Glossary
Alt/Option Key - This is a modifier key present on all computer keyboards. It appears on the bottom left of the keyboard just inboard from the Control Key. On Windows keyboards it is labeled as "Alt" and on Mac keyboards as "Option."
anti-aliasing - a method of smoothing lines and edges in a digital drawing to minimize the appearance of stair-stepping, also known as "the jaggies"
attribute - a trait or aspect of a MandalaMaker shape which can be altered by direct manipulation or through palette controls
calling swatch - When the user opens one of the paint selection palettes by clicking on a paint swatch, we refer to the clicked swatch as the palette's calling swatch. Any adjustments made to the palette will effect the calling swatch and the attribute that it controls.
color space - a range of colors defined in a certain way. For a detailed discussion of color spaces see Working with Paints
compound shape - a term used to describe shapes such as the Planet and Ring of Shapes. Compound shapes arrange one or more basic shapes known as ringshapes in a particular configuration.
Control Key - This is a modifier key present on all computer keyboards. It appears on the bottom left of the keyboard just outboard from the Alt/Option Key. On most keyboards this key is labeled "Control" but is also sometimes labeled or referred to as "CNTL."
drag, dragging - a mouse or trackpad action involving the following: (1) moving the cursor over an onscreen object...
(2) pressing and holding the primary button down while... (3) moving the cursor (with the selected object in tow) to the desired location...
(4) releasing the button
fill - the interior area of a shape and particularly the paint with which it is colored
focus - the software component currently receiving user actions such as mouse clicks or key presses is said to have focus. Depending on the software and operating system, the component with focus may be highlighted in some way. For example, in text input components the flashing insertion point generally appears when the component has focus. Focus can be moved by clicking on a component or (sometimes) by pressing the Tab key.
layer - one drawing element (shape or text) at a specified position in the drawing's stacking order.
line - the outline of a shape and particularly the paint and stroke with which it is drawn
modifier keys - a group of keyboard keys which can be pressed along with another key or while clicking with the mouse to modify the behavior of the click or key press. The most commonly used modifiers are the Shift key, Control (CNTL) key, Alt/Option key, and (on Mac) the Command key.
opaque - solid as opposed to transparent - an element with an opaque paint hides any elements which are behind it
resolution - the density of a pixel (dot) based digital image, generally specified in pixels per inch (PPI), dots per inch (DPI) or pixels per meter (PPM). Computer screens typically have resolutions between 72 dpi (CRT display) and 120 dpi (high-res LCD), but most software still "thinks" of screen resolution as 72 dpi. High quality printed images range from 300 dpi to as high as 1200 dpi.
rotation factor - An inherent value of each shape type that modifies how the value of its Rotation attribute is interpreted. This factor is based on the radial symmetry of the shape, so that a shape with simple left-right symmetry such as the Doorways have a factor of 1 and will rotate a full 360°, while a shape with two-fold symmetry such as the Oval, has a factor of 2 and will rotate 180°. A five-pointed Star has a factor of 5 and will rotate 72° (360° divided by 5).
selected, selection - Selection means placing the input focus on a particular item. In MandalaMaker, that item could be a layer, shape, or interface control. When a layer or shape is selected, its attributes can be altered. When an interface control (for example, a Slider in an Attribute Box) is selected, it can be effected by certain keyboard actions.
selected shape - The currently active shape. The selected shape will display selection handles, its representative Shape Pane in the Layer Palette will display with a blue highlight, and changes made in the various palettes will affect its attributes.
selection handles - Small rectangles which appear at various points around the edges of a shape when it is the selected shape. Selection handles help identify the selection and may also be dragged to adjust some of the attributes of the shape.
shape - one of the geometrical forms which provide the structure of a MandalaMaker drawing
shape types - the set of basic shape forms available in MandalaMaker, such as Circle, Diamond, or Ring of Shapes. The shape type is set using the Shape Popup Menu on the Shape Palette.
stroke - sometimes used interchangeably with line, stroke refers to the attributes with which a line is painted. In MandalaMaker the width of the stroke can be changed using the Line Width control in the Line & Fill Palette
tool tip - a small explanatory text box that pops up when the cursor (mouse indicator) hovers over certain controls. MandalaMaker uses tool tips on the Shape Picker.
transparency - see-through as opposed to opaque - paints in MandalaMaker can have varying level of transparency which allow background elements to show through
vector graphics - a type of computer graphic in which drawing elements (like MandalaMaker Shapes) are defined mathematically, as opposed to pixel (dot) based graphics in which shapes are just groups of dots. Vector graphics are resolution independent, meaning that they can be scaled up or down with no loss of image quality or sharpness.
WYSIWYG - an acronym for "what you see is what you get" - the idea in desktop publishing that the computer screen is displaying a document exactly as it will appear when printed. MandalaMaker attempts to present a WYSIWYG image when the Zoom control is set to 100%.
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