Glossary

accessible content Content that is packaged and delivered in a way that supports access by all means of input methods and output devices.

action button A ready-made button that you can insert into a presentation and use to define hyperlinks.

add-in A utility that adds specialized functionality to an app but that does not operate as an independent app.

adjustment handle A diamond-shaped handle used to adjust the appearance but not the size of most shapes. For example, you can adjust a rounded rectangle to be more or less rounded.

animation An effect that you can apply to text or an object to produce an illusion of movement.

aspect ratio The ratio of the width of an image to its height.

attribute An individual item of character formatting, such as size or color, that determines how text looks.

AutoCorrect A feature that automatically detects and corrects misspelled words and incorrect capitalization. You can add your own AutoCorrect entries.

background The colors, shading, texture, and graphics, that appear behind the text and objects on a slide.

body font The second font listed in a set of theme fonts, which is by default applied to all text except headings.

bulleted list item An item in a list in which each list entry is preceded by a symbol.

caption Descriptive text associated with a figure, photo, illustration, or screenshot.

case The capitalization (uppercase or lowercase) of a word or phrase. In title case, the first letter of each important word is capitalized. In sentence case, only the first letter of the first word is capitalized.

category axis The horizontal reference line on a grid, chart, or graph that has horizontal and vertical dimensions. Also called the x-axis.

cell A box formed by the intersection of a row and column in a worksheet or a table, in which you enter information.

cell address The location of a cell, expressed as its column letter and row number, as in A1.

character formatting Formatting you can apply to selected characters.

chart A diagram that plots a series of values in a table or worksheet.

chart area A region in a chart that is used to position chart elements, render axes, and plot data.

clip art A piece of free, ready-made art that is distributed without copyright. Usually a cartoon, sketch, illustration, or photograph.

Clipboard A storage area shared by all Microsoft Office apps, where cut or copied items are temporarily stored so they can be pasted elsewhere.

color gradient A gradual progression from one color to another color or from one shade to another shade of the same color.

column Either the vertical arrangement of text into one or more side-by-side sections, or the vertical arrangement of cells in a table or worksheet.

comment An annotation that is associated with text or an object to provide context-specific information or reviewer feedback.

connection point A point on a shape to which another shape can be connected.

connector A line that connects two shapes and that moves if the shapes are moved.

content placeholder See placeholder.

contextual tab See tool tab.

cursor A representation on the screen of the input device pointer location.

custom slide show A set of slides extracted from a presentation to create a slide show for an audience that doesn’t need to view the entire presentation.

cycle diagram A diagram that shows a continuous process.

data marker A customizable symbol or shape that identifies a data point on a chart. Data markers can be bars, columns, pie or doughnut slices, dots, and various other shapes and can be various sizes and colors.

data point An individual value plotted in a chart.

data series Related data points that are plotted in a chart. One or more data series can be plotted in a chart. A pie chart has just one data series.

design template A file that contains masters that control the formatting of a presentation, including placeholder sizes and positions; background design, graphics, and color schemes; fonts; and the type and size of bullets.

destination file The file into which a linked or embedded object is inserted. When you change information in a destination file, the information is not updated in the source file. See also source file.

diagram A graphic in which shapes, text, and pictures are used to illustrate a process, cycle, or relationship.

dialog box launcher On the ribbon, a button at the bottom of some groups that opens a dialog box with features related to the group.

Document Inspector A tool that automates the process of detecting and removing all extraneous and confidential information from a presentation.

dragging A way of moving objects by selecting them and then, while the selection device is active (for example, while you are holding down the mouse button), moving the selection to the new location.

embedded object An object that is wholly inserted into a file. Embedding the object, rather than simply inserting or pasting its contents, ensures that the object retains its original format. If you open the embedded object, you can edit it with the toolbars and menus from the app used to create it.

encrypting To programmatically disguise content to hide its substance.

file format The structure or organization of data in a file. The file format is usually indicated by the file name extension.

file name extension A set of characters added to the end of a file name that identifies the file type or format.

font A graphic design applied to a collection of numbers, symbols, and characters. A font describes a certain typeface, which can have qualities such as size, spacing, and pitch.

font effect An attribute, such as superscript, small capital letters, or shadow, that can be applied to a font.

font size The height (in points) of a collection of characters, where one point is equal to approximately 1/72 of an inch.

font style The emphasis placed on a font by using formatting such as bold, italic, underline, or color.

footer One or more items of information, typically at the bottom of a slide and typically containing elements such as the page number and the date.

gallery Rich, customizable list boxes that can be used to organize items by category, display them in flexible column-based and row-based layouts, and represent them with images and text. Depending on the type of gallery, live preview is also supported.

graphic Any image, such as a picture, photograph, drawing, illustration, or shape, that can be placed as an object on a slide.

grayscale The range of shades of black in an image.

group On a ribbon tab, an area containing buttons related to a specific presentation element or function.

grouping Assembling several objects, such as shapes, into a single unit so that they act as one object. Grouped objects can easily be moved, sized, and formatted.

handle A small circle, square, or set of dots that appears at the corner or on the side of a selected object and facilitates moving, sizing, reshaping, or other functions pertaining to the object.

handout master A template that defines the layout for the printed handout pages distributed to a presentation’s audience.

