zulip/templates/zerver/help/zulip-glossary.md

# Glossary
Several terms will be used in Zulip conversation. Here are some common terms that you should know.

### administrator

**Administrators** have special privileges that allow them to control
the settings and customizations of the realms that they own, including
the ability to deactivate and reactivate other human and bot users,
delete streams, add/remove administrator privileges, as well as change
configuration for the overall realm (e.g. whether an invitation is
required to join the realm).

### bot

Zulip **bots** are often used for integrations to send automated
messages to users and can do everything a normal user in the realm can
do with a few exceptions (e.g. a bot cannot login to the web
application or create other bots).

### chevron

A **chevron** is a small downward-facing arrow
(<i class="icon-vector-chevron-down"></i>) icon next to a
message’s timestamp that appears upon hover, offering contextual
options when clicked on, such as **View Source**, **Reply**,
**Collapse**, **Mute [this topic]**, and **Link to this
conversation**.

### compose box

The **compose box** is the area where you input the content of your
message when you send stream or private messages. The compose box
features several features that can help you compose your message, such
as the **Emojis**, **Attach files**, **Formatting**, and **Preview**
features.

### customization

**Customization** is the process of modifying Zulip's settings to fit
a user's set of personal preferences. Users can customize their Zulip
settings by clicking the cog (<i class="icon-vector-cog"></i>) in
the upper right corner of the right sidebar and choose **Settings**
from the dropdown menu.

### emoji

An **emoji** is a small image used to express an idea or emotion in a
conversation. Emojis can be included in Zulip messages by enclosing an
emoji phrase (a complete list of emojis can be found
[here](http://www.webpagefx.com/tools/emoji-cheat-sheet/)) in colons
or clicking the **smiley face**
(<i class="icon-vector-smile"></i>) icon below the
compose box.

### home

**Home** is a specific view (or filter) that shows all messages to the
user's subscribed streams and all of the user's private messages in
chronological order. This view is accessible by clicking the **Home**
link or Zulip icon in the upper left sidebar or pressing the escape
key.

### integration

An **integration** is a tool that combines Zulip with another service
or application. Zulip offers a variety of integrations for version
control, issue tracker, CI system, monitoring tools, and other tools
used for development. The three types of integrations that Zulip
supports are webhook integrations, Python script integrations, and
plugin integrations.

### mention

To **mention** users in Zulip, you have to type `@` and their email
addresses or usernames for auto-completions in your compose box. The
users will be mentioned in your message as `@**username**`, and they
will be notified of your message. Users can see all messages they've
been mentioned in through the **@-mentions** link in the left sidebar
or by using **is:mentioned** as a narrow or a search constraint.

### message editing

If enabled by an administrator, users can utilize **message editing**
for a few minutes after posting a message to edit the content of their
recently-posted message by hovering to the right of their message's
timestamp and clicking the pencil
(<i class="icon-vector-pencil"></i>) icon that appears. Zulip
labels edited messages with **(EDITED)** next to the username of the
message writer.

### muting

**Muting** a topic or stream allows a user to stop being notified of
  messages sent to the specified topic or stream. This can be
  activated by clicking the corresponding chevron of the stream or
  topic and selecting **Mute the [stream/topic] [stream/topic name]**
  from the dropdown that appears.

### narrowing

**Narrowing** a topic or stream will cause you to only see the
messages of that particular stream or topic. This can be activated by
clicking the corresponding chevron of the stream or topic and
selecting **Narrow to [stream/topic] [stream/topic name]** from the
dropdown that appears or clicking the stream or topic of a set of
messages.

### notification

**Notifications** are messages that appear notifying Zulip users about
important events in the realm, such as being mentioned in another
user's message or the creation of a stream. Notifications can be sent
as emails or browser/desktop notifications, often accompanied by an
alert sound.

### pinning

**Pinning** a stream will move that particular stream above other
streams in the Streams section in the left sidebar. You can pin a
stream by clicking the chevron of the corresponding stream and
clicking **Pin stream [stream] to top** from the dropdown the appears.

### private message

**Private messages** are either **one-on-one** or **group**
conversations. They can only be seen by users participating in the
message. To send a private messages to a user, users can search for
the username or email address.

### private stream

**Private streams** are for confidential discussions and are only
visible to users who've been invited to subscribe to them.

### public stream

**Public streams** are for open discussions. All users can subscribe
to public streams and discuss there.

### realm

A **realm** is a Zulip organization hosted on a domain. Each realm is
a private chamber with its own users, streams, customizations,
etc. Administrators manage the realm, controlling the specific
settings of the realms that they own.

### recipient bar

The **recipient bar** is a visual indication of the context of a
message or group of messages, displaying the stream and topic or
private message recipient list, at the top of a group of messages.

### starring

Zulip allows users to mark any important messages they receive as
**starred** by hovering over the area next to the message's timestamp
and clicking the star (<i class="icon-vector-star-empty"></i>) icon
that appears. A user can easily access messages they’ve starred
through the **Starred messages** link in the left sidebar or use
**is:starred** as a narrow or a search constraint.

### stream

A **stream** is a channel of topics expected to fall within a certain
scope of content. Streams are located on the left sidebar. Streams are
either **public** (used for open discussions) or **private**
(invite-only).

### subscribing

When a user **subscribes** to a stream, the user is choosing to
receive all messages from the stream that they subscribed to.

### timestamp

A **timestamp** shows you the exact time when a message was posted. It
is located to the right of a message.

### topic

**Topics** are similar to conversation threads. Topics are used to
describe the general subject of the messages a user sends. Topics
effectively ensure sequential messages about the same thing are
threaded together, allowing for better consumption by users. The
topics of messages can be edited as well as the content of the
message.

### unsubscribing

When a user **unsubscribes** to a stream, the user is choosing to stop
receiving all messages from the stream that they unsubscribed from.

### view

A **view** is an option for viewing different kinds of messages,
listed in the upper left sidebar, including sections **Home**,
**Private messages**, **Starred messages**, and **@-mentions**. Also
known as **filter**.