Xerte Community Documentation

Glossary

This is a glossary of terms used in this wiki to describe features of the Xerte authoring interface, concepts behind its architecture, and roles played by those authoring, editing or managing projects.

Term	Description
Author	Someone who uses the authoring interface to create Learning Objects in Xerte. Authors can work independently or in groups. Within the umbrella term Author, there are Xerte roles (e.g. Creator, Co-author, Editor) with specific permissions.
Editor	An Editor is an area in which you can format text and layout, and add links, images, audio video etc. Some Editors also provide a means to design interactivity. In this wiki properties with a fully-specified Editor are marked as Text+ while other properties with limited editing (mainly related to fonts) are marked Text.
Hotspot	This refers to a zone on an image which responds when a learner clicks on it.
iframe	iframe provides a means to embed content from other websites within a Xerte page. It is typically used to embed videos hosted on platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo. A piece of code is copied from the other website and pasted into the Source view of the appropriate Editor. On websites, you may find this code among the Share options, sometimes referred to as the embed code.
Label	In general, a label is an identifier for an item (e.g. a question, an answer, an image) which is displayed to the author in the project structure, but which does not appear in the learner view. The term title is reserved for titles which are displayed in the learner view.
Language Options	These are options to modify the text displayed on buttons, or to customise automated feedback. They are hidden uintil the author adds them by ticking a box at the foot of the main pane.
Main pane	The central area in which the page title, instructions or explanations are entered, and core properties for the page are created.
Media browser	This is an area in which you manage files that you need to bring into your project. These might include image, audio, video and PDF files, which you need to import into Media Browser and then add to the project through specific properties (indicated by Link to Media Browser tags in this wiki.)
Nested page	This refers to content that is in some way distinct from other content on a page. Columns on a page are regarded as nested pages, as are tabs, accordion sections etc. in the Multi-Navigator page. Nested pages are sometimes navigated with < > buttons which relate to just the panel within the page.
Pane	When authoring a project the screen is divided into 3 panes; the Project Structure on the left, the Optional Properties on the right, and the Core Properties in the central pane. Optional Properties are added from the right pane, so that they appear in the central pane when you are editing them. Both the Project Structure and the Optional Properties can be hidden to maximise space in the central pane, the main work area. All 3 panes are dynamic and interdependent; for example, in a few cases, if you add an Optional Property to the central pane, further related Optional Properties may appear in the right pane.
Panel	For most Xerte pages, there is the option for the page to be divided into right and left panels, one with fixed content (e.g. instructions, context or explanation) the other with dynamic content (e.g. audio, video, interactivity). For some pages, the position of these can be swapped round.
Project	A project is started by using a project template, and comprises a number of pages which you add, before checking, editing and publishing. For learners working with the finished project, you may prefer to refer to it as a lesson, unit or module.
Project structure	When you are creating and editing a project, the project structure is displayed in the left pane. Many page types have just one level in the project structure, but for others where you add items (e.g. panes, nested pages, questions, answers, hotspots) there may be several levels, so you use the project structure to understand how the page is organised and to navigate around the items. You can reorganise pages and items (e.g. questions, answers) by dragging them in the project structure.
Property	Properties are editable aspects of Xerte, for example: titles or text that you might type or paste into a text-entry box; audio and video that you might add; layout or functionality options. Core Properties appear in the central pane of the authoring interface; Optional Properties have to be added from the right-hand pane.
RSS Feed	If a website provides an RSS feed, this can set up to appear on a Xerte page as a list of updates for that site (e.g. headlines summaries of new content, notifications). You need to be aware that this is dynamic content (i.e. constantly changing) and that, although you have some control over the type of content displayed, you do not have control over the content itself. You can also set up an RSS feed for your own Xerte account, for example to keep colleagues, Editors or Co-Authors up-to-date with what you have been doing in Xerte.
Synch point	Synch points are used to associate a point on some audio or video with another event, e.g displaying some text, moving to a new slide. Synch points are expressed as a number, referring to the number of seconds into a recording that the event is to occur.