Drupal Terminology Suggestions

Current: input formats
- Doesn't describle clearly what it means
Suggestion: code filter

I like the rest of the suggestions, but I think input formats makes more sense than code filter.

Current: Taxonomy (vocabulary, term, tags)
- Tags are trendy, but don't make sense to non-alpha users
Suggestion: Categories (category set, category, keywords)

It was suggested to me that a more economical solution might be: Categories (category, term, keywords)

This issue duplicates another issue I've seen lately, but this one is more verbose. I'd like to mark the other issue as the duplicate and keep this one.

Below we can write alternative descriptions.

"access control" is renamed to permissions in Drupal 6.

"input format doesn't describe clearly what it means". How true! Especially when you know that a Drupal input format is actually an output format! Drupal doesn't filter on input, it filters on output. This can be very confusing when working with TinyMCE.

A Drupal input format consists of a combination of Drupal filters, so "code filter" does not make it any clearer. I can't think of an alternative, though. Something with "presentation"? "render"?

Output format, or Output settings, seem appropriate, but are they clear?

Render mode?
Formatting?
View mode?

Filter is a term I've seen in other CMSs (Moodle). Output Filter would be more descriptive for us.

I can't believe this hasn't gotten more attention untill now. This is one of the big issues for people new to Drupal, understanding the difficult and oftentimes confusing terminology. Users don't like having to learn new concepts. Some times they already know the concept, it's only named differently making Drupal look much more daunting than it actually is.

The only suggestions I don't agree with are Keywords (the word Tags is more than just trendy and is pretty to grasp), and Code filter like others have pointed out (Output filter is much better).

I hope this issue can get some attention! Improving the terminology would really help D7 become more user friendly.

Isn't "Output" meaningless for most end users?
Filters defines the *display* of contents, so wouldn't "Display formats", or "Display modes" be more understandable to people who don't know Drupal's inners?

Yea, Display sounds better than Output. It also harmonizes with the documentation ("Generate a display of the given node" from node_view).

Display formats isn't entirely correct as they're not really formats (wiktionary: "The layout of a document"). Display modes sounds better, but I would prefer Display filters. I think people know the concept of filters, we have them in our coffee machines and ventilation systems :)

+1 for render mode. The stuff you put into the edit box is saved in the database. Upon viewing it goes through one or more filters, to be rendered in HTML. The set of filters is the render mode, the display format is HTML.

Render sounds a bit too techy. I think "normal" people don't use this word when they talk about stuff on a screen.

Duplicate; http://groups.drupal.org/node/7226

7226 is about taxonomy only

#244904

(I guess Input format was the only one left.)

Understanding the Taxonomy module is a nightmare due to the terminology confusion. Dries has elsewhere commented that it is more important to worry about functionality but
(though he is not suggesting ignoring this issue) but to many, including developers, the Taxonomy module can be completely disfunctional because they can not grasp what it does when every other mention of the subject uses a different word for the same thing.

What is a Category as opposed to a Taxonomy?

What is a Vocabulary as opposed to either of the above?

What is a Tag (as in free-tagging) as opposed to a Term?

(I know, or think I know the answers to these questions but they can cause total confusion)

I don't think it is to important that the terminology is a readily recognised english word, infact it could cause confusion, as what is being described is not a commonly practised activity. When it is done in day to day life it is usually called ordering, sorting, arranging etc. It much more important that:-

• Consistent use throughout the module name, menu's, help & descriptions etc.
• Not use different names for the same thing
• Ideally the words for different things should be related (e.g. Trees, Branches and Leaves and not Orchards, Domains & Units)

Drupal seems commited now to the subject being called Taxonomy. In the dictionary an individual branch in the taxonomy would be a "Taxon" but either Tag or Term should be fine. Definitely throw away all mention of vocabularies and categories.

I suggest:-
The "Taxonomy" module can contain a collection of "Taxonomies", each individual "Taxonomy" containing a hierarchy of "Terms" to which nodes or other drupal objects can be associated with. The act of allocating a taxonomy term to a node is called "Tagging" in the same way you might "tag" a suitcase by stick a label on it.

Other alternative words instead of the phrase "Term" could be a "Taxon", "Tag", "Subject", "Group", "Class" or "Label". I prefer "Label" myself as it is a plain English word that quite closely matches what it is. But there is no over-riding reason to change it from "Term".

P.S. Currently the Taxonomy page in Drupal 6 refers to "Tags" and "Terms" as if they are different things? Am I still confused or aren't they precisely the same thing i.e. tagging is the act of allocating a term to a node and when you are "free-tagging" you are creating a term on-the-fly rather than pre-defining a term before using it. Therefore tagging does not involve any seperate entity called a "Tag"?
"The taxonomy module allows you to categorize your content using both tags and administrator defined terms."