G L O S S A R Y
GL-3
flag
A value that is set either on or off to
enable a feature. Typically, flag values are single
bits, though they can be groups of bits or a
whole byte.
font spec A structure used to store information
about a font, including the font family, style, and
point size.
frame An unordered collection of slots, each
of which consists of a name and value pair. The
value of a slot can be any type of object, and
slots can be added or removed from frames
dynamically. A frame can have a user-specified
class. Frames can be used like records in Pascal
and structs in C, and also as objects that respond
to messages.
free-form entry field A field of a
protoCharEdit
view that accepts any
characters as user input.
function object A frame containing
executable code. Function objects are created by
the function constructor:
func(
args
)
funcBody
An executable function object includes values
for its lexical and message environment, as well
as code. This information is captured when the
function constructor is evaluated at run time.
gesture A handwritten mark that is recog-
nized as having a special meaning in the Newton
system, such as tap, scrub, caret, and so on.
global
A variable or function that is accessible
from any NewtonScript code.
grammar A set of rules defining the format of
an entity to be recognized, such as a date, time,
phone number, or currency value. Lexical
dictionaries are composed of sets of grammars.
See also lexical dictionary.
home city The emporium the system uses to
modify dialing information, time zone, and so
on. It is usually the user's home, but the user
may set it to another city when traveling.
immediate A value that is stored directly
rather than through an indirect reference to a
heap object. Immediates are characters, integers,
or Booleans. See also reference.
implementor The frame in which a method is
defined. See also receiver.
In/Out Box The application that serves as a
central repository for all incoming and outgoing
data handled by the Routing and Transport
interfaces.
inheritance The mechanism by which
attributes (slots or data) and behaviors (methods)
are made available to objects. Parent inheritance
allows views of dissimilar types to share slots
containing data or methods. Prototype inheritance
allows a template to base its definition on that of
another template or prototype.
ink
The raw data for input drawn by the user
with the stylus. Also known as raw ink or
sketch ink.
ink word The grouping of ink data created by
the recognition system, based on the timing and
spacing of the user's handwriting. Ink words are
created when the user has selected "Ink Text" in
the Recognition Preferences slip. Ink words can
subsequently be recognized with deferred
recognition.
input spec A frame used in receiving endpoint
data that defines how incoming data should be
formatted; termination conditions that control
when the input should be stopped; data filtering
options; and callback methods.
instantiate To make a run-time object in the
NewtonScript heap from a template. Usually
this term refers to the process of creating a view
from a template.