Glossary of Beaver Builder and WordPress terms
Definitions pertain to standard versions of WordPress and Beaver Builder with no customizations applied.
WP=WordPress
BB=Beaver Builder
(plus a few HTML and CSS terms)
Archives (WP)
Lists of posts that are filtered in some way, such as a date range, or by author, category, or tag. The search results page for your blog is also a type of archive. Archive pages are generated automatically by WordPress, so you can't edit them directly.
Note that the blog posts index and Posts page are often called an archive (for example, in Beaver Themer an Archive-type layout applies to either index pages or archive pages or both), but they are handled a bit differently in WordPress.
Beaver Themer (BB)
A plugin that is an add-on to Beaver Builder and that controls parts of the page that are normally under the control of the WordPress theme.
Blog posts index (WP)
A list of single posts in reverse chronological order, with content either excerpted or in full form, with links to the individual posts. The blog post index appears on the front page of your site by default. Blog post indexes are automatically generated by WordPress, so you can't edit them directly.
Class (HTML)
An attribute with a custom value that is assigned to an HTML element. The class attribute is similar to the ID attribute, except a class value doesn't have to be unique. Class values are usually used as selectors in CSS rules.
Column (BB)
The components of column groups. Columns can be configured for relative width in their column group and minimum height. They can contain an unlimited number of modules. As the screen size becomes smaller, columns stack vertically.
For the CSS class, see the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript reference.
Column group (BB)
A row of columns, placed inside a Row. See the Column layouts overview.
For the CSS class, see the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript reference.
Content area (WP)
The editing screen where authors enter content. Both posts and pages have one and only one content area and editing screen. Beaver Builder lets you create more complex layouts in the content area of pages and posts than you could in the standard WordPress editor, and Beaver Themer lets you create layouts outside the content area, which normally are controlled by the theme. See the article on content and theme areas of the page.
Front page (WP)
The web page that people see when they go to your domain name (www.example.com). By default, WordPress displays a blog post index on the front page, but you can change the display to a static page in Settings > Reading. The front page is often called the home page, but this generates some confusion with the more technical WordPress definition. See also Home page.
Header (WP)
The area at the top of a WordPress page that can contain a top bar, header (for a logo or business name), and nav area (menu). The header is normally controlled by the theme, but you can create a custom header with a Themer layout. See also the article on the Header layout type.
Home page (WP)
The home page for your blog posts index, which can appear either on the front page of your site or on a static page, depending on what you specify in Settings > Reading. In both cases, the home.php WordPress template is used to display the index.
See also Front page.
ID (HTML)
An attribute with a custom value that is assigned to an HTML element. An ID value must be unique on any particular web page. ID values are usually used as link targets and as selectors in CSS rules.
Layout (BB)
The outermost element in a Beaver Builder layout. It contains rows, columns, and modules. In Beaver Builder the layout is applied to the content area. In Beaver Themer, it's applied to the location for which you're creating the layout: header, footer, etc.
For the CSS class, see the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript reference.
Layout template (BB)
(1) Any of the built-in layout templates that come with both the Beaver
Builder plugin and Beaver Themer.
(2) Any layout you create in Beaver Builder and save as a template.
(3) Any layout template installed by a third-party plugin
You can add a built-in, saved, or third-party layout template to any layout in the Beaver Builder editor. You must apply the layout template manually, and it's not global. In other words, once you apply the layout template to a page, the layout is disconnected from the saved template, and any changes to the page will not affect the saved layout template or any other page to which the saved template has been applied.
Margin (CSS)
In the CSS box model, the distance between the edge of the box and the border. See also the article on margins and padding.
Module (BB)
Modules are the lowest element in the hierarchy. They contain the content in the layout and are always placed in a column inside a column group inside a row inside the layout.
For the CSS class, see the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript reference.
Padding (CSS)
In the CSS box model, the distance between the border and the content area of the box. See also the article on margins and padding.
Page (WP)
Entries that contain content not associated with a date, author, category, or tag. Because pages are not generated in date-sensitive lists, they are referred to as having static content. These entries are created by going to Pages > Add New. Pages are normally accessed by means of menus and links, unlike the index and archive pages of Posts. Pages are similar to Posts in that the layout outside the content area is controlled by the theme.
Page template (WP)
The WordPress template applied to a page or post, which you can select through the Templates field in the Page attributes section of a WordPress editing page. The templates are determined by the active theme. See this article about Beaver Builder Theme page templates.
Post (WP)
Any entry that appears in the Posts > All posts list, which is accessed from the WordPress admin panel. Every post includes both post content (provided in the WordPress editing screen) and post metadata. Posts are included in the blog posts index and archives generated by WordPress.
Post metadata (WP)
Information about a post such as its creation date, author, and any categories or tags it belongs to. This post metadata is stored in the database and appears outside the content area, so it's managed by the theme, or by a Beaver Themer Singular-type layout.
Posts page (WP)
A blog posts index that appears on a static page that you specify in Settings > Reading.
Note: Using a Beaver Builder Posts module on a static page is neither a blog posts index nor an archive. See the article on generated WordPress archives vs. Beaver Builder layouts.
Row (BB)
Rows are child elements of the layout element and contain column groups. See the article on working with rows.
For the CSS class, see the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript reference.
Saved row, column, or module
A row, column, or module that is saved for reuse. Rows, columns, or modules can be saved as either standard or global. Standard means when they are added to a layout they are disconnected from the save version, and any changes made affect only that instance. Global means when they are added to a layout, any changes made affect both the saved version and any other instances used within the same site.
Selector (CSS)
The part of the CSS rule that names where the rule will apply. Examples of selectors are HTML element names (body, h1, etc.), IDs, and classes.
Single post (WP)
See Post.
Static page (WP)
Any entry that appears in the Pages > All pages list that is accessed from the WordPress admin panel. Static pages aren't tied to chronology, authors, categories, or tags the way posts are. You can control whether the front page of your website is a blog post index or a static page that you specify in Settings > Reading.
Template
See Layout template (BB) or Page template (WP).
Theme (WP)
A collection of files that control the way the site is displayed. A theme is mandatory in the WordPress framework and only one theme can be active at a time. Themes control aspects of a site such as the default font, and font size colors. Its page templates also control page layouts outside the content area. See also the article on content and theme areas of the page.
Themer layout (BB)
Any layout that you create in Beaver Themer. Themer layouts are edited using the Beaver Builder editor, and new Themer layouts open with the layout template appropriate for that Themer layout type.
Themer layouts are automatically applied to any page that you specify as a location in the Themer layout, and they are global, in the sense that you can only edit the central Themer layout and it will change the layout at every location to which it applies.
Widget (WP)
A discrete block of functionality that enables users to insert content into parts of the post or page that are controlled by theme, such as sidebars and footer widget area. Widgets are stored in Appearance > Widgets. These days, plugins such as Beaver Builder and Beaver Themer let you design layout and add content both to the content area and to areas controlled by a theme, so the purpose of widgets has become less clear. You can use WordPress widgets anywhere in Beaver Builder layouts – inside the content area in the standard Beaver Builder plugin and outside the content area in Beaver Themer.