking contacts that represent the same person. This enables you to view information from multiple contacts in a single contact card.
content app	An app for Office that is embedded in the body of a client application window, inline with content.
content app for Office	An app for Office that is embedded in the body of a client application window, inline with content.
Content by Query	A Web Part that queries data from multiple sources within a site collection and presents that data in a custom view.
Content Search	A Web Part that performs a search using a customizable query and presents the results in a custom view.
continuous crawl	A crawl that operates on a continuous basis to scan and index new and modified content from a source.
cross-site publishing	A content publishing model in which multiple sites select and republish content that is authored and managed in a single source location.
crypto escrow key	A secondary encryption key that provides the ability for an authorized IT Helpdesk administrator to open an encrypted document when the password is lost.
CSOM	A set of APIs for SharePoint products. These APIs are based on the server object model, and can be called from clients such as desktop PCs and mobile devices.
CSR	Technology that enables rendering operations to be handled by the client.
custom action	A dropdown menu item or ribbon component that is added to a site page.
custom extraction dictionary	A user defined dictionary that lists single words or phrases that the system matches to words in the content in either a case-sensitive way or a case-insensitive way, depending on the type of dictionary that is used.
cycle chart	A chart that surfaces cyclical patterns in data by comparing the performance for certain time periods, such as days of the week or months, over time.
Data Grid	An instance of Excel that has minimal UI and that enables a user to insert or edit chart data within the context of a non-Excel Office document.
data layout	The arrangement and structure of data in a chart.
Database Compare	A Microsoft Office product that detects and categorizes changes between two databases to facilitate review and approval processes.
deep link	A link that takes you to a precise location, such as a slide within a presentation, a section of a document, or a specific page within a site, instead of to the main page of the web site.
Define	A menu option that becomes available when a user right-clicks a word. It opens the chosen definitions provider and displays information for the word selected.
definitions callout	A callout that is invoked through contextual UI to display reference data, such as definitions and synonyms, for the word selected.
Design Manager	A feature that guides the user through the process of using an HTML editor to design and customize a SharePoint site.
Detected Events	A feature that identifies a possible meeting request or event in an email message and enables the user to take action on it from within the message.
Developer Site	A site template that is designed to help developers to test the apps they are building and get feedback about their apps from others.
dictionary	A collection of keys or key and value pairs that is used for content or query processing in search.
DIGRAM FOR HEAVENLY EARTH	The Unicode character U+1D301, which represents a Tai Xuan Jing symbol.
Discovery and Risk Assessment	A Microsoft Office product that identifies business-critical Excel spreadsheets and Access databases by discovering files across network shares and SharePoint libraries, and that provides flexible risk assessment and categorization based on relevance, materiality and business impact.
document parsing	The process of detecting the file type of an item during content processing, and converting the item to text.
dynamic canary	A canary whose value changes depending on the request context.
dynamic landing page	An individual page in a topic series, or any page that is primarily search-driven.
eDiscovery	The process by which organizations find, retain, and preserve electronic documents related to a legal action.
Edit mode	A mode that provides full functionality for creating or editing a file.
Efficient File Storage	A storage method in which a file is split into pieces that are stored and updated separately, and streamed together when a user requests the file.
entity extraction	The process of extracting information from unstructured text in an item and storing that information as additional managed properties for the item.
entity extractor	A content processing feature that extracts information from unstructured text in an item and stores that information as additional managed properties for the item. The additional managed properties can be used to refine results.
event listener	A function or object that invokes an event handler when a specific condition occurs in an application.
exact word extraction dictionary	A custom extraction dictionary that lists words or phrases that are matched to exact words in the content in a case-sensitive way. For example, the system matches "anchor" to "anchor," but not to "Anchor" or "Anchorage."
exact word part extraction dictionary	A custom extraction dictionary that lists words or phrases that are matched anywhere in the content in a case-sensitive way. For example, the system matches "anchor" and "anchorage," but not "Anchor."
Excel interactive view	An online view of data that provides an enhanced visual experience through tables, slicers, charts, and other Excel objects.
Excel Online Viewer	An Excel Web App technology that enables users to view in full fidelity an Excel document that is stored online.
Exchange ActiveSync	A protocol that makes it possible for users to sync their e-mail, calendar, contact, and task data from Exchange Server to supporting devices.
