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Glossary
Syntax error

Syntax error

A syntax error happens when code breaks the rules of its programming language, like a missing bracket or misplaced punctuation, and stops the code from running at all. They're some of the most common bugs, and usually some of the easiest to fix once you spot exactly where the rule got broken.

These common mistakes in programming occur when programmers miswrite code by breaking the language's syntax rules, such as using punctuation incorrectly or misspelling commands. When a syntax error occurs, the code will not execute, and an error message typically starting with SyntaxError: invalid syntax — will display in the console and indicate the location of the error in the code. 

You can avoid syntax errors by following the rules and guidelines of your programming language and paying close attention to its syntax. Debugging tools and Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) also help identify syntax errors in code, allowing for easier troubleshooting.

Get more comfortable working with code in Custom code in Webflow.

Relevant courses

Intro to Webflow integrations

Learn how to extend Webflow by connecting it to the tools and systems your team already uses.

Forms

Design and build forms that turn visits into messages, signups, and real follow-ups.

Custom code in Webflow

Add custom code to extend your site beyond built-in options.

Other glossary terms

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SCA and PSD2 Regulations

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Mid-September 2019, new European requirements for authenticating online payments were introduced in Europe as part of the second Payment Services Directive (PSD2). The Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) requirements apply to businesses in the European Economic Area (EEA) that accept online card payments from cardholders whose banks are also located in the EEA.Webflow Ecommerce payments are PSD2 and SCA compliant (i.e., support 3D Secure payments) for European customers.If you’re a merchant in the European Economic Area (EEA), all you need to do to ensure that your Webflow Ecommerce store is PSD2 and SCA compliant for your European customers is to republish your store if it wasn’t published on or after September 11, 2019. Read more about how to make your ecommerce store compliant in our Payment gateway article.

Hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS)

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Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is a secure protocol facilitating encrypted exchanges of information between web browsers and servers.

Last published

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The last time your site was published.

Unpublished change

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A change that has been made in the Webflow Editor but will not appear on the live website until it’s published. You can track any unpublished changes on the bottom right of the Editor toolbar.

Bottom bar

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A bottom bar is a navigation bar at the bottom of an app or webpage.

URI

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A Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) is a string of characters identifying an online resource.

JSON-LD

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JSON-LD is a structured data format that describes a page's content in a machine-readable way, helping search engines and AI crawlers understand what's on the page.

Constant

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In coding, a constant is a fixed value that can’t change, no matter where it appears or what the program uses it for.

HyperText Markup Language (HTML)

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A standard markup language that web browsers use to display websites.

Read-only link

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A way for others to test/debug your Webflow site in the Designer without being able to save or make permanent changes.

Flex child

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An element contained within a parent element that has display: flex set.

ALPN

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ALPN stands for Application-Layer Protocol Negotiation. It’s a Transport Layer Security (TLS) extension that aids client and server identification during secure data transfers.

Facebook button

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A Facebook button is a clickable element on a website that allows users to connect to or share content on the social media platform.

Display: flex

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The most flexible display property in CSS is the aptly named display: flex, which allows you to create flexible layouts with elements that you can align and distribute vertically or horizontally.

Alt text

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Alt text, short for alternative text, refers to text that describes online images.

Ancestor

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Any element that is further up the element hierarchy of the document tree. For example, the Body element is the ancestor of all elements on the Designer canvas.

Beacon

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A beacon — also called a web beacon or web bug — is an HTML-embedded object that tracks user behavior on a web page.

Twitter button

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A Webflow element that embeds a Twitter Follow or Tweet button into your site.

Literal

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In JavaScript, literals are fixed values written directly into the code.

CMS Collection page

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A dynamic page that Webflow automatically creates for each Collection item. When you design a Collection page, all the pages that are created for each Collection item will have the same template but different content.

Sidebar

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A sidebar, typically positioned on the left or right side of a website or app, is a vertical component that contains supplemental information to enrich a webpage’s primary content.

Flexbox

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Flexbox is a CSS layout mechanism that offers precise alignment and stacking control for the content inside an element.

CSS preprocessor

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A CSS preprocessor is a program that helps developers write Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) by providing advanced features such as variables, functions, and nesting.

Paragraph

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A typography element used for displaying multi-sentence text content.

Cipher suite

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A cipher suite is a collection of encryption algorithms that work together to secure a network connection.