Handout Master view The view from which you can change the overall look of audience handouts.

heading font The first font listed in a set of theme fonts, which is by default applied to all slide titles.

hierarchy diagram A diagram that illustrates the structure of an organization or entity.

hyperlink A connection from a hyperlink anchor such as text or a graphic that you can follow to display a link target such as a file, a location in a file, or a website. Text hyperlinks are usually formatted as colored or underlined text, but sometimes the only indication is that when you point to them, the pointer changes to a hand.

icon A small picture or symbol representing a command, file type, function, app, or tool.

keyboard shortcut Any combination of keystrokes that can be used to perform a task that would otherwise require a mouse or other pointing device.

kiosk mode A display mode in which a single window takes over the whole screen and the desktop is inaccessible.

legend A key that identifies the data series plotted in the chart.

line break A manual break that forces the text that follows it to the next line. Also called a text wrapping break.

link See hyperlink; linked object.

linked object An object that is inserted into a slide but that still exists in its source file. When information is linked, the slide is updated automatically if the information in the original document changes.

Live Preview A feature that temporarily displays the effect of applying a specific format to the selected slide element.

master A slide or page on which you define formatting for all slides or pages in a presentation. Each presentation has a set of masters for slides, in addition to masters for speaker notes and audience handouts.

Microsoft Office Clipboard See Clipboard.

Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer A viewer with which you can display presentations on a computer that does not have PowerPoint installed.

Mini Toolbar A toolbar that is typically displayed after you select text on a slide so that you can quickly format the text.

Normal view A view that displays three panes: Thumbnails, Slide, and Notes.

notes master A template that defines the formatting and content used by slide notes pages.

Notes Master view The view from which you can change the overall look of speaker notes pages.

Notes Page view The view in which you can add speaker notes that contain objects such as tables, charts, and graphics.

Notes pane The pane in Normal view in which you enter notes that you want to accompany a slide. You can print these notes as speaker notes pages.

object An item, such as a graphic, video clip, sound file, or worksheet, that can be inserted into a slide and then selected and modified.

Outline pane The pane that appears in Outline view on the left side of the app window and that displays all the text of the presentation in outline form.

Outline view A view that displays three panes: Outline, Slide, and Notes.

Package for CD A feature to help you gather all the components of a presentation and store them to a CD or another type of removable media so that they can be transported to a different computer.

palette A collection of color swatches that you can click to apply a color to selected text or an object. PowerPoint has three palettes: Theme Colors, Standard, and Recently Used.

paragraph formatting Formatting that controls the appearance of a paragraph. Examples include indentation, alignment, line spacing, and pagination.

password The string of characters that must be entered to open a password-protected presentation for editing.

path A sequence of folders that leads to a specific file or folder. A backslash is used to separate each folder in a Windows path, and a forward slash is used to separate each directory in an Internet path.

photo album A specific kind of presentation into which you can insert and arrange collections of digital images.

picture A photograph, clip art image, illustration, or another type of image created with an app other than PowerPoint.

picture diagram A diagram that uses pictures to convey information, rather than or in addition to text.

pixel The smallest element used to form the composition of an image on a computer monitor. Computer monitors display images by drawing thousands of pixels arranged in columns and rows.

placeholder An area on a slide designed to contain a specific type of content that you supply.

plot area In a two-dimensional chart, the area bounded by the axes, including all data series. In a three-dimensional chart, the area bounded by the axes, including the data series, category names, tick-mark labels, and axis titles.

point The unit of measure for expressing the size of characters in a font, where 72 points equals 1 inch.

PowerPoint Online An app that you can use to review and edit a presentation in your web browser when you’re working with a presentation that is stored on a SharePoint site or in a OneDrive folder. The web app runs directly in your web browser instead of on your computer. Web apps are installed in the online environment in which you’re working and are not part of the desktop app that you install directly on your computer.

Presenter view A tool with which you can control a presentation on one monitor while the audience views the presentation’s slides in Slide Show view on a delivery monitor or projector screen.

process diagram A diagram that visually represents the ordered set of steps required to complete a task.

property Settings of a file that you can change, such as the file’s name and read-only status, in addition to attributes that you can’t directly change, such as the file’s size and creation date.

Quick Access Toolbar A small, customizable toolbar that displays frequently used commands.

read-only A setting that allows a file to be read or copied, but not changed or saved. If you change a read-only file, you can save your changes only if you give the file a new name.