Exchange Fast Access	A feature that enables Exchange users to see new email messages and up-to-date calendar items as soon as they open Outlook, without waiting for it to finish synchronizing.
external access	Authenticated access that can be granted to external partners and clients to enable sharing of selected SharePoint Online content.
external task	A line item in a timesheet that does not correspond to a project task in Project Server.
eyedropper	A tool that enables a user to sample the color of any pixel on a screen and apply that color to an object.
faceted navigation	The process of refining a search for information by filtering on individual properties or facets of the items being searched.
Favorites	A user-specified list of people who can be accessed quickly across Office communication and collaboration products.
Flash Fill	A feature that extends AutoComplete functionality to show a live preview of suggested values for an entire range of cells based on what the user is typing.
flow	A content processing or query processing pipeline that contains operators that determine how the content or the query is processed.
Folder Pane	A pane in the Outlook window that contains folders for each view, such as Mail or Calendar.
follow	To track content, people or other entities by adding them to a list of things that you care about and for which you would like to surface updates about changes and activities.
Format Object task pane	A task pane that provides functionality for formatting objects.
full-screen mode	A display mode that shows as much content as possible by hiding elements such as navigation and toolbars.
Grammar pane	A pane that provides functionality to correct grammar errors in your document.
guest link	A unique link that provides external users anonymous access to selected documents stored in SharePoint Online, with no sign in required.
index partition	A logical portion of the search index.
index replica	A copy of a search index within an index partition.
In-Place Hold	A feature that allows for preservation of content documents, pages, and messages in Exchange and SharePoint so that when they are modified or deleted, the original version can still be accessed for electronic discovery and other legal purposes.
interactive view gallery	A gallery of objects that provides different ways of visualizing data.
Internet-facing URL	A URL that is directly accessible over the Internet and that does not require special credentials or network access to connect to it.
JavaScript API for Office	A JavaScript API that provides simple and consistent programmatic access to Office documents and applications across Office client environments through common as well as application-specific data types, objects, functions and events.
key filter	A metadata column or field in a Key Filters control.
Key Filters	A metadata navigation control that enables users to limit the items displayed in a list or library to those that match selected values.
ligature	In typography, a single character created from two joined letters that replaces the two separate letters.
live layout	A layout that is updated in real time as an object on the page is moved, resized, or rotated, enabling the user to preview the end result before the action is completed.
Lock Tracking	An option that turns on change tracking and lets you set a password to prevent unauthorized users from turning it off.
Log Level Manager	A Project Server logging infrastructure that improves efficiency by enabling admins to customize logging levels for project entities.
loop	To execute a group of statements repeatedly.
loop	A series of instructions that is repeated a fixed number of times or until a terminating condition is reached.
MAHJONG TILE ONE OF CHARACTERS	The Unicode character U+1F007, which represents a Mahjong tile.
mail app	An app for Office that appears only in Outlook or Outlook Web App.
mail app for Outlook	An app for Office that appears only in Outlook or Outlook Web App.
managed navigation	A feature that enables SharePoint customers to build their site navigation around a metadata term set, and that enables friendly URLs for pages in the navigation structure.
master-level guide	A guide that is created and edited in Slide Master view, and that applies to slides that use the master layout in which it was created.
Merge Shapes	A tool that enables users to create custom shapes by combining multiple shapes into a single shape, using one of five geometric Boolean operations: Union, Combine, Fragment, Intersect, and Subtract.
microblogging	A form of blogging that emphasizes brief posts.
Microsoft Office Proofing Tools	Collections of proofing tools for different languages that that are available to users of Office applications.
move handle	A handle that is displayed on some objects such as toolbars, tables, or on individual rows or columns, that allows the user to drag them to another location.
My Account	A web experience on Office.com that enables users to manage their Office licenses and subscriptions.
My Tasks	A feature that provides a search-based aggregation of tasks assigned to a My Site user across SharePoint, Project Server and Exchange to help the user organize and complete these tasks.
named set	A grouping of dimension members or items from a data source that are named and treated as a single unit and can be referenced or reused multiple times.
Navigation Bar	A control bar in Outlook that enables the user to navigate quickly to different areas or views within the application.
newsfeed	A feed that provides information, notifications and updates based on people, documents, and tags you are following.
notification	A message or other indicator that informs users of events that are unrelated to their current activity, such as the number of new messages received while their computer is locked.
object layout	The positioning of an object, such as a chart, shape, image or text box, on a page, along with related options such as text-wrapping styles.
object zoom	A view that shows a close-up of an object within a document.