Library

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A Library is a shared collection of components, styles, and assets that you can install across multiple sites in a Workspace, so updates to it can propagate everywhere it's installed.

Python

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Python is a high-level, object-oriented, general-purpose programming language (GPL).

404 page

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A 404 page is an error page a visitor sees when they try to access a non-existent or broken URL on a website.

Reference field

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A CMS field used in Collections. This powerful field allows you to link to other Collections within your website to populate fields in Collection lists and Collection pages.

Adobe Fonts API token

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An Adobe Fonts API token protects and supports your data from Adobe Fonts with other programs you may be using to personalize your website’s fonts.

Latency

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Network latency is the time data needs to travel from one point to another, impacting the responsiveness and speed of web applications and services.

Left margin

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Left margin is a CSS property that defines the space between an element's left edge and its surroundings.

X-Ray mode

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A grayscale view of your site’s canvas that visually displays each element’s border, margin, and padding when hovered over.

Basic section

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A section of the Add panel that contains the elements that act as a website's fundamental building blocks (e.g., div block, list, button, etc.).

Desktop breakpoint

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A breakpoint, or media query, is the width at which a website’s design and layout adjust to fit screens of different sizes. When designing in Webflow, breakpoints for smaller devices inherit styles from the base — or desktop — breakpoint by default.

Middleware

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Middleware is software that links different programs and applications, allowing them to interact and communicate effectively.

Character encoding

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Character encoding is the process of representing characters (such as “a” or “3”) in a particular way, such as text on a computer screen.

Primitive

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A primitive is the simplest JavaScript data type, representing fundamental values that do not encapsulate any object, method, or property.

Footer code

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Footer code creates a section at the bottom of every web page that displays important information like disclaimers, copyright or contact information, and links to related documents.

ATAG

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Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) are a layered rule-set that influence how designers and developers create a more accessible internet.

Left To Right (LTR)

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Left To Right (LTR) describes a text layout that starts from the left and proceeds to the right.

Right-side panel

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The far right vertical panel in the Designer that houses the Style panel, Element settings panel, Style manager panel, and Interactions panel.

Language code

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A language code is a standardized code of letters and numbers that represent different languages.

Baseline

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The baseline is the fixed invisible line that serves as the base for letters. It’s used as a measurement for line height and x-height.

Safe

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"Safe" is a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) method that doesn't modify the server's state or resources.

Syntax error

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Syntax error refers to a mistake in code that violates the programming language’s rules and prevents the code from executing correctly.

Rich text field

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A rich text field is an input tool for formatting or applying text styles, such as bold, colors, font sizes, italics, underline, and other visual modifications.

Automagically

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Automagically describes complex content or functions that appear as if they were created using magic.

SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics)

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Scalable Vector Graphics, or SVG, is a file format for displaying scalable vector graphics on the web.

Last updated

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The last time someone made a change to your site.

Meta title

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A meta title is an HTML element that defines a web page's title and appears in browser tabs and search snippets on search engine results pages (SERPs) as a clickable headline.

Date/Time field

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A field available in CMS Collections. This field lets you display a date and time in a Collection and/or Collection item.

Cloneable site

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Cloneable sites are open source (made available under the CC0 (“no rights reserved”) license). When you enable cloning, you allow any user to copy, modify, and use any part of your site for personal or commercial purposes.Sites with cloning turned off do not give others access to copy your site or open it in the Designer.

A/B testing

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A/B testing compares two different versions of something — like a web page or campaign — to determine which performs better.

Webflow Support

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The place to go when you need help using Webflow.

Username

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The ID used to log into your Webflow account.

Transfer site

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You can transfer sites from one Workspace to another Workspace.

Switch field

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Available in CMS Collections. This field offers you a powerful filtering tool for Collection items. For example, you could create a switch labeled "Featured?" for Blog Posts, and then switch on the toggle to showcase particular posts.

Idempotent

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Idempotency is a computing principle where multiple applications of a function or operation produce the same result as a single execution.

Video

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A Webflow element that displays externally hosted videos such as YouTube and Vimeo.

Checkbox

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Checkboxes are HTML structures that allow visitors to input data.

Pseudocode

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Pseudocode is a simplified, informal representation of programming code that outlines a program’s structure and logic without strict syntax.