Reading view The view in which each slide fills the screen. You can click buttons on the navigation bar to move through or jump to specific slides.

relationship diagram A diagram that shows convergent, divergent, overlapping, merging, or containment elements.

ribbon A user interface design that organizes commands into logical groups that appear on separate tabs.

Rich Text Format (RTF) A format for text and graphics interchange that can be used with different output devices, operating environments, and operating systems.

rotate handle A small green handle that you can use to adjust the angle of rotation of a shape.

screen clipping An image of all or part of the content displayed on a computer screen. Screen clippings can be captured by using a graphics capture tool such as the Screen Clipping tool included with Office 2016 apps.

ScreenTip A note that appears on the screen to provide information about the app interface or certain types of document content, such as proofing marks and hyperlinks within a document.

selecting To specify, or highlight, an object or block of text so that you can manipulate or edit it in some way.

series axis The third axis in a three-dimensional coordinate system, used in computer graphics to represent depth. Also called the z-axis.

shape An object created by using drawing tools or commands.

size handle A small circle, square, or set of dots that appears at the corner or on the side of a selected object. You drag these handles to change the size of the object horizontally, vertically, or proportionally.

slide library A type of SharePoint document library that is optimized for storing and reusing PowerPoint slides.

slide master The set of slides that stores information about a presentation’s design template, including font styles, placeholder sizes and positions, background design, and color schemes.

Slide Master view The view from which you make changes to the slide masters.

Slide pane The area in Normal view that shows the currently selected slide as it will appear in the presentation.

Slide Show view The view in which you deliver an electronic presentation to an audience.

Slide Sorter view The view in which the slides of the presentation are displayed as thumbnails so that you can easily reorganize them.

slide timing The time a slide will be displayed on the screen before PowerPoint moves to the next slide.

smart guide A vertical or horizontal dotted line that appears on a slide to help align slide elements.

SmartArt graphic A predefined set of shapes and text used as a basis for creating a diagram.

source file A file that contains information that is linked, embedded, or merged into a destination file. Updates to source file content are reflected in the destination file when the data connection is refreshed. See also destination file.

source app The app used to create a linked or embedded object. To edit the object, you must have the source app installed on your computer.

stack A set of graphics that overlap each other.

status bar An app window element, located at the bottom of the app window, that displays indicators and controls.

subpoint A subordinate item below a bullet point in a list.

tab A tabbed page on the ribbon that contains buttons organized in groups.

table One or more rows of cells commonly used to display numbers and other items for quick reference and analysis. Items in a table are organized in rows and columns.

template A file that can contain predefined formatting, layout, text, or graphics, and that serves as the basis for new presentations with a similar design or purpose.

text box A movable, resizable container used to insert text on a slide with a different position or orientation than the text in placeholders.

theme A set of unified design elements that combine color, fonts, and effects to provide a professional look for a presentation.

theme fonts A set of two fonts: one applied to slide titles (heading font) and one applied to all other text on a slide (body font).

Thesaurus A feature that looks up alternative words, or synonyms, for a word.

thumbnail A small representation of an item, such as a slide or theme. Thumbnails are typically used to provide visual identifiers for related items.

Thumbnails pane The pane in Normal view that displays thumbnails of the slides in a presentation and allows you to display a specific slide by clicking its thumbnail.

tick-mark A small line of measurement, similar to a division line on a ruler, that intersects an axis in a chart.

title bar The horizontal bar at the top of a window that contains the name of the window. Most title bars also contain boxes or buttons for closing and resizing the window.

tool tab A tab containing commands that are relevant only when you have selected a particular object type.

transition An effect that specifies how the display changes as you move from one slide to another.

value axis The vertical reference line on a grid, chart, or graph that has horizontal and vertical dimension. Also called the y-axis.

View Shortcuts toolbar A toolbar at the right end of the status bar that contains tools for switching between views of slide content and changing the view of the open presentation.

watermark A faint text or graphic image that appears on the page behind the main content of a slide.

web app See PowerPoint Online.

web browser Software that interprets HTML files, formats them into webpages, and displays them. A web browser, such as Internet Explorer, can follow hyperlinks, respond to requests to download files, and play sound or video files that are embedded in webpages.

webpage A World Wide Web document. A webpage typically consists of an HTML file, with associated files for graphics and sets of instructions called scripts. It is identified by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

WordArt A group of text effects that incorporate qualities such as shadows, reflections, edge glow, beveled edges, 3-D rotation, and transforms.

x-axis The horizontal reference line on a grid, chart, or graph that has horizontal and vertical dimensions. Also called the category axis.

y-axis The vertical reference line on a grid, chart, or graph that has horizontal and vertical dimensions. Also called the value axis.

z-axis The third axis in a three-dimensional coordinate system, used in computer graphics to represent depth. Also called the series axis.