OData Connector	A feature that enables connectivity from SharePoint to external systems that use the OData protocol.
Office Automation Services	Collectively, the SharePoint service applications that write to ULS logs using shared code for automated document processing.
Office compatibility definition file	A file that stores information about compatibility issues and workarounds and makes it available to the Office Telemetry Log and Office Telemetry Dashboard.
Office Deployment Tool	A tool in Office 365 that enables IT professionals to manage how Office is installed for their users. Users receive the correct language and configurations individually tailored to them automatically, without the need to install anything themselves.
Office Presentation Service	A free online service that enables Office users to share presentations with people who view them on the web.
Office Side-by-Side	A Click-to-Run feature that enables two versions of Office to exist on the same computer to provide a seamless transition for users in supported scenarios.
Office Store	An Internet site that provides a collection of products and services developed by Microsoft partners for Microsoft Office users.
Office Telemetry Agent	A feature of the Office Telemetry Dashboard that supports collection and upload of inventory and usage data for Office related solutions on client computers across an organization.
Office Telemetry Dashboard	A tool that enables IT pros to monitor usage, error, and compatibility issue information from Office related solutions on client machines across an organization.
Office Telemetry Log	A feature that displays an Office event log in Excel format and helps the user to find and resolve known compatibility issues for Office files and solutions.
Office telemetry logging	The process that populates data to the Office Telemetry Log.
Office Telemetry Processor	A Windows service application that reads data files uploaded by the Office Telemetry Agent and inserts the data into SQL Server.
Office-enabled app for SharePoint	An app that has both an Office and a SharePoint component.
OneNote Online Viewer	A OneNote Web App technology that enables users to view in full fidelity a OneNote document that is stored online.
Online Video	A feature that lets you insert a video from a web-based source into your document and play it back without leaving the document.
Online Viewers	A technology that enables users to view Office documents in full fidelity with Office Web Apps, no matter where those documents are stored online.
Online Viewers, powered by Office Web Apps	A technology that enables users to view Office documents in full fidelity with Office Web Apps, no matter where those documents are stored online.
operator	An object that processes and enhances items in a content processing flow and processes and enhances queries in a query processing flow.
PARENTHESIZED LATIN CAPITAL LETTER A	A Unicode character with hex value U+1F110
PDF reflow	A process that converts a PDF file to flowing text and document elements that are native to the application being used.
People	A view that aggregates rich information about your contacts and makes it easy to initiate communication with them.
People peek	A contextual summary of the user's favorite contacts and People search functionality, which is displayed in a callout without switching to the People view.
picture content	An image that is bounded by a picture frame.
picture frame	A container that surrounds the picture content.
Power View	A feature that enables rich visualizations for interactive data exploration, presentation and reporting in SharePoint and Excel.
PowerPoint Online Viewer	A PowerPoint Web App technology that enables users to view in full fidelity a PowerPoint document that is stored online.
Present Online	A feature that enables users to present a document to remote viewers in a web browser or in Lync.
presentation-level guide	A guide that applies to all slides in a presentation.
preservation hold library	A SharePoint document library in which content is stored after being deleted or modified so that it can be accessed for electronic discovery or other legal purposes.
Product Catalog	A site template that is designed to manage product catalogs for publishing purposes.
Project Online	An online service for teams, departments and organizations that need a flexible portfolio and project management (PPM) solution.
Project Server permission model	A security model in which permissions are assigned directly in Project Server using global and category permissions.
Project Site	A site template that is designed to provide lightweight project management functionality, including Tasks, Calendar, Timeline, and Project Summary.
Project Site Sync	A mechanism that synchronizes permissions from Project Server to project sites throughout a site collection.
Project Web App Site Sync	A mechanism that synchronizes permissions from Project Server to the Project Web App site.
public-facing URL	A URL that is directly accessible over the Internet and that does not require special credentials or network access to connect to it.
query rule	A rule that an administrator can configure and apply to query processing to help optimize results and create an enhanced user experience.
queryable managed property	A managed property that can be queried against. The query must contain the managed property field name, either in the query itself or programmatically.