Duplicate element

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To copy an element and its content, styles, and settings.

Callback function

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A callback function is passed as an argument to another function and executed upon completing the latter’s task.

Minimum height

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The min-height CSS property defines an element’s minimum height.

DNS records

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DNS records store important information about domains and hostnames. They function like maps, directing DNS queries to the desired endpoint.

Null

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“Null” represents the absence of a value or the presence of invalid objects in computer science and web development.

Urgency

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Urgency is a marketing term and psychological trigger that incites potential customers and website visitors to act swiftly.

Webflow Editor

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Webflow's visual content editor. You can access it through the Webflow Dashboard by clicking the “3 disclosure dots” on a site thumbnail, then clicking “Editor.” Guest editors can access it anywhere on their live site by adding ?edit after the page URL (e.g., yoursite.com/page/?edit).

Free plan

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The perfect Webflow subscription for getting started, giving you access to all Designer features, so you can start building a site right away.

Ligature

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A ligature in typography groups adjacent letters or characters into one glyph.

Behavioral targeting

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Behavioral targeting is a marketing technique that leverages user data to deliver personalized ads to drive conversions.

Call-to-action (CTA)

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A call-to-action (CTA) is a website feature that prompts visitors to perform a specific action.

Application context

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An application context is a set of data that identifies an application’s tasks, where those tasks originate, and how those tasks are configured.

Collection field

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An individual field within a Collection. You'll select which fields to display in dynamic Collection lists and Collection pages.

Synchronous

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Synchronous programming refers to sequentially executed operations.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

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Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a collection of strategies to enhance a website’s ranking and visibility on search engines.

Comparison shopping engine

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A comparison shopping engine (CSE) is a search engine that compares ecommerce pricing, shipping costs, and customer reviews.

URL redirect

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URL redirect, or URL forwarding, is a web server function that automatically sends users from one web address to another.

Hyperlink

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Hyperlinks are clickable elements that allow users to navigate between web pages, documents, or other types of digital content.

Second-level domain (SLD)

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A second-level domain (SLD) is the part of a domain name that precedes a top-level domain (TLD).

Video field

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Available in CMS Collections. You can add videos via a link — not an embed code — from an online video host like Vimeo or YouTube. Just paste in the video link and it’ll appear in the native video format from the 3rd-party video player.

Web server

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A web server is a computer program or hardware device that delivers web content to clients using HTTP. It handles client requests for web pages, images, and videos.

.htaccess

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.htaccess is a powerful configuration file that allows you to configure and control how your website functions.

Folder

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A folder is a subdirectory of your site's root folder for organizing web pages.

Hotlink

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A hotlink — also known as a remote or inline link — is a hyperlink that directs to a resource, such as an image or a file, without the owner’s explicit permission.

Attribute

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An attribute in HTML is a term inside an opening tag of an element, such as a font or color, that provides additional information about the element.

Color field

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A color field specifies a graphical color picker or user interface for entering a color into a text field in a seven-character, hexadecimal format.

Breadcrumb

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A breadcrumb, or breadcrumb trail, is a navigational element representing a user’s current location within a website's hierarchical structure.

Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)

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The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) is a World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) project to enhance accessibility for users with disabilities.

Span text

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The span tag is used to style inline-text.

Width

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Width defines how wide an element can be. This can be defined in absolute terms (pixels) or relative terms (ems, rems, percentages, viewport-height, or viewport-width).

Variable font

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A variable font is a single font file that contains multiple weights, widths, or styles, letting you adjust typography continuously instead of loading a separate file for each variant.

Key

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A key, or web key, is a unique identifier that authorizes access to a webpage or service.

Clickjacking

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Clickjacking is when a malicious actor deceives website visitors into clicking buttons or links hidden in a fake layer to steal sensitive data or install malware.

Password protection

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Password protection is a security feature restricting certain website areas to authorized users, requiring a secret phrase or key to access them.

Single-page publishing

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Single-page publishing lets you publish changes to one page without republishing the rest of the site, useful for quick fixes on large sites.

Embed component

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A Webflow component you can use to embed HTML to display external content, plugins, or applications.

Parameter

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A parameter is a programming variable or value that transfers data between functions.

Contextual advertising

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Contextual advertising is a form of paid advertising that matches web content with ad intent.
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