Quick Analysis	A feature that enables single-click access to top data analysis features such as formulas, conditional formatting, sparklines, charts and PivotTable reports.
Quick Edit	A feature that enables users to edit SharePoint list content directly without opening an edit window.
Quick Explore	A feature that enables single-click access to trend and contribution patterns within a PivotTable or PivotChart report.
Quick Notes	A section in the default OneNote notebook where certain notes are stored by default.
Quick Preview	A feature that displays a preview of item content when a user hovers over a search result in SharePoint. The preview is optimized for the content type.
radial menu	A touch-friendly, contextual control that presents commands in a circular arrangement.
ranking model	An XML document that describes how to rank items in search results.
Read mode	A mode that is optimized for reading or viewing content and does not support edit functionality.
reading indicator	A visual effect in the navigation pane that shows users where they are in a document.
reading position indicator	A visual effect in the navigation pane that shows users where they are in a document.
recalculation animation	An animation effect that plays when the value of a cell is recalculated. The old value slides out of the bottom as the new value slides in from the top.
recommendations	A set of features that identify and surface content, people, apps or other items that a user may be interested in.
Recommended Charts	A feature that presents the user with recommended charts that can be used to display the data provided.
Recommended PivotTables	A feature that presents the user with recommended PivotTables that can be used as a starting point to analyze the data provided.
refinable managed property	A managed property that can be used as the basis for a refiner for search results.
reflow	The process by which content lays itself out dynamically based on the available window or device size.
reflow	To adjust content layout dynamically based on the available window or device size.
Related Items	A feature that enables users to link an item in a SharePoint task list to other items in the site that are related to it.
repeating section content control	A content control that enables a user the repeat its contents as many times as the user wants to repeat it.
Request Management	A SharePoint feature that helps make smart routing decisions, based on routing rules that relate the nature of requests to the dynamic topology of its farm.
request throttling	A method of preventing a denial of service attack by limiting the number of requests that can be made to a system.
resize handle	A handle that enables resizing of a row, column, window or other object.
resource budget	The amount of system resources that are allowed to be used by a block of code. Usage that exceeds this amount results in an error.
result source	A source that returns a set of search results for a given search query. The source can be a search service in the local server farm or another server farm, or another search engine that is compliant with the OpenSearch protocol.
Resume Reading	A feature that shows users their position in a document the last time they were reading, and lets them return there in a single action.
retrievable managed property	A managed property that can be displayed in search results.
rich text XML mapping	A type of XML mapping that links WordprocessingML content directly to the backing data in the custom XML part.
Role Sync	A feature that synchronizes SAP roles and SharePoint user profiles, which enables administrators to secure SharePoint objects such as sites, lists and items using SAP roles.
ruler guide marker	A marker in the ruler that aligns with the current guide position and enables users to add, edit, or delete a guide from within the ruler.
screen clipping	An image that shows all or part of a computer screen or other display.
Search on Web	A feature that enables the user to start a web search from text that is selected within a document.
search schema	A data structure that describes crawled properties, managed properties, and the mapping between them.
searchable managed property	A managed property whose value can be returned by a query.
Search-Driven Navigation	A set of controls that helps users navigate directly to where they want to go in SharePoint, without having to navigate the hierarchy or edit the URL.
seeding	A process that ensures that index replicas on the same index partition remain syncronized during regular operation and during recovery.
set	A grouping of dimension members or items from a data source that are named and treated as a single unit and can be referenced or reused multiple times.
shape-level validation	The act of checking a visual workflow to ensure that the shapes and connections are valid.
SharePoint integrated permission model	A security model in which Project Server permissions are derived from SharePoint.
SharePoint Store	An integrated online storefront where site owners can purchase apps for SharePoint.
SharePoint Translation Services	A collection of extensible features that allows customers to use machine translation or external translation vendors to translate their website content.
Simple Markup view	A view for tracked changes that clearly identifies where changes and comments are in a document, and gives you easy access to them, without detracting from the readability.
simplified sharing	A streamlined process for sharing Office documents with others.
site mailbox	An Exchange mailbox that is associated with a SharePoint site, enabling users to access documents and email related to group projects through either Outlook or SharePoint.
Snippet Gallery	A gallery of HTML code snippets for common components that can be customized and added to SharePoint designs.
sortable managed property	A managed property whose result set can be sorted based on the property before the result set is returned.
Spelling pane	A pane that provides functionality to correct spelling errors in your document.
Spreadsheet Compare	A Microsoft Office product that detects and categorizes changes between two spreadsheets to facilitate review and approval processes.
Spreadsheet Inquire	A Microsoft Office product that provides interactive diagnostics to identify errors, deviations from spreadsheet best practices and insights into data flow in and out of the spreadsheet.
stage view	A high-level view in Visual Designer that shows the stages of a SharePoint workflow, rather than individual actions or conditions.
Start	A screen that gives users quick access to recent documents and recommended templates when an Office application starts.
Start screen	A screen that gives users quick access to recent documents and recommended templates when an Office application starts.
stream-based conversion	A mode of Word Automation Services in which the input and output of the conversion are streams, rather than files on the site.
stylistic set	A stylistic variation on a font that provides an alternative to its default appearance.
sub-pixel positioning	A font rendering technique that takes advantage of partial pixels to make text appear sharper on the screen.
Swap Displays	A feature in Presenter View that enables the user to switch which monitor is showing Presenter View and which monitor is showing Slide Show.
swipe	To quickly slide a finger for a short distance.
swipe	A gesture represented by a quick slide of a finger over a short distance.
synchronous conversion	A mode of Word Automation Services in which requests are processed synchronously, rather than in batches.
task pane app	An app for Office that resides within a task pane in a client application.
task pane app for Office	An app for Office that resides within a task pane in a client application.
task path	A series of tasks that includes the predecessors and successors to the task that is selected.
Tasks peek	A contextual summary of the user's task list, which is displayed in a callout without switching to the Tasks module.
Team Work Center	A Web Part that combines a search list of projects in a site collection along with a timeline that shows how those projects relate to one another.
tenant administrator	A user account that has been assigned as an administrator for the tenant.
tenant-level external data log	An error log that contains errors and exceptions that occur when SharePoint tries to connect to external systems through Business Connectivity Services. It can be retrieved by tenant administrators.
TETRAGRAM FOR DEFECTIVENESS OR DISTORTION	The Unicode character U+1D30F, which represents a Tai Xuan Jing symbol.
Text-Based Designer	A text-based workflow editor that enables users to create and edit workflows by using declarative statements.
theme family	A set of variants on a single theme.
theme variant	One of the variations of a theme that make up a theme family.
Thesaurus pane	A pane that provides synonym lookup and display functionality.
Timeline	A graphic control that allows users to select time periods for data filtering, using a familiar linear time representation.
top-level property grid	A property grid that only displays the properties that appear in the sentence-level view of an action.
touch selection handle	A handle that enables touch selection scenarios that are not possible or are difficult to accomplish with standard touch gestures alone.
trend chart	A chart that shows the change in data over time.
update group	A collection of managed properties that are updated together in the search index.
usage event	A user action that is counted and analyzed by the recommendations algorithm in the Analytics Service.
Vertipaq	A high performance analytics engine that uses compressed in-memory column-oriented storage to manage large volumes of data and deliver fast response to user queries.
visibility mode	A mode in which SharePoint Server is the primary source for all the project details. Project Server scheduling, time and status, and advanced functionality are disabled.
Visual Designer	A Visio-based design surface that enables users to create and edit workflows visually by manipulating shapes that represent actions and conditions.
Weather Bar	A feature in the Outlook calendar that can be enabled to display the weather forecast for a selected location.
word extraction dictionary	A custom extraction dictionary that lists words or phrases that are matched to exact words in the content in a case-insensitive way. For example, the entry "anchor" will match "anchor" and "Anchor," but not "anchorage."
Word Online Viewer	A Word Web App technology that enables users to view in full fidelity a Word document that is stored online.
word part extraction dictionary	A custom extraction dictionary that lists words or phrases that are matched anywhere in the content in a case-insensitive way. For example, the entry "anchor" will match "anchor," "Anchor," and "anchorage."
Work Management Service	A SharePoint shared service that aggregates tasks that systems such as SharePoint, Project Server, and Exchange assign to users.
Work Management Task Sync	A component of the Work Management Service that synchronizes tasks with systems outside of SharePoint, such as an Exchange mailbox, to enable task management in Outlook.
workflow stage	A defined point in a workflow that is entered when specified conditions are